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Local organizations offer solutions for hope and peace during divisive times

MLK Day provides the chance for people to serve the community and get closer to neighbors

Even with 10 Republicans joining Democrats in impeaching the President Donald Trump, great division remains on Capitol Hill and across the nation.

Tuesday there calls for unity from law makers on the right.

Andrea Hill of Volunteer Memphis is trying to find a solution to peace in the Mid-South through the example of service and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's message of love.

"As we've gone through these 5 years of MLK Days of Service, we've certainly seen lives change," said Hill.

Volunteer Memphis partners with community organizations for service opportunities like MLK Days of Service January 14-18.

The event provides exercises in compassion through mentoring, literacy initiatives, serving our vets and homeless with big benefits for volunteers and those who need help.

The lesson...service uplifts the community.

"In the grand scheme of things, that change makes a difference in a person for a lifetime," said Hill.  

Hill has witnessed views and perspectives changed by simple positive engagement with others.

It's what King meant when he said, "To change the world, love has to be extended to everyone." It's something to think about as we watch scenes replayed from chaos at the nation's capitol.

Faith Morris sees an average of 12-thousand visitors at the National Civil Rights Museum every MLK Day.

"They come to celebrate this man who was a humanitarian, who really told it the way it was, who taught us every lesson you could imagine. That there is a book or a speech or an event that happened historically that he brought to us that really explains what's going on now and it was going on then. Not a whole lot has changed," said Morris.  

Morris says home is perhaps the best place to start regaining our senses.

"Let's see if we can try to get through some of this hatred that is making us do things that are unmentionable," said Morris.

The opposite of hate, of course is love.

Maybe service is a better use of energy reminding us of that.   

"There is somebody out there you know who has been affected by COVID, has been affected by homelessness or some type of abuse. With MKL Days of service we open the door up to you to know about organization doing great in the community on a yearlong everyday basis," said Hill. 

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