What is MLK Friends?
MLK Friends is the nonprofit parent volunteer group for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School in Cambridge, MA — a national blue ribbon school. We help strengthen and celebrate our school community by providing enrichment programs for students and supporting our teachers and staff.
What do we do?
Build Community
Fund All-School Welcome Back BBQ in September
Organize Summer Playdates to welcome new and returning families to our school
Organize Welcome coffee for parents on first day of school
Provide free babysitting during parent teacher conferences
Organize and fund All-School Family Dance
Maintain our parent-run mailing list and MLK-community list-serv so we can keep families updated about what’s happening at our school, and facilitate communication.
*New families, IMPORTANT: Join the MLK-Community mailing list now to stay informed!*
Provide Enrichment
Author visit: Grace Lin, award-winning author of WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON
Author visit: George O’Connor, bestselling author of THE OLYMPIANS graphic novel series
Author visit: Katherine Otoshi, author of ONE
Author visit: Bryan Collier, author of UPTOWN (planned for fall 2020)
Puppet shows by Brookline Puppet Theater
Fund and Organize Events
Lantern parade night in December
January events for the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Black History month events
Chinese New Year celebrations, fund Lion Dancers and Teacher Appreciation Lunch
Scholastic Book Fair in the spring
Help organize volunteers for June field day
Provide supplemental funding for field trips
Assist with the June talent show through volunteers and fundraising for scholarships
Support Teachers and Administration
Purchase books for library and classrooms beyond school’s budget
Purchase supplemental snacks for classrooms
Organize Teacher Appreciation lunches
Fund Splash Math software program, requested by Monica Leon, Math Coach
Support Students and Families
Purchase school t-shirts for every student
Fund summer scholarships for students in need
Fund scholarships for Community School programs
Fund emergency clothing and other needs
Where does our funding come from?
In October/November, during the four weeks before Thanksgiving, we hold the MLK Friends Annual Appeal, our ONE and ONLY fundraising event of the year.
We ask families to donate generously to this appeal. In return, we do not ask families to buy or sell pizza, baked goods, candy, wrapping paper, magazine subscriptions, or clothing, nor do we ask families to walk, run, dance, or drag themselves through mud in order to raise money for our school.
In years since 2017, we raised over $25,000 through our Annual Appeal.
(Before 2017, we sold a lot of pizza and pestered people to buy stuff, and everyone was tired).
How does MLK Friends decide what to fund?
- We focus on funding vents and projects that help our school achieve its core values.
- We work with the school Principal and Family Liaison to ensure that our initiatives are in line with the school’s needs.
- We strive to sponsor enrichment activities for the entire school that are beyond the school’s budget, such as author visits and arts/culture assemblies.
- We also support field trips and projects for specific grades when these are beyond the school budget.
How can I help?
MLK Friends is always looking for new volunteers and welcome you to join us!
Our meetings are held at 8am on the first Friday of every month, in the first floor conference room. Join the MLK-Community Mailing List for the virtual option and meeting minutes. We welcome anyone to attend and get involved!
If you aren’t able to attend, you can also email the co-presidents at mlkfriendsgroup [at] gmail [dot] com.
Please also check out all the other ways to Get Involved at MLK School.