Service was at the heart of King's philosophy. He said, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve," and urged Americans to take action to improve people's lives. In recognition of that spirit, Congress in 1994 passed the King Holiday and Service Act. Since then, millions of Americans have paid homage to the slain leader by serving in projects ranging from stocking food pantries to planting community gardens to training tutors for inner-city schools.

"Serving our neighbors and communities is the best way to commemorate this man who devoted his life to serving others," said Leslie Lenkowsky, CEO of the Corporation. "This day is especially important now as Americans respond to President Bush's call to every American to dedicate two years of their lives to serving others."

The grants, totaling $407,000, support a wide variety of projects. Volunteers in Fargo, N.D., will carry out a "Stuff the Bus" campaign to collect canned goods, blankets, clothes, and toiletry items for shelters for homeless and abused people. In Kalamazoo, Mich., projects include a bone marrow drive, housing rehabilitation for low-income and senior residents, park clean ups, and guest readers at Head Start centers. Community IMPACT! in Nashville, Tenn. will engage young people in a job shadow and mentoring program. The Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, Mass., will train volunteers as Health Advisors to do outreach to the African American community in the areas of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

"The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others," said Coretta Scott King, founder of the King Center.

A list of the grants recipients for 2003 and a toolkit with helpful information on how to organize a King Day service project is available at www.mlkday.org.

The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Working with national and community nonprofits, faith-based groups, schools, and local agencies, the Corporation engages more than two million Americans each year in meeting critical needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security, and other areas. The Corporation and its programs are part of USA Freedom Corps, a White House initiative to foster a culture of citizenship, service and responsibility, and help all Americans answer the President's Call to Service. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.org.