The Procrastinator's Day of Service

by Matt Kelley · 2009-01-19 06:45:00 UTC
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Today is the national Day of Service, in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an American hero who once said: "Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

Still looking for a way to give a few hours of your time? You haven't missed your chance.

The key to finding a good way to give at the last minute is to focus on your skills and passions. If you're reading this post, you have access to a computer. There are many ways you can give your time without getting up from your desk (isn't that oh so American?) And while giving your time today is admirable, making a commitment to a continuing volunteer gig will leave an ever more lasting impact. Spend your time today researching the right opportunity and send an email. Take the first step.

Since I have to be at my computer for much of the day today, I'm giving my time by working on a website for a friend's startup nonprofit - a project I committed to doing in my spare time but one that never seems to happen. Do you have friends or family members who do charity work? Can you lend your skills to their efforts today?

Here are a few ways you can have an impact on the criminal justice system today:

Donate a book to a prison library. Scan your shelves and pick a few favorites you've already read. Put them in an envelope and send them to a prison library project near you, or send them to Books Through Bars NYC, c/o c/o Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002.

Tell your elected officials to end the War on Drugs. Tomorrow, America will turn over a new leaf when Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States. Although he has waffled on the decriminalization of marijuana, he has spoken clearly on the need for alternatives to long sentences for non-violent (drug) offenders. You can write to your elected representatives today and urge them to take action this year on tanglible issues like needle exchanges, drug courts, rehabilitation centers and more. Already sent your letter? Back for more? Invite your friends to write. Build a website about a local drug war issue. Start a movement (and let me know when it's up so I can profile it here).

Are you a writer, video / audio producer, graphic designer or web designer? Learn about a possible wrongful conviction case and offer your skills to help free an innocent prisoner. This list of cases could get you started.

Still want more? Seth Godin has a great list of ideas for the Day of Service here, and many of them - like starting a Facebook group for a cause you believe in or donating books to the library - you can still do today.

Matt Kelley is the Online Communications Manager at the Innocence Project and a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow him on Twitter @mattjkelley.
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