Inauguration day, which is usually Jan. 20, has been moved to Monday because it falls on a Sunday. That means the second inauguration of President Barack Obama will coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
MLK Day itself has been expanded with a tradition started four years ago, and the president is asking citizens to joining him in observing the MLK Day of Service on Saturday, Jan. 19. In fact, Americans are being encouraged to make a year-long commitment to service. President Obama’s “United We Serve” initiative is based on the belief that service should be a lifelong commitment and can take place anywhere – at school or in the community, at the local, state or national level.
There are plenty of opportunities in Great Bend. The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program can help steer older residents to many of these, but it’s not hard to find people and places that need help, from the Area Agency on Aging to the zoo.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. certainly believed in a life of service. He once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” King also said,  “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.”