Opportunities below are samples from our 2024 event - check back soon for 2025 updates!

Volunteer: You may choose to give your time and talents inside and outside of your home to help your community or a cause you care about. Building on Boston Cares’ tradition of volunteering on MLK Day, we are offering a variety of in-person opportunities throughout the weekend, and trainings to help jumpstart your volunteer journey.

In-Person MLK Day Service Event - Registration is now closed for this event

On Monday, January 15th, from 10am-12pm, we are excited to host a variety of in-person volunteer projects hosted at the Boston Latin School. This in-person volunteering event is youth-friendly, and great for engaging with your family, friends, and fellow volunteers to create and give back on this day of service! Volunteers will be signing up to make items for donation to our four partners, including fidget toys for Waltham Partnership for Youth, blankets and more for School on Wheels and Pine Street Inn, and valentines for Ethos. 

Become a Boston Cares Volunteer

To join our community of volunteers and engage with us beyond this weekend, click below to sign up for a virtual New Volunteer Orientation, offered from January 12th through the 14th with a waived registration fee! On MLK Day, Monday, January 15th, are excited to offer an in-person Orientation, as well as an Allies For Immigrants Tutor ESOL Corps Training at the Boston Latin School! The Allies Training is now closed for this event, please check our website for future events.

        New Volunteer Orientations     

Calendar Program Opportunities - Registration is now closed for volunteering opportunities this weekend, please check out our calendar for other dates to volunteer.

Purchase Power: You can make decisions that reflect your values or advance a social cause or issue by choosing where you do and don’t spend your money. This includes thinking about how we can support small local businesses, particularly those that are BIPOC and immigrant-owned. 

Join Four Corners Main Streets on a Neighborhood Walking Tour of Dorchester! This is an interactive way to visit local businesses and restaurants, in which you can learn history about the community and enjoy food samples along the way! Registration is now closed for this event.

Service: You may commit your time, energy, & talent to public, national, or military service and civic work. Below you can read more about service-year programs such as AmeriCorps, National Park Services, and the Massachusetts Commonwealth Corps that offer opportunities to commit your time to serving your community while building skills, and listen to their podcasts to see how local individuals have engaged with these programs.

AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve directly with nonprofit organizations to tackle our nation’s most pressing challenges. More than 200,000 individuals serve with AmeriCorps annually, making a difference in communities across America. Locally, the Massachusetts Service Alliance’s Commonwealth Corps service internship program engages Massachusetts residents of all ages, backgrounds, and identities in direct service to strengthen communities, address critical needs, and increase volunteerism. Through hands-on experience in areas such as Economic Opportunity, Education, Health and Nutrition, or Youth Development, Commonwealth Corps members gain professional skills and valuable knowledge while positively impacting diverse communities in the state.
AmeriCorps Connections podcast: AmeriCorps Connections with Dana Benjamin-Allen | NCCC

National Park Service (NPS): Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP) support the National Park Service in its mission to preserve and protect our national parks. You can volunteer for a day or year-round; on your own or with friends and family; close to home or at a dream destination. Volunteer opportunities are available nationwide including in U.S. Territories.
My Park Story podcast: Hannah Murray, Youth Volunteer at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park

Peace Corps: Peace Corps service lets you partner with communities to share your skills and passion at the local level where they can make a difference. When serving in the Peace Corps, volunteers will work together with their community to create a positive impact on people’s lives and focus on sectors such as education, health, economic development, and the environment.
Driving Impact podcast: The Art of Peacebuilding with Hon. Aaron S. Williams

Vote: In democratic societies, voting is your opportunity to participate in the democratic process for national and local elections, supporting causes and candidates aligned with your positions.

We will be hosting in-person voter registration at our MLK Day Event at the Boston Latin School on Monday, January 15th, from 12-2pm. Supported by MassVOTE, we will be providing on-site registration, mail-in registration forms, as well as other resources on voting. Click here to view voter registration requirements, and information on materials you may need to bring to register to vote.

MassVOTE will also provide an in-person and virtual session Monday, January 15th from 12-1pm where you will be able to learn more about their organization, as well as Ranked Choice Voting, Same Day Registration, and other relevant issues going on with the local and national 2024 Election.

You are also able to register or pre-register to vote online! Click the button below to navigate to the State's Voter Registration website, where you can register, update contact information, and change your party status. The City of Boston has great resources and provides a good guideline for what you may need to register online, as well as for other registration methods.

Online Voter Registration Here!

