NKU Students to Volunteer at Cincinnati Habitat ReStore as part of MLK Day of Service

CINCINNATI - Three hundred to 350 students are expected to participate in Northern Kentucky University's first annual Martin Luther King Day of Service on Jan. 18 from 11:15 a.m. - 5 p.m. Students will be supporting seven different nonprofit organizations across the tri-state, including Brighton Center Senior Housing, Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity, Devou Boys Home, Avondale Pride Center, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Lakeside Senior Center and Brighton Center Tax Preparation.

For Cincinnati Habitat, individual students and members of campus organizations will volunteer their time pre-framing walls for a house that will be built this spring. The work will take place at Habitat's new ReStore, located off of the Norwood Lateral at 4910 Para Drive in Bond Hill. In addition to being a retail outlet that will accept new and used donated goods for resale to the public, the new facility also provides warehouse space so work can go on during the winter months, which will expedite construction of Habitat's homes.

The ReStore's retail operation is set to open in the spring, and funds generated from the ReStore will go to support Cincinnati Habitat's local home-building efforts.

"In the commemoration of the legacy of Dr. King, this is an exciting opportunity for the NKU community to use this day of service to greatly influence our region," said Michael D. Griffin, MSW, Office of African American Student Affairs at NKU. He referenced Dr. King's quote: "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."

For more information about NKU's Martin Luther King Day of Service, contact Griffin at (859) 572-5214 or griffinm3@nku.edu.

About Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity

Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit Christian housing ministry that seeks to eliminate substandard housing by building simple, decent, affordable homes to sell to low-income families in need. Cincinnati Habitat works in equal partnership with families, volunteers and donors building a sense of community as well as affordable housing. Our partners include corporations, churches, foundations, organizations and individual donors who donate money, labor and materials to fund and build our homes. Cincinnati Habitat has built over 170 homes in neighborhoods that include Avondale, Clifton, Columbia Tusculum, Evanston, Harrison, Hyde Park, Lincoln Heights, Lockland, Madisonville, Mt. Auburn, Mt. Washington, North Fairmount, Northside, Oakley, Over-the-Rhine, Price Hill, South Cumminsville, South Fairmount, Walnut Hills, Westwood and Winton Place. For more information, visit www.cincinnati-habitat.org.