In a sermon delivered nearly 55 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described what he called the “Drum Major Instinct” to the congregation in Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. The words he spoke that day were the inspiration for a national service award that recognizes leaders who give their time serving others but seldom seek the spotlight.

The sermon includes the following passage from Dr. King that acknowledged the desire to lead but emphasizes selfless motives: “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness… We all have the drum major instinct.”

The Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Majors for Service program gives organizations and groups an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate those volunteers who perform extraordinary everyday acts of service with reliability and commitment but seldom receive recognition. As part of the MLK Day of Service, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) provides two options to recognize individuals who have demonstrated the “drum major instinct” in their communities.

The MLK Drum Major for Service award is based on the quality of the person nominated and recognizes local leaders who perform extraordinary acts of service reliably and with commitment. The MLK Drum Major for Service Presidents Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) recognizes those who have completed a certain number of hours over a 12-month period or a lifetime. For more information on how you can honor someone in your area, visit the MLK Day awards page.

CNCS would like to know about the Drum Majors in your community. To tell us about the person you plan to honor with a Drum Major award and what they have accomplished through their service, e-mail us atMLKDay@cns.gov.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday is a National Day of Service, and a time to re-commit ourselves to serving each other and our communities. This year, CNCS will shine a spotlight on the connection between service and economic opportunity, and promote the MLK Day of Service as the first of many opportunities throughout the year for Americans to come together and tackle critical challenges for the greater good.
 

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.
 

59-year-old Lillie Lanser is one of the millions of Americans affected by the economic downturn. She spent years as a legal secretary, but when she was laid off in 2009, Lanser realized that unemployment allowed her to pursue a new direction in her life – service. As a volunteer, she found a passion for giving back and created the Cancer Pilot Transport Program while an RSVP volunteer with Senior Corps.
 

It's not often you'll catch professional baseball players tossing around water balloons. But on Tuesday, you would have seen just that – when New York Yankees players surprised the non-profit organization, Tuesday's Children at the Beekman Beach Club. The Yankees presented the organization with a $10,000 check and then took a water taxi to Yankee Stadium for the night's game against the Mariners, all part of the team's HOPE Week.
 

Acting CEO Robert Velasco, II, honored the Steinbrenner family for their commitment to making their community stronger with the President's Volunteer Service Award. The Steinbrenner family has dedicated themselves to a diverse group of New York- and Tampa-based charities, including the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Hank's Yanks, and the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay.
 

Music reached Daniel Trush when nothing else could. In March 1997, at age 12, he had a brain aneurysm and was placed in a medically induced coma to relieve the swelling in his skull. Doctors said that he was brain dead and that recovery to anything resembling his former self was unlikely. This week, Daniel is being honored during Yankee Hope Week.