C. Oregonians honor MLK Day by giving back

Dreams come in all shapes and sizes.

Martin Luther King Jr. had one — and so do the people of Central Oregon.

“To use my day to do something valuable is so much better than just having another day off,” Laura Goetz said Monday.

Sometimes you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty to turn those dreams into something more.

“It feels good not just spending it going skiing or something else anyone could do, feels good to help out around the community,” said volunteer Wesley Litton.

The Day of Service is a national effort to get people out and involved — from building a home in Bend for a family in need, to creating beautiful arrangements to bring a smile to hospice patients and their families, to stocking the Bend Community Center’s food bank.

Community members volunteered at dozens of projects organized by Volunteer Connect. For Vera Farrell, giving her a day off to do some hands-on work is well worth it.

“I like showing up for my community in ways that are different than showing up fro my daily life and meeting new members in my community,” Farrell said.

Organizers say it’s more than just about giving back on MLK Jr. Day. It’s about volunteering your time to the community year-round.

“There’s 12 people here today — that’s 12 hours of work,” said Mary Powell of The Bloom Project. “We will take every bit we can. Everybody thinks they need to give so much, and we really just need a tiny amount of time, multiplied.”.

Dr. King once said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

Central Oregonians truly embraced his words, keeping the good works and goodwill going.

“I admire Dr. King and this is another way to keep his vision alive,” Farrell said.

To find out how you can volunteer to help in your community, visit http://www.volunteerconnectnow.org.