The Indiana DNR is promoting a week of volunteering at state parks and facilities in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday.
About 12,000 volunteered at state parks last year, contributing nearly 140,000 hours, according to Jody Heaston, volunteer coordinator with Indiana State Parks.
She said MLK Day is a great time to think about volunteering. “We like to give people the opportunity to give back to their community. And why not give back to your local DNR property that be a state park, a fish and wildlife area, nature preserve, a state forest.”
All parks have different self-directed programs which can be found by calling the park itself.
Overall volunteer opportunities can include Identifying and cataloging plants, animals or artifacts, helping with program preparation and maintaining trails.
According to the DNR, volunteers contribute $4.2 million in volunteer labor annually.
Weeks centered around holidays like MLK Day drive such volunteerism.
Heaston said there are lots of individual opportunities to help clean and maintain state parks — on MLK day or any day really.
“They're welcome to sweep out the leaves in our shelters and maybe get some snow out of our shelters,” she said. “A lot of our shelters have fireplaces that are being used in the winter time.”
Heaston said the biggest needs are related to state park trails — keeping them clear of branches and putting down stone where needed.
Local universities have published their upcoming events to honor the legacy of Doctor Martin Luther King. This includes a day of service — a joint event between several local colleges.
The University of Evansville (UE), University of Southern Indiana (USI) and Ivy Tech Community College will join in a day of service Saturday, January 18.
The goal is to uplift local neighborhoods.
According to UE, during the event, volunteers will have the opportunity to serve at multiple organizations across the city.
Pre-registration is required at the applicable college website.
UE also has a faith-based panel dialogue on January 19, and rally with symbolic march on January 20th.
The UE 2025 theme is ‘Collective Leadership in a Changing World.’
USI will host a presentation by Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry as part of its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Celebration Luncheon.
The event will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, January 20 in Carter Hall in University Center West.
The presentation is open to the public and tickets are required to attend.
Terry’s presentation is called “A Blueprint for the Future.” It’s about how investment in people and the community can lead to breakthroughs in freedom and justice for all.