Helping others in need continues King's work

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At the heart of all that civilization has meant and developed

is "community" -- the mutually cooperative and voluntary venture

of man to assume a semblance

of responsibility for his brother...All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.

-- Martin Luther King Jr., Nashville, Tenn., 1962

Tucked away on a narrow stretch of street in a hilly section of Northeast Washington, homes with front porches rise on a site previously occupied by boarded-up public housing. Built by volunteers, these Habitat for Humanity homes at 54th and Clay streets NE are part of a nationwide effort to bring volunteers and the people they serve together, creating a community of service.

Nowhere is that effort more manifest than on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, which has been designated a special day of service for all Americans.

That's always been basic to celebrations of the day, but passage of the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday and Service Act in 1994 codified the day as a time for everyone to "assume a semblance of responsibility for his brother."

Interested in construction? Habitat for Humanity is building homes in Northeast. Like to paint? A myriad of painting projects is happening on that day, thanks to an injection of funds from federal, state and private agencies and from corporations. You can give massages, help people learn to fill out applications, and even take oral histories in some places.