Today, we honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who believed in reflecting on the progress we’ve made, and the actions needed, to make America a better place. We celebrate his legacy through a federal holiday that is also designated a National Day of Service, commonly referred to as “a day on, not a day off.”

The Medical Reserve Corps program is an example of what service can do for our communities and our Nation. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers in over 700 MRC units have devoted millions of hours to support public health and community partners’ responses to emergencies over the last 20 years. The program grew by 31 new units and 10,000 volunteers in 2023, showing a deep commitment to building upon the work that has already begun.

Our MRC-STTRONG awardees are already making impacts in the communities they serve. Here are just a few examples:  

• The Black Belt MRC in Alabama ended 2023 by providing compression-only CPR training to rural communities within the state. The Black Belt MRC will continue providing the training for Alabama rural Black Belt counties.
• In South Carolina, the Lowcountry Public Health Reserve Corps partnered with their local public health department, providing medical needs and shelter logistics training to public health staff within the Lowcountry Region – helping solidify volunteer credibility within the region.
• The OKMRC Tulsa County Coordinator met with the Tulsa Health Department’s Community Garden Committee to discuss how the OKMRC program and volunteers can support efforts to provide residents of the underserved area of the county access to the “From the Ground Up Community Garden.” This initiative provides community education, encourages healthy eating, and gives people the experience of having access to fresh foods.
• Finally, our junior MRC Units—made up of high school -- are growing, giving young people opportunities to serve in their own communities. Rhode Island recently brought in more than 30 new junior MRC volunteers and the Bosque School Junior MRC in New Mexico will participate in the NACCHO Preparedness Summit in Cleveland this March.
  

This year, the federal holiday falls on Dr. King’s actual birthday, and it is only fitting to start the year off serving others the way Dr. King did. Many MRC units are actively volunteering and doing just that. If this is your first time hearing about MRC or you want to find a service project near you, consider looking up your MRC unit and contacting them to become a volunteer.

It is in Dr. King’s spirit of service that I encourage you to join MRC units across the country in solidarity as we strive to support our communities in their greatest areas of need. I encourage you not only to participate but to also share your experiences with us and with your local communities.