City

Volunteer for the 2024 MLK Day of Service

Celebrate the life + service of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Chattanooga’s MLK Day of Service, parade, and other local events happening around the city.

January 11, 2024 • 
Haley Bartlett
NOOGAtoday | MLK Mural "I Have a Dream"

Volunteer around the city to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photo by NOOGAtoday

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day falls on Monday, Jan. 15 this year — honor the life + service of his legacy on a local scale by volunteering in the citywide MLK Day of Service.

Folks can meet up at UTC’s Maclellan Gym at 8 a.m. to participate in various service projects until 12 p.m. Note: You will be assigned a project on site — RSVP online.

Outdoor projects

  • Planting trees in Boulevard Park with Outdoor Chattanooga
  • Clean-up + marker unveiling at Beck Knob Cemetery with Hurst United Methodist Church
  • Clear vegetation + debris around the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park bridge
  • Litter pickup + daffodil bulb planting with the Orchard Knob Neighborhood Association
  • Litter clean-up + flower planting with the Oak Hills Elite Neighborhood Association
  • Hand out door hangers for the Breaking Chains initiative to reduce gun violence with the Office of Community Health
  • Prep work like spring planting, mulching + installing raised beds at Food Forest Coalition of Chattanooga’s St. Elmo site
  • Cleaning + planting flowers at RISE Chattanooga with Young Ladies of Power
  • Clean-up + yard work at the Chris L. Ramsey Sr. Community Center
  • Clear out invasive plants at the Pleasant Garden Cemetery with African American Cemetery Preservation Fund
NOOGAtoday | Two folks in a park planting trees.

Make sure you wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty + comfortable shoes.

Photo provided by Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Department

Indoor projects

  • Organize the Clothing Ministry’s clothing shed at Holy Temple Church of God
  • General cleaning, painting + tall window washing at Unitarian Universalist Church
  • Distribute + install smoke alarms in Eastdale with the Chattanooga Fire Department
  • Painting at RISE Chattanooga
  • Deep clean the Signal Centers’ Adult Day Services Center
  • Clearing locker rooms to be used for future shower days offered to those experiencing homelessness at First Church of the Nazarene
  • General cleaning + organizing at NAACP’s facility
  • General cleaning + organizing at Westside Missionary Baptist Church

Following the service projects, all volunteers are invited to enjoy the annual MLK Memorial March and Parade. The march will kick off at 1 p.m. on Georgia Avenue (along Miller Park) and continue downtown towards Peeples Street.

Bonus: Hear from Dr. Bernice King (daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) + Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz (daughter of Malcolm X) on Friday, Jan. 19 for UTC’s MLK Day celebration.