In a piece for The Toledo Blade, LISC Toledo executive director Tom Kroma reflects on MLK's legacy and the ways that service, as manifested in LISC's AmeriCorps program, act as potent launchpads for individual and collective economic mobility and help pave a path to justice for all.
The letter below was originally published on The Toledo Blade:
To the editor: MLK’s call to service can spark economic growth in Toledo, beyond
In his final sermon, “The Drum Major Instinct,” the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., voiced a profound truth: “If you want to be important — wonderful. If you want to be recognized — wonderful. If you want to be great — wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” This call to serve resonates deeply, reminding us that true leadership is defined by service to others.
This ethos of service has been carried forward by many leaders, none more fittingly than the late President Jimmy Carter. While his presidency may be remembered for political challenges, his legacy shines brightest through his post-presidential dedication to supporting vulnerable communities and addressing one of the most serious of universal problems—the growing divide between those with enormous wealth and others working just to make ends meet.
At our organization, LISC, we see this kind of service as a powerful vehicle to strengthening neighborhoods and catalyzing opportunity in individuals’ lives. Through our AmeriCorps program, we have spent decades investing in people and empowering communities.
To date, we’ve placed more than 3,500 people with community-based organizations in 102 cities and counties across the country, including Puerto Rico. Here in Toledo, that includes more than 100 members serving in 23 nonprofits and providing over 120,000 hours of service to our community.
Those members have supported progress ranging from affordable housing development to neighborhood safety initiatives, with groups ranging from the Maumee Habitat for Humanity to our local United Way, to the county and city as well. They have a measurable impact on local well-being. In fact, a soon-to-be-released evaluation of our AmeriCorps program shows that community-based organizations expanded their capacity to meet local housing needs when they added AmeriCorps members to their teams.
And, these individuals have also built more resilient futures for themselves as well.
Toledo resident De’Vonne, for example, has a story that brims with promise. The actions he took in his youth, and the incarceration that followed, made it hard for him to find work, even 30 years later. Then, he joined our AmeriCorps program. Today, De’Vonne is a volunteer coordinator at the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, where he helps lead initiatives to feed families, create jobs, and build a vibrant community. He embodies the transformative power of service.
Across Toledo, and across the country, AmeriCorps service provides an onramp for economic opportunity. It also contributes to our city’s economic engine, fueling growth by developing a skilled workforce for businesses, government, and community-based organizations. Our past LISC AmeriCorps members have transitioned into impactful roles within our communities, securing employment with prominent local organizations such as Owens-Illinois, NeighborWorks Toledo Region, LISC Toledo, and the County Commissioner’s Office.
It is in the best interest of our communities and our economy that AmeriCorps is adequately funded so that people have an opportunity to serve. From President Carter’s century of service to the enduring vision of leaders across our nation, let us never forget that service, at its core, is about opening new doors for others. It’s about ensuring that every American has the chance to live in affordable housing, work in sustainable jobs, and contribute to thriving communities.
This was Martin Luther King’s vision, and it is ours as well: to build a future where every individual — regardless of their zip code — has the opportunity to succeed. Service may start with a single act, but it can become a life-changing commitment.
about the author
Thomas Kroma, Executive Director, LISC Toledo
Tom has extensive experience over the past two plus decades in housing and development across government, healthcare, for profit business and nonprofit organizations. Most recently at NeighborWorks - Toledo Region, as Director of Real Estate, Tom managed a program to acquire and renovate single family homes which were sold for homeownership, among other initiatives to help stabilize neighborhoods.