Service Is a Power Move

Service changes the pace of progress. It turns a question into a plan, a plan into action, and action into outcomes families can feel. That’s the work ahead in 2026, clear paths to jobs and income, credit and homeownership, health and healing, voice and voter power. And it’s exactly where the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia is built to help: an affiliate in a national movement of 94 Urban League organizations delivering trusted, culturally responsive services across youth education, workforce and reentry, housing, entrepreneurship, and health equity.

Move

Progress starts when friction drops. Move means fast on-ramps to opportunity, career coaching and placements, reentry support, housing counseling, small-business help, and health resources that meet people where they are. ULGP’s path is simple: remove barriers, add guidance, and keep doors open across an integrated continuum of services.

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., The Drum Major Instinct (Feb. 4, 1968).

Build

Lasting change is built, budget by budget, credential by credential, contract by contract. In our region, entrepreneurship and homeownership are engines of wealth. ULGP’s economic work includes helping diverse firms win public projects (SupplyPHL) and mobilizing capital so small businesses can grow, concrete steps that close gaps and build stability.

Belong

We move further together. Belong means community you can count on, membership, mentoring, partnerships, and spaces designed for whole-person well-being. ULGP is advancing a West Philadelphia Well-Being Center that will integrate workforce, reentry, housing counseling, entrepreneurship, and a free clinic for the uninsured, bringing services under one roof so support is easier to access and simpler to share with a neighbor.

Why Momentum

This isn’t “news for news’ sake.” Momentum is your monthly action plan: what’s available now, why it matters, and how to plug in. It aligns with our Strategic Plan’s charge to expand impact, strengthen communities, and build pathways to self-sufficiency and upward mobility, together.

Act Now: MLK Day of Service

(January 19, 2026)

Philadelphia hosts the nation’s largest King Day of Service. Here are a few ways to mobilize and serve, solo, with family, or with your team:

• MLK Day of Service Job Fair- MLK Recreation Center, 2101 Cecil B Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa 19121, (January 19, 10am-2pm)

• Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service — Signature Site (Temple University, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.): Central hub with projects, resources, and partners. Global Citizen

• Global Citizen 365 Volunteer Portal: Region-wide project listings; sign up to volunteer or host a project. Global Citizen+1

• WHYY Guide to MLK Day Opportunities (2026): Curated list of local service options across the city. WHYY

• Cradles to Crayons — MLK Weekend of Service (Jan. 17–19, 2026): Family-friendly engagements at the Giving Factory. Cradles to Crayons

• Fairmount Park Conservancy — FDR Park Workday (Jan. 19): Outdoor stewardship projects in South Philly. Fairmount Park Conservancy

• Independence National Historical Park — MLK Service Project: Federal volunteer opportunity to kick off 2026 with impact. volunteer.gov

• AmeriCorps Volunteer Finder (national): Search MLK Day projects by ZIP—good for friends and family outside Philly.

Momentum Newsletter: January 2026 | Issue 1