Approximately 80 students came together when UM participated in the national Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service for the first time last Saturday, as part of United Black Students’ [UBS] week celebrating the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The event took place under the collaboration of three different organizations: UBS, LINK, and the Council of International Students and Organizations [COISO].
“We want to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, who advocated the continued commitment of all people to serve the community,” Terri-Ann Bennett, MLK chair, said.
Students met in the morning at the Rock and split up into groups to work at the different volunteer sites. Among the sites was the Ronald McDonald House, where students worked to clean the children’s playground and the outside of the premises. At Mark Baggs State Park students planted trees and cleaned the park. Another group traveled to the Coral Reef Rehabilitation Nursing Home. Volunteers there played bingo with the residents and assisted them in an arts and crafts project to make paper flowers.
“Some of the stuff that the residents said was funny,” junior Natanya HoSang said. “One of them asked if [my friend] had two girlfriends.”
The day of service was one of the many events that are part of “Wake up! Make the Dream a Reality,” a week in remembrance of Dr. King.
“First and foremost it’s to remember all that Martin Luther King, Jr. did for us. There’s a lot of bonding and unity,” Dana Crumity, sophomore, said.
| MLK DAY OF SERVICE |
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