Allstate's 2010 Give Back Day Heroes and resources on how to volunteer beyond February

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed MLK Day into law making it recognized as a Federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s birthday. It was Michigan Congressman John Conyers who championed this holiday for 10 years before it was finally signed into law. Since then, MLK Day has evolved into a day of service as opposed to a day off work or school. Many corporations have also begun to provide volunteer opportunities as well as recognize those who have dedicated themselves year round to community service. One of those corporations is Allstate. Two years ago, the insurance company Allstate developed their own program called Allstate Give Back Day on MLK Day in an effort to do their part to realize Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision and demonstrate their own commitment to serving the communities in which they live. Additionally, Allstate Give Back Day annually selects Give Back Day Heroes who generously serve and positively impact their communities through year round volunteerism.

This year’s honorees were: Lucy Hall-Gainer (Atlanta, GA), Xavier Jefferies (Charlotte, NC), Marquis Smith (Washington D.C.), and Deanna Woods (Chicago, IL).

Here is a video clip introducing you to this year’s Allstate Give Back Day Heroes…

You can also read more about each honoree below...

Lucy Hall-Gainer

Lucy Hall-Gainer (Atlanta, GA) – For more than a decade, Lucy Hall-Gainer has assisted troubled women in Atlanta by providing them with a safe haven – the Mary Hall Freedom House (MHFH), named in memory of Hall-Gainer’s mother. As the organization’s CEO, she has helped more than 2,500 women beat addiction and become self-sufficient individuals. Hall-Gainer established MHFH with just $5,000, two apartments and two employees in 1996. Today, MHFH has over 50 apartments and 70 employees to accommodate distressed women and their children. At age six, Hall-Gainer watched her mother die of alcoholism, inspiring her life-long commitment to helping others. An addict herself for 10 years, Hall-Gainer sought help and guidance to eventually end her reliance on drugs and alcohol. With several years of experience working with nonprofits, Hall-Gainer is now living her dream of empowering women and their children to break the cycle of addiction, poverty and homelessness, offering that same helping hand with MHFH.

Xavier Jefferies

Xavier Jefferies (Charlotte, NC) – At only 16 years of age, high school student Xavier Jefferies has done more for his community than most people do in a lifetime. Jefferies’ extensive volunteer efforts include donating his time to the local YMCA’s after-school daycare, where he tutors children in an effort to help them advance in both academics and athletics. He is the founder and president of the Kick Back Crew, a philanthropic youth group dedicated to beautifying Rockwell Park through a variety of community service initiatives. Jefferies spends his summers at the YMCA Blue Ridge Leaders’ School training teens to become leaders in physical education and annually attends the Young Black Men’s conference with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life in his community. Recognized in 2009 by The Charlotte Observer for his outstanding commitment to his Rockwell Park neighborhood, Jefferies was also honored with the 2009 Charlotte Neighborhood Youth Award. It was the second consecutive year he received the award.

Marquis Smith

Marquis Smith (Washington D.C.) –All his life, Marquis Smith has embraced the need for people to give back to their communities, and he took his mission of service one step further when he joined the Army. Upon his return from a three-year tour of duty, Smith compiled more than 600 hours of volunteerism as an AmeriCorps Jumpstart corps member. Today, he continues his community outreach as a student at Howard University. An education major, Smith is involved with “Library Makeover,” an organization that helps renovate and build libraries in deprived neighborhoods. Smith also interns at the Heart of America Foundation promoting literacy and volunteerism. In his free time, Smith lends a hand to Washington, D.C.’s Sunday Suppers program where he helps prepare and serve more than 200 meals for the homeless on a bi-weekly basis. In 2006, shortly after Hurricane Katrina, Smith organized a clothing drive for the homeless in his former hometown of Baton Rouge, La., and collected over 3,500 items in just one month. Smith later organized a toy drive for low-income families in the city, donating more than 1,300 new toys to Toys 4 Tots, local churches and families.

Deanna Woods

Deanna Woods (Chicago, IL) – In March 2006, Deanna Woods’ niece, Seritha White, 10, was killed by a stray bullet in her West Englewood, Ill., home as her family was celebrating a birthday party. It was this horrific tragedy that launched Woods into a life of giving back to her community. The incident inspired Woods to create the 68th and Marshfield Block Club and become an ambassador for Teamwork Englewood, an organization founded to promote community development. Along with more than 50 other members living near the same city block in Englewood, Woods, who serves as club president, challenges community issues such as drug dealing and gun violence. Woods is part of community policing with a mission to negotiate with gang members that they stay out of certain areas. Known in her neighborhood as the aunt of “Englewood angel” Seritha White, she has become a surrogate mother to the children of West Englewood who are looking for a trusted friend. With a focus on children’s safety and growth, Woods’ community work has been recognized by Local Initiatives Support Corporation /Chicago when it named her one of 25 community heroes in 2006.

Now that MLK Day is behind us…

Now that MLK Day is behind us for 2010, it does not mean that our commitment to our communities should stop here nor at the end of Black History Month in Februaray. Allstate has set up a website BeyondFebruary.com where you can research volunteer opportunities based on your home location.

Congratulations to this year’s Allstate Give Back Day Heroes, and don’t forget to check out BeyondFebruary.com for ways that you can get involved in your own community.

Affrodite.net– all blog posts on this site related to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Allstate– Allstate’s 2nd Annual Give Back Day

Allstate– The Allstate Foundation

InfoPlease.com– Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Stuff Fly People Like– Give Back on MLK Day with Allstate!

Black Gives Back– Allstate encourages volunteerism and honors local heroes

Washington Post– Howard senior honored as Allstate Give Back Day Hero