The Bridge to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. through Service Day

ORLAND PARK, IL – The Bridge Teen Center will host their annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day family service event on Monday, January 21, 2019 at their sister organization, The Bridge Thrift Store located at 15605 S. 71st Court in Orland Park, Illinois. The event will run from 2:00 pm until 4:00pm.

In honoring Dr. King’s legacy of service, participants are encouraged to bring their children, spouses, extended family or friends for a fun-filled afternoon of volunteering, bonding, connecting with their fellow community members and giving back.

“This is a great event for family members to work together, side by side, to support local teens and families served by The Bridge Teen Center,” said Priscilla Steinmetz, Founder of The Bridge Teen Center.

Volunteers will help sort, organize, clean and stock donated items. At the end of the event, all volunteers will debrief about their service experience over light desserts and appetizers; participants are welcome to bring a treat to share with other families. Volunteers must be at least 10 years of age.

Because The Bridge Teen Center receives no state or government funding, over 30 percent of its operating budget is generated by The Bridge Thrift Store’s sales. The Bridge Thrift Store greatly benefits the free programs at The Bridge Teen Center – those of which have positively impacted over 7,000 different teens from 128 area communities.

“Families and groups who attend this Martin Luther King Day event will play an important role in helping The Bridge Teen Center positively impact the teens we serve,” said Steinmetz.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Volunteers can sign up for this event by visiting www.thebridgeteencenter.org or calling 708.532.0500.

The Bridge Teen Center is a nationally-recognized nonprofit community center that was designed around the needs and interests of teens in the suburbs. The Bridge provides free holistically-designed afterschool programming and a safe environment for Friday night entertainment. Monthly programs that help parents navigate through the teenage years are also offered. To date, over 7,000 unique students from 128 different communities have been served by The Bridge. The Bridge is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and is funded by individuals, businesses, and foundations in the community. For more information about The Bridge Teen Center, visit www.thebridgeteencenter.org or call 708.532.0500.

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Photo caption: Teen volunteers pose for a picture at last year’s Dr. Martin Luther King family service day.