This post was originally published on the Catholic Volunteer Network blog on Jan. 2, 2013. Amy Sapalio is a member of the charity's membership team.

Lt. Brandon Williams, part-time soldier and full-time AmeriCorps member, currently serves in Baltimore, MD, with one of Catholic Charities’ member programs, Project SERVE. Each day, Lt. Williams arrives at Our Daily Bread, Catholic Charities' hot meal center, and teaches new volunteers the significance of feeding those who cannot afford to feed themselves. Equally importantly, he teaches his volunteers to respect each man and woman that comes through the door. The time the hungry spend in the safety and warmth of Our Daily Bread's walls may be the only time throughout the day they are treated with respect at all.

“I encourage my volunteers to connect to the people they are serving on a basic human level: be kind,” Lt. Williams explained.

As I listened to Lt. Williams speak of the 800 meals he helps to serve daily, I thought of the people who are suffering and that the world does not value, and then I thought, Lt. Williams has found them.

Lt. Williams' AmeriCorps service, however, is not the only way he has brought comfort to those in need. Coming from a military family (both parents are Army veterans), service has been integral to his upbringing. Considering Lt. Williams' early introduction to military service, it is unsurprising that he too joined the U.S. Army after college. Now, as a member of the National Guard, Lt. Williams aims to serve the fundamental human needs of our fellow countrymen. His work has been both domestic and international, from working for peace overseas, to handing out cases of water in a devastated New York City.

Today, Lt. Williams runs his platoon from Baltimore, attends drills once a month, and finds striking similarities between his service as a soldier and as an AmeriCorps member.

“Volunteer coordinating is not so different from running a platoon,” he said. “That's what an officer does: we plan, we coordinate, and we take care of our guys.”

Now, he takes care of his volunteers and the men and women they serve, too.

“The motive is not so different, either,” he mentioned. “For me, it's about seeing Jesus Christ in each and every person I serve. It always makes me think of the verse in Matthew: ‘Whatever you have done for the least of these brothers of mine, that you have done for me.'”

With the onset of the new year, Lt. Williams' words reminding us to be kind act as rays of light offering hope with new beginnings.

What can we do?

Find the suffering. Be kind. Take care of our community.

Thanks for the reminder, Lieutenant.

Catholic Volunteer Network MLK Day of Service and Reflection events are scheduled to take place later this month in Phoenix; Denver; St. Louis; Minneapolis; Chicago; Washington, DC; and New York – visit their website for more details. For more information on the MLK Day of Service, visit the MLK Day website.

The formula to improve student achievement doesn’t start and end with the classroom -- talented teachers, committed parents, and engaged communities must also factor into the equation. Earlier this week, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and U.S. Department of Education recognized 31 organizations from across the nation for their pursuit of that goal in the Together for Tomorrow (TFT) Challenge.
 

The opportunity for a diverse group of college kids to join together and work toward a single purpose is something that should not be taken for granted. Imagine a world in which this generation -- from both religious and nonreligious backgrounds -- comes together to serve their communities.
 

Today, I was thrilled to be with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at Memorial Middle School in Orlando, FL to announce Together for Tomorrow, a new initiative to expand community engagement and citizen service to improve low-performing schools.
 

Hurricane season is an anxious time for Americans living along the coastal regions of the United States. But when Tropical Storm Lee spread its destruction inland last September, volunteer leaders like Bruce Barney and Sharon Early made a difference in their community's recovery efforts. Their commitment led to their selection as 2012 Martin Luther King Drum Major for Service award recipients.
 

This week I am being recognized as a Champion of Change for my work empowering Arab and Muslim Americans nationally through civic engagement, direct service and advocacy campaigns. Born in Brooklyn, New York to parents who emigrated here from Palestine and attending NYC public schools my whole life, I would say I was an ordinary kid with an ordinary life.
 

On the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service this January, President Obama will recognize unsung heroes around the country who have answered the call to service. Inspired by Dr. King's historic speech on the Drum Major Instinct, the MLK Drum Majors for Service program --facilitated by the White House and the Corporation for National and Community Service -- welcomes the nomination of people in organizations and businesses who are serving their communities, often without recognition.
 

This year, as I reflect on the meaning of Diwali, I also remember the long journey I took to the United States and then to the gates of the White House in my current position as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
 

Columbus, OH is home to the second-largest Somali population in the U.S. and the number of low-income, aging immigrants with little or no family nearby is growing. Speaking little or no English and no access to transportation, Somali seniors are struggling to continue living independent lives.
 

What do you get when you combine 200+ colleges, universities and seminaries; individuals from different religious backgrounds and beliefs; and an abiding passion for serving communities?
 

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of joining First Lady Michelle Obama as she launched the newest effort within the Let’s Move! initiative, Let’s Move Faith and Communities. Let’s Move! is the First Lady’s initiative to solve the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation.