As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, colleges and universities in Nashville prepare to honor the holiday’s namesake for the 12th annual MLK Joint Day of Service. Tim Stewart, director of the Belmont Office of Service-Learning, hopes students take this opportunity to serve the greater Nashville community in honor of Dr. King. “We hope to help people feel like they’re a bigger part of a bigger community – both the Nashville community and the community of college students who are here and that they can have a positive impact,” Stewart said. This year’s event will be on Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Meharry Medical College. There is a place for everyone to serve at the event, but spots will be assigned on a first come, first served basis at check-in. Volunteers can choose to plant trees, assemble care packages, write cards, paint ceiling tiles or clean up indoor and outdoor spaces. There is also the opportunity to facilitate the MLK Day Youth Chess Tournament or contribute to the production of a young adult social media campaign. The day will include a provided lunch, a message from university presidents and a speech by Reverend Dr. Kelly Miller Smith Jr. from First Baptist Church in Nashville. From 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., volunteers will disperse to their chosen service sites around the city. The event will conclude back on Meharry’s campus with a period of reflection activities and prize drawings. Beyond the gratification a volunteer receives from serving others, participating Belmont students will also receive six hours of service WELL-Core credit. “That’s one of the things you do in college — you learn new things, you try new things, you meet new people, you have new experiences that hopefully will broaden your horizons and perspectives.” Masks are required while on Meharry’s campus and will be made available for Belmont volunteers if needed at event check-in. Visit this website for registration information for this event. https://www.belmont.edu/sl/mlk-day/index.html This article was written by Tessa Pendleton