“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to
serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace.
A soul generated by love.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Inclusive volunteering programs give people with IDD an opportunity that is special
and often rare—a way to give and not just receive community service.

Too often, people with disabilities are considered only to be the recipients rather than the givers of service. Thus, people with disabilities are not often given the opportunity to contribute to their community. By offering inclusive service opportunities, the MLK Day of Service project* gives people with disabilities the ability to give back, and counteracts this stereotype.

We asked volunteers at 2017 MLK Day of Service projects at The Arc of Luzerne County in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, and at TARC in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to describe what serving others means to them.

Giving Others a Fresh Start

Volunteers with and without disabilities at The Arc of Luzerne County provided food assistance to people in need in their community through the Commission on Economic Opportunity, a local food bank. Volunteers worked to help gather, package, and distribute food to seniors, children, and families in need in Pennsylvania.

For Jay Sterling, a volunteer with The Arc of Luzerne, providing food assistance was an opportunity to help others overcome a struggle his family had growing up. “It’s important to help with the food prep [at my local food pantry] because when I was little we didn’t have much money like some families today. It feels terrible to grow up poor.”

For volunteer Diane Williams, helping people get the food they need is an opportunity to make sure children, do not go hungry. “It makes me happy that I am helping because I have two children, and I like to think that if children need food they’re getting it.”

Practicing Our Civic Duty

In February, volunteers with and without disabilities from TARC, the University of Tulsa’s True Blue Neighbors program, the Bridges Foundation, and A New Leaf came together to prepare meals for those in need in Oklahoma.

President of Tulsa People First Sean Lewis, who participated in the event, considers the importance of giving back to his community:

“I think it is very important as citizens and self-advocates that we show we care about the needs of people around us by getting outside our own routines and giving our time and energy to the Martin Luther King projects. Food supplied by the Tulsa Food Bank helps put food on the table for families that otherwise might have none. I was very happy to serve in whatever way I was able to such a good cause and project.”

For more on inclusive volunteering and how volunteering can help people fight stereotypes, practice their civic duty and give back to their community, visit https://www.thearc.org/inclusive-volunteering.

*In 2016, The Arc was selected by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that leads the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, to plan and execute volunteer projects that unite Americans in service for the MLK Day of Service and throughout the year. To date, 16 chapters of The Arc around the country have organized inclusive volunteer service projects where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) volunteer alongside people without disabilities to provide food to people in their communities who are in need. In total, these projects have brought together over 1,000 volunteers to serve more than 14,000 people in need.

Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Inclusive volunteering gives people with and without IDD the opportunity to meet new people in the community while helping those in need. These new connections can lead to long-lasting friendships that impact not only community members being served by the volunteers but the volunteers themselves.

This past year, The Arc of Hanover in Ashland, Virginia, received a grant to work on The Arc’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service project.*

The Arc of Hanover’s Executive Director, Caroline Kistler, saw this grant as a key opportunity not only to serve people in need but also as an opportunity to help build friendships between young men and women of all abilities in the community. “Making friends with people different from yourself opens you up to new experiences, and allows you to see life from someone else’s perspective. As is true of all friendships, friendships among people with different abilities expand a person’s support system, and have a positive impact on a person’s life.”

Caroline recruited young adults with IDD at The Arc of Hanover and students at Randolph-Macon University to volunteer at Ashland Christian Emergency Services (ACES), a local nonprofit that provides food, clothing, and aid to people in need in the community. Caroline paired volunteers with and without IDD together so that people would be able to meet new people and learn from each other.

One pairing was Randolph-Macon University student Hannah Sommer and Linda George. While they were serving others, Hannah and Linda struck up a friendship. Hannah shared, “I always looked forward to spending time with her and the other students in the class. I was sad when the semester ended because I did not think I would get the opportunity to interact with the members of The Arc anymore.”

However, Hannah did have an opportunity to continue her connection with The Arc of Hanover as an intern the following semester. She appreciates that the internship “has allowed me to still keep in touch with Linda and the members of The Arc frequently, and has allowed me to learn so much about the disability community.” For Hannah, her relationship with Linda has been an important experience for her, and one that has been more meaningful because they met through service. “The relationships that are built and the friendships that are made through inclusive volunteering are like no other. Not only does the act of volunteering with a person with an intellectual or developmental disability benefit yourself and that individual, but together, you are working to benefit the lives of others.”

For Linda, befriending Hannah and volunteering with her has been important to her. “I liked working with Hannah and helping people. It was fun being able to volunteer with my friend. It feels good to be able to help people. I enjoyed being with Hannah.”

We hope that Linda and Hannah, and other volunteers paired through this program will continue their friendship, and continue serving their community! For people interested in learning more about The Arc’s MLK Day of Service Project, inclusive volunteering, and how volunteering can help people grow new relationships, visit https://www.thearc.org/inclusive-volunteering.

*In 2015, The Arc was selected by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that leads the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, to plan and execute volunteer projects that unite Americans in service for the MLK Day of Service and throughout the year. To date, 16 chapters of The Arc around the country have organized inclusive volunteer service projects where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) volunteer alongside people without disabilities to provide food to people in their communities who are in need. In total, these projects have brought together over 1,000 volunteers to serve more than 14,000 people in need.