Helena Neeley admits that serving others did not come naturally to her at first.

"I was not a people person," said the 18-year-old from Minneapolis, Minn. "I had not experienced what it's like to receive from someone who cares. There are adders and subtractors in life, and they can make you want to do the same thing."

These days, Neeley is an "adder." The college freshman and Mother to a three-year-old is an intern at Pillsbury United Communities in Minneapolis, where she has already performed a number of community service projects, including a lock-in at the local YMCA where elders communed with young people.

And on Monday, the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday, Neeley will continue her service as she helps to organize the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. More than 120 teens from four different communities are expected to participate in activities, such as dialoguing with elders on the three evils-- war, poverty and racism-a spoken word remix of King's "I Have A Dream" speech and mural-making.

Neeley is just one of thousands of young people across the country who are taking Dr, King's words about service to heart. In 1994, Congress passed legislation that encouraged Americans to use the Martin Luther king, Jr. holiday as a day of service and assigned the Corporation for National and Community Service as the lead agency. President Barack Obama marked last year's King holiday, the day before his inauguration, by performing various acts of service.

Young people and service were two things that Martin Luther King Jr. was passionate about. Young people led the sit-in's at lunch counters in the South. During King's famous speech about the Drum Major Instinct, he emphasized that he wanted to be remembered as a servant.

"I'd like somebody to mention that day, that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others," King said. "I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity."

Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth Service America, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that seeks to increase the number and diversity of young people in service roles, said the earlier young people learn about serving others, the better."Children and youth who serve become adults who serve. By volunteering at a young age, youth learn that they can be a positive force for change in their communities," said Culbertson. "Research shows that meaningful youth service connected to meaningful learning leads to academic success, workplace readiness and the kinds of life skills needed to have a good life."

Sarah Klouda, a teen coordinator at Pillsbury United Communities, said they serve an area of North Minneapolis that has a lot of gang violence problems:

"A lot of these kids don't know each other. They don't have opportunities to work together in places where they feel safe," said Klouda. "The purpose is to continue Dr. King's legacy, solve problems in a peaceful way and expand horizons and the understanding of the issues they face. We also want to install the lifelong value of giving back and that they have the power to make a difference with each other, adults and the community as a whole."

It's a lesson that Taylor Bowerman, 16, a junior at Communications and Media Arts High School in Detroit, is learning through her involvement in Youthville Detroit.

For Christmas, Bowerman and another teen co-chaired a Homes for Black Children event, where 130 children in foster care received gifts at a party in their honor. The teens organized the donation of gifts, catering and volunteers to staff the event.

"It was amazing to see their faces when they saw all the gifts. You could just see the joy on their faces," said Bowerman.

Now Bowerman is hooked on the idea of service. King's legacy has helped shape her career plans. She either wants to be a social worker, helping those with substance abuse issues, or an early childhood educator.

"It's more than service with Dr. King. We should look at it not just as feeding the homeless but being kind to one another. That goes with service as well," said Bowerman.

Lynne Huff, an administrator at Youthville said she's seen Bowerman grow:

"She looks at the total picture and how her efforts can make a difference," Huff said.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Bowerman will once again be involved in a service project.

She remembers being nervous before her first major service event , but not anymore. Now she's an ambassador for the idea of youth service. She tells her peers to try to help someone else on the King Holiday, even it means just "helping your grandmother clean her garden."

"A lot of young people think service is boring. They don't realize there's a reward even though you are not getting paid," said Bowerman. "A lot of teens have the mentality that if I don't do it someone else will. I tell them that's not true. I let them know how much their service is needed."