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Campus for the City

30th MLK Day of Service at Girard College

In partnership with Global Citizen, Girard College is proud to serve as the signature project site for the 30th Annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service on Monday, January 20, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon.

2025 marks the historic 60th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The theme for this year’s MLK Day of Service is “The Beloved Community,” in recognition of Dr. King’s efforts to build “The Beloved Community.”

The overarching focus of this year’s Day of Service will be service projects that reflect the Beloved Community theme. A Jobs Fair, Health and Wellness Fair and Kids’ Carnival are some of the activities that are planned for the event.

Schedule of Events

  • 8:00 a.m. Registration and Health & Wellness Fair Begins in the Girard College Armory
  • 9:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony
  • 9:30 a.m. Service Projects Begin, Health & Wellness Fair Resumes
  • 12:00 p.m. Activities in Girard College Armory Conclude
  • 12:00 p.m. King Day Reflection led by the Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters in the Girard College Elementary School Auditorium
  • 3:00 p.m. Philadelphia Orchestra MLK Tribute Concert in Girard College Chapel

Signature Projects

One of this year’s signature projects will be presented by lead sponsor Independence Blue Cross. Volunteers will sort and pack toiletry kits that will be distributed to people in need, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood and Community Engagement (MONCE) mini-City Halls.

Mural Arts Philadelphia will offer a hands-on workshop focusing on the Declaration of Independence, printmaking, and the power of posters. The project includes a presentation and discussion led by artists and facilitators in which participants will be asked to reflect on what the rights referenced in the Declaration of Independence — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — mean to them today, and what they might add if they were writing a new declaration today. The posters will inspire a mural in Center City and an exhibition at the Parkway Central Library in 2026, and they will be digitized and made accessible to the public in an online archive.

The Committee of Seventy’s project will give volunteers the opportunity to assemble Civic Engagement Starter Kits: Understanding How Philly Works, a hands-on project designed to provide accessible, actionable tools for understanding and navigating Philadelphia’s government. These kits are part of a broader effort to expand the reach of the How Philly Works brand as a trusted resource for civic education.

Additional Projects & Services

The Malcom Jenkins Foundation is partnering with National Public Radio’s Story Corps on a project called Brightness in Black with interviews with young people, amplifying that everyone has an important story to tell and everyone’s story matters. Book Trust will distribute free children’s books and offer reading activities with Reading Captains during the Day of Service.

A variety of service projects will be presented by local community organizations, and the King Day of Service also includes a jobs fair, a health and wellness fair and other family-friendly activities.

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 35th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert

Join The Philadelphia Orchestra for our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert, a tradition that’s been bringing people together since 1991.

In partnership with Girard College and Global Citizen’s Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, The Philadelphia Orchestra will present its 35th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert, led by conductor Damon Gupton, on Monday, January 20, at 3:00 PM at the Girard College Chapel. Tickets are free and available at philorch.org/mlk2025.

“The annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., concert is a time-honored tradition that exemplifies The Philadelphia Orchestra’s commitment to making music accessible to everyone,” said Doris Parent, chief IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies) officer for The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts. “It is essential that our work reflects a wide array of perspectives and experiences and that we showcase the diversity of our region. This concert is a beautiful example of how music unites us all.”

The concert will honor the life and legacy of  Dr. King through the power of music and will reflect the Orchestra’s commitment to  IDEAS.  The performance will include works by Black composers, including John Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson’s anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Richard Smallwood’s “Total Praise,” both featuring the Choir of the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, the Girard College High School Choir, keyboardist Earl Knight, bass guitarist Kevin Arthur, and drummer Bernard “TreWay” Lambert III; selections from a recently restored version of William Grant Still’s Wood Notes; and the first movement from Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges’s Violin Concerto in A major, Op. 5, No. 2, with violinist Nathan Amaral. Continuing a cherished tradition, Imasogie Storyteller, Narrator, and Host Charlotte Blake Alston will deliver a moving recitation of excerpts from Dr. King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech, accompanied by Barber’s Adagio for Strings.

The concert will be broadcast live on WRTI 90.1 FM.

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