In 1994 Martin Luther King Day became a National Day of Service. President Obama called on the entire nation to serve this year, making it the largest Day of Service on record. “As we honor that legacy, it’s not a day just to pause and reflect – it’s a day to act,” President Obama said. President Obama spent his time visiting the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and helped to paint rooms in the Sasha Bruce House, a homeless shelter for teens in Washington D.C., on Monday. Others across the country participated in the national Day of Service to commemorate King’s legacy of helping others. Students from Catholic University devoted their time helping to remove graffiti and replaced it with murals on the walls of Anacostia Senior High School. Students from various universities in Michigan teamed together with the United Way, working at multiple sites ranging from a homeless shelter to Habitat for Humanity. At Clemson University over 200 students participated in service endeavors at 16 different agencies. University of Iowa students, including Jery Inbarasu, believed in King’s message of helping those in need and spent their day at the North Liberty Community Pantry. “Martin Luther King stressed serving others, so it’s very important and symbolic to be out here helping today,” Inbarasu said.

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