The national Martin Luther King Day of Service
[37] was started by former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator
Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman
John Lewis, who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act. The federal legislation challenges Americans to transform the King Holiday into a day of citizen action
volunteer service in honor of King. The federal legislation was signed into law by
President Bill Clinton on August 23, 1994. Since 1996, Wofford's former state office director,
Todd Bernstein, has been directing the annual Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service,
[38] the largest event in the nation honoring King.
[39]
Since 1994, the day of service has been coordinated nationally by
AmeriCorps, a federal agency, which provides
grants to organizations that coordinate service activities on MLK Day.
[40]
The only other official national day of service in the U.S., as designated by the government, is
September 11 National Day of Service (9/11 Day).
[41]