Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday (observed for the first time in 1986).  So please join myself and the rest of America in celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King. Martin Luther King Day is not only a federal holiday, but also a national day of service. In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act,  encouraging citizens to volunteer today.

This MLK Day, many employees of our biggest and best companies (such as Google, for example) are participating in service projects all over America. They’re reminding us that while internet and mobile technologies can be powerful tools for your business, they can also be leveraged in the service of your community. At MLKDay.gov you can learn about the King Day of Service and find a project in your area.  Projects include delivering meals, refurbishing schools and community centers, collecting food and clothing, signing up mentors, reading to children, promoting nonviolence and more. Many of these projects start on King Day and last throughout the year.

You can also read more here about using existing social media tools like Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook in service to your community.  There are even apps like this one (for iPhone) that bring Dr. King’s legacy to the palm of your hand in the form of speeches, sound excerpts and more.

President Obama is leading by example today and is volunteering at a local elementary school in Washington DC.  To commemorate the service aspect of the holiday, the president gave this quote: “ Dr. King obviously had a dream of justice and equality in our society, but he also had a dream of service, that you could be a drum major for service, that you could lead by giving back to our communities.”

So together, let’s make Martin Luther King Jr. Day “a day on, not a day off.”