The Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service returned to Temple University for the first time in over 15 years, drawing more than 3,000 participants to campus on January 19, 2026. The event, coordinated and hosted by Global Citizen, is recognized as the largest MLK Day of Service in the nation and one of Philadelphia’s most significant annual community service efforts.
In total, more than 100,000 volunteers participated in over 1,000 projects throughout the region. At Temple University alone, more than 500 students, faculty, and staff engaged in various activities aimed at honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
During the opening ceremony at Pearson and McGonigle Hall, Temple University President John Fry said: “Dr. King often described this kind of love by alluding to the Greek concept of agape. He defined agape as a love in which the individual seeks not his own good, but the good of his neighbor … It is a love backed by a willingness to go to any length to restore community. It is a love that is creative, redemptive and transformative. What a beautiful mindset with which to begin this day of service,” Fry continued. “There is so much more that all of us can do—on our own time, within our respective organizations and through the power of partnerships. So let’s take Dr. King’s dream of a beloved community as a call to action—and make that dream a sturdy reality.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also addressed attendees: “Now is a time to engage, now is a time to do that collective service the way Dr. King taught us.”
A central feature this year was the assembly of book arks—self-standing structures similar to newspaper honor boxes—which will provide free books for local communities and organizations. President Fry joined Gov. Shapiro, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Monika Williams Shealey (dean of Temple’s College of Education and Human Development), several student-athletes from Temple University, and other leaders in assembling these book arks.
Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen and founder/director of the Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service said: “We are indebted to President Fry, a proven national leader in civic education, for this partnership,” Bernstein added: “Our theme of Dr. King’s commitment to civil rights through education equity and that Dr. King spoke here some 60 years ago made Temple University the perfect host for our regional signature project, with some 60 activities and more than 100 participating organizations.
“Today is not just a birthday celebration. It’s an opportunity to make Dr. King’s legacy of fighting for civil rights and social justice our mission too, not just on MLK Day but every day—with as Dr. King would say—a ‘fierce urgency of now.’”
Other events included a Jobs and Opportunity Fair featuring over 50 employers hiring on-site; a Kids Carnival designed for local youth; and Klein College’s ninth annual reading at noon under Bell Tower where King’s “I Have A Dream” speech was recited before more than 50 student-athletes—a segment broadcast live on Fox29’s midday news.
