Volunteer and educational opportunities are scheduled around the Truckee Meadows this weekend to mark the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
The federal holiday is observed on the third Monday of January and marks the birthday of the late civil rights leader.
King is best known for promoting equality through nonviolence. He played a significant role in ending legal segregation in the U.S. and in the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was assassinated in April 1968.
- An interfaith memorial service honoring King is scheduled at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada, 780 Del Monte Lane. Details: 775-851-7100
- The Food Bank of Northern Nevada holds an all-ages volunteer event from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday at its headquarters, 550 Italy Drive. Children must be accompanied by adults and closed-toed shoes are required. To register or for more information, visit https://fbnn.org/get-involved/events/ or call 775-331-3663
- Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society holds a dinner at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, 3800 S. Virginia St. The keynote speaker is Sherri Williams, a professor of race, media, and communications at American University in Washington, D.C. Admission starts at $65 per person and organizers advise those planning to attend purchase tickets in advance. Tickets are available at the Mustard Seed, 760 S. Virginia St.; and Northern Nevada International Center, 821 N. Center St.; or online at www.nnbcas.org. For more information: 775-329-8990
- University of Nevada, Reno students interested in volunteering throughout the community are asked to meet at 9 a.m. Monday in Ballroom A at the Joe Crowley Student Union. Volunteers will be transported to various sites around the community to help where needed. For more information: https://events.unr.edu/event/martin_luther_king_day_of_service#.WllFGiOZNmA
- The Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation holds a “BioBlitz” from 9 a.m. to noon Monday at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, 305 Coretta Way. Volunteers will catalog living things in the park as part of an annual phenology project to garner better understandings of plants, animals, and wildlife and how populations might be changing. For more information: https://www.tmparksfoundation.org/mlk-day—bioblitz or 775-410-1702
