Got Plans For Monday?

Bayou La Batre Holiday Volunteers want you to make the MLK holiday a day on not a day off.

by Tiffany Craig

Published: Thu, January 15, 2009 - 6:30 pm CST Last Updated: Thu, January 15, 2009 - 10:15 pm CST

Volunteer groups around the country want you to make the Martin Luther King holiday a day on not a day off.

In honor of Dr. King, Volunteer Mobile will be working on homes around Bayou La Batre and at Zirlott Park. The idea is to make the holiday a time to do community work. The organization got a 3,000 dollar donation to paint houses and do landscaping.

Volunteers will be doing yard work for Alma and Thomas Banks. Alma says she's looking forward to the help. "I'm gonna watch em tell em do to it right. I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy em and get out of the way and let em work."

Volunteer Mobile was also going to build a walking trail around the Bayou Clinic but Dr. Regina Benjamin ran out of my money to finish the state-of-the-art facility. Kate Johnson with Volunteer Mobile says the county has already donated 3,000 dollars for that project alone. Once the clinic gets a parking lot, they will work on the trail. "It's something we will complete down the road when the timing is right and the concrete has been poured."

The King Day of Service includes a health fair. It all gets started on Monday at 9am next to Bayou La Batre City Hall on Tapia Lane.

If you would like to donate your time on MLK day, you can contact Volunteer Mobile by calling (251) 433-4456 or you can go their website by clicking here.

A fund has also been set up to help Dr. Benjamin's Clinic raise money to finish construction. You can make a donation at any Regions Bank. The fund name is "Dr. Benjamin's Building Fund." Right now, the account has almost 5,000 dollars in donations. Dr. Benjamin says she needs almost 500,000 to finish the work.

WKRG.com » News Stream » Alabama