Despite the overcast and rainy weather Monday morning, 510 students packed into Hitchcock Hall to volunteer for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
“Today is a day of service in order to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and help give back to the community,” said freshman Courtney Nichols.
The hundreds of students who chose to participate volunteered at 27 different service sites around Columbus. The event brought together students and members of the community as they celebrated King’s life and legacy.
“I felt me being an African-American woman, it was my duty to take part in the MLK celebration,” said Yorell Lewis, co-chair of the event.
The MLK Day of Service is a nationally celebrated event, which is supported by organizations across the country. Developing the slogan, “Make it a day ON, not a day OFF,” the event began to commemorate the life that King led.
Several students felt the day of service was the perfect opportunity to give back and get more involved.
On the 21st anniversary of the federal holiday honoring Dr. King, thousands of Americans across the country and hundreds of Ohio State students joined together and took part in bettering the communities around them.
The MLK Day of Service is sponsored by Project Community, the volunteer community service office in the Ohio Union. The MLK Day of Service is one of many campus-wide service projects sponsored each year.
To find out more information on how to connect with a community agency or other students interested in service, check out the university’s Web site at communityconnection.osu.edu.
Megan Hall can be reached at [email protected].
