Flagstaff Freethinkers honor Martin Luther King Jr. by organizing Day of Service

By Brittany Shoots-Reinhard, Beyond Belief Network Coordinator

Beyond Belief Network team Flagstaff Freethinkers has been very busy in November and December organizing a Flagstaff, Arizona, MLK Service Day to be held Monday, January 20. They’ve involved more than twenty community organizations, including both secular and religious organizations, to organize an impressive schedule of service opportunities:

• Fundraiser for Sunnyside Neighborhood Association and Murdoch Community Center
• Supply drive (clothing, bedding, toiletries, and cleaning supplies) for Flagstaff Shelter Services
• Sorting food and donations for Flagstaff Food Bank
• Splitting and stacking firewood for Flagstaff Food Bank
• Food preparation and Children’s MLK Birthday Celebration at Flagstaff Family Food Center
• Filling sandbags for United Way of Northern Arizona
• Blood Drive for United Blood Services

The event will culminate in a march for any interested participants to Northern Arizona University to join the Black Student Union’s annual march on campus. Team Captain Brian Wallace says, “It’s going to be really exciting to have people of different backgrounds and economic and social positions—civic organizations, church congregations, schools, and more—come together and do meaningful work within the community we all share.”

Foundation Beyond Belief’s Beyond Belief Network was thrilled to provide Flagstaff Freethinkers a $500 grant to assist with advertising the event to the community and buying supplies for the service opportunities on site. In addition to our financial support of the event, we’d like to encourage humanists in the area to participate. For information and to RSVP for a service activity, visit the MLK Service Day Facebook page or the official MLK Service Day website, or contact flagstaff.freethinkers@gmail.com.

Beyond Belief Network offers grants of $250 or $500 to qualifying teams for service activities like the MLK Day of Service. To qualify, teams must join Beyond Belief Network, reach Level Two or Level Three, and submit a budget proposal and event outline. Existing teams can submit event reports for 2013 through January 15, 2014, to qualify for 2013 perks, including grants, which may be used for 2014 service activities. Any event report received by that date will also earn an entry in a drawing to win one of two signed books authored by Dale McGowan and Chris Stedman. Teams requalify for perks each calendar year. To find out more, visit our website or contact Beyond Belief Network Coordinator Brittany Shoots-Reinhard.