 Virtual Info Session    In-person Info Session

Work: You may decide to make choices about your employment based on the organization’s values and purpose. In many cases, you may also use your workplace as a platform to advance social issues. The Points of Light Civic 50 recognizes the most civically-minded companies based on their investment, integration, institutionalization, and impact.

                                                   Work Resources!

 Voice: You can use your voice to influence your family, friends, and others to raise awareness for an issue you care about. Check out our non-profit partners who champion the use of our voices every day!

Right to Be: Join Boston Cares and L.A. Works for an essential conversation with Right to Be! A global team of educators, motivators, and facilitators, Right to Be focuses on simple, creative, and effective action. Their mission to build a world free of harassment and filled with humanity is realized every day by training individuals to respond to, intervene in, and assist in healing from the harassment so many folks regularly face.

This session will give folks the tools to intervene the next time they witness harassment in public spaces. Featuring Right to Be's 5Ds methodology---their five strategies for intervention---together, folks will become better equipped with the right information on how to be an effective bystander in the midst of public space harassment. Both discussion and practice will be central to the experience and hopefully leave everyone feeling more prepared to intervene successfully and safely. Registration is now closed for this event.

Democracy Center:  Designated as "a 21st century meeting house," the Democracy center supports and hosts organizers as they drive the world towards more sustainability, connection, expression, and equity. A vibrant space offering affordable access and logistical resources to activists, creatives, and neighbors, support the Democracy Center as they support the voices of our communities.

Boston Debate League: Committed to engagement, information, and empowerment, the Boston Debate League champions the voices of local students, centering the diverse strengths of Black, Latino, and other marginalized experiences in Boston. As they involve students in the exact issues that affect them daily and prepare them for the world ahead, support the BDL and the inclusive, learning spaces they create for all.

X-Cel Education: With a mission to make high school completion, post-secondary study, and sustainable career paths more accessible for all those underserved, X-Cel Education offers flexibility and convenience to anyone with a desire to continue learning and sharing information. As they meet barriers to education with innovative solutions, support X-Cel and the opportunities they open for more voices to introduce themselves and be heard.

Donate: This is your ability to contribute money, services, or goods to support the welfare of others or to advance a social cause you care about. Join us in addressing specifically identified needs from our community partners by donating to our drives running over MLK weekend, or donate directly to support Boston Cares. 

As this event serves as a launching pad for us to highlight our community partners, this year we are focusing on supporting Rosie's Place. Rosie's Place is the oldest women's shelter in the United States, providing services to over 14,000 women a year. These services include free meals three times a day, a food pantry serving 350 women daily, 129 beds, and counseling services. Your donations will go directly towards improving the quality of life for Rosie's Place's guests, who are always in need of sanitary supplies and warm clothing this time of year. Click the button below to access their wishlist and current needs, as well as donation drop-off locations.

Rosie's Place Donation Information Here! 

Boston Cares provides volunteers to up to 350 nonprofits and schools each year at no cost to our partners. Donations to Boston Cares have a ripple effect, allowing us to help our partners meet critical community needs. Donate to Boston Cares by clicking the button below, and support our efforts to drive people-powered, sustainable change.

Donate to Boston Cares 

Listen & Learn: We need to stay informed, think critically, and educate ourselves before acting. The more informed you are, the better decisions you can make about how to best serve your community.

Good Trouble Podcast: Hosted by Embrace Boston & the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center’s Good Trouble Podcast, Good Trouble's goal is to inform and inspire using the stories of the people fighting the good fight today. Inspired by civil rights leader John Lewis’ words of encouragement, the show will connect with our region’s noisemakers and key stakeholders to learn about their paths to becoming “good troublemakers,” and what we can all do to join them. Click below to listen, or on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Good Trouble! podcast: Embrace Boston

Points of Light On Demand Resource Webinars and Inclusivv Discussion Guide: Express interest below to read more, and engage with a variety of webinars from Points of Light's series Listen.Learn.Act to End Racism, as well as to receive a discussion guide you can use to digest the webinar topics, among others, with your community.

Express Interest Here!

Social Entrepreneurship: You may identify a need that has not been met by traditional institutions, structures and systems, and be able to lead creative and innovative solutions that address root causes to drive change. We are highlighting and collaborating with the following social enterprises! For more information and ways to support, check out their websites below:

Boston While Black: Boston While Black is a membership. network for Black professionals, entrepreneurs, and students who are seeking connection and community.

                                                                               Learn More Now!

Consciously Exposed: The goal of Consciously Exposed is to empower diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments in business, mental health, and the arts.

                                                                               Learn More Now!

Thank you to our sponsoring partners for making MLK Day Weekend 2024 possible!