CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Families across the nation will be honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day by participating in acts of service. 

What You Need To Know

  •  Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday designated by Congress as a national day of service 

  •  Families across the nation will be participating in volunteer opportunities to honor King's legacy 

  •  A North Carolina university has been honoring King through acts of service all week long 

But a North Carolina university has been honoring MLK all week long. 

Queens University of Charlotte held its Royal Days of Service events, which offered a range of on- and off-campus opportunities for students and staff to honor King through acts of service. 

On Friday, students and staff members volunteered their time to support several nonprofits and organizations.

Vice President of Student Engagement and Dean of Students Maria del Carmen Flores says the volunteer opportunities stand for what Queens University is all about. 

"It's in concert with our motto: not to be served but to serve here at Queens University of Charlotte," Flores said. "We've organized a number of different opportunities for people to serve. We're working with some of our partners, [like Roof Above] that are well established. And other initiatives are new and we're making new partners in the community. It's been a really fantastic week."

"I love this part of my job," she said. "I think our mission is just so much in alignment with my own personal values that it just feels good. You come to work and you get to do things that mean something to you, and you're doing that in concert with people you work with and students who are going to your school."

Maggie Dineen, a student at Queens University, says the ability to help neighbors beyond the campus walls is one reason she enrolled at Queens.

"While I was getting recruited, I asked my rugby coach [if the university] has volunteer hours, and she said the school's motto was to serve and not be served. That's why I came to Queens," Dineen said.  

Dineen has been devoting time to being a leader in acts of service. She's grateful to continue her work with others in honor of King. 

"Make sure [my team] we're all pulling our own weight," Dineen said. "Leaving the place better than where you found it." 

Darryl White, the assistant dean for diversity inclusion and community engagement at Queens University, says the school community has created a legacy of helping others, and he's proud to see so many students and staff serving with love. 

"Sometimes people think I can't really give much, but just collectively, once you have one person, then it multiplies," White said. "It really makes a huge difference just to see what that does for the community."

"There's so many needs out there, and there's never a shortage of things we can do," he said. "Whatever your passion is, you can actually find that and give back in that way. It's nice to have young people learning the value of that early when they have the time."

"I'm feeling so good because this was a lot of work to put it together and then see it come to fruition," White said. "People actually want to be here, it's not like forced, people are excited. I know my heart is feeling good about what this is doing, not just to serve the community but to serve our Queens community as well. [Just] the togetherness I see today."