I’ve long believed that you’re only truly happy when you’re serving others.

Service is something we’re all thinking about a lot right now, especially since the annual MLK Day of Service last week.

This year, volunteers worked to prepare food to distribute to those in need, along with many other projects in and around Philadelphia.

Volunteers at Girard College and Roosevelt Elementary School, among other locations, embraced Dr. King’s legacy together by giving back to the community and serving others. It’s inspiring to see so many Philadelphians engaged in improving our neighborhoods.

We can make this kind of civic engagement a year-round effort, too. This year, the City is encouraging you to think of MLK Day as your kickoff to an entire year of service.

Right now, SERVE Philadelphia is asking you to make a pledge — not of money but of your time. 

Some people are pledging five hours a month, others one hour. What’s important is that we all push ourselves a little bit to make giving back to our neighborhoods and communities a regular part of our routine.

If we all pledge to serve as volunteers in some way in 2018, we’re going to build a stronger Philadelphia in every neighborhood just that much faster.