SAYVA’S mission is founded on Service, Awareness, and Leadership, and we believe that with small, and sometimes large, acts of kindness, everyone can make a difference. In many ways, we are one organization that has taken Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy forward. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister as well as a social activist who is well known for his pivotal part in the American civil rights movement during the mid-1950s to his assassination in 1968. King fought tirelessly working towards his goal of achieving equality for African Americans, as well as all those who suffered from social injustices, and his work was centered on Gandhian nonviolence. Gandhian nonviolence is a term that is derived from Mahatma Gandhi one of the most well-known practitioners of nonviolent civil disobedience, and King is thought to have applied this in his efforts to combat social injustice in America. He is regarded as the driving force behind the civil rights movement and his actions helped bring about the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act which are considered landmark legislation even to this day. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and instead of keeping the prize money for himself and his family, he donated the full amount of $54,600 to the civil rights movement. We remember and honor his incredible deeds every year on the third Monday of January, and SAYVA is honored to play a small part in serving the community and continuing Martin Luther King Jr.’s movement to address social needs and injustice.