Temple to host Philly’s MLK Day of Service for first time in more than 15 years
The massive volunteering event had been held at Girard College in North Philly since 2010.
The annual Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service, one of the region’s largest volunteering and charitable events, will be hosted by Temple University next year for the first time since 2009.
“Dr. King’s message for justice and civil rights is as important today as it was in 1963, and at Temple, we will always be deeply committed to living out the lessons of that message,” Temple president John Fry said in a statement announcing the move.
The 2026 Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service will take place Jan. 19.
Philadelphia’s event, which organizers have called the oldest and largest of its kind, was founded in 1996, just two years after U.S. Rep. John Lewis and Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford co-authored federal legislation that encouraged people to take the national holiday as a day of community service. Since then, tens of thousands of people have participated in the various MLK Day service projects throughout the Philadelphia region each year.
The Day of Service had been hosted by Girard College since 2010, but Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen and founder and director of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, welcomed a return to Temple.
He said the location was “fitting,” since King spoke at the Baptist Temple, now the Temple Performing Arts Center, as part of his “Freedom Now Tour” in August 1965.
“Dr. King’s appearance 60 years ago and President John Fry’s decades-long commitment to social justice through civic engagement among young people makes Temple the perfect host, bringing together participants from all backgrounds and ages, with a commitment to honor the legacy of Dr. King through citizen action on the federal holiday and beyond,” Bernstein said.
Temple’s signature service project will be the construction of “book arks” that are used to offer free books to local communities. Temple also plans to hold a career fair, a rally for peace and justice, a kids carnival, and other events on the day.
The university aims to build off the recent launch of its Owls for Philly program, which connects students, staff, and alumni with volunteering and engagement opportunities in North Philadelphia.
Information on how to register a project or volunteer for the day of service can be found at globalcitizen365.org.