For some at Ohio State, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is going to be a day dedicated to service.
Pay It Forward, a student organization within OSU’s Office of Student Life, and the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center are set to host an annual day dedicated to community service on the holiday Monday.
According to the event’s website, students are set to be broken up into groups and taken to various service sites to participate in volunteer projects of varying types including cleaning, working with youth, providing literacy education, serving meals and doing office work.
About 1,000 people are expected to participate, according to the site.
Annalisa Perez, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service coordinator, said the event is expected to cost about $20,000, including transportation, facilities, food, T-shirts and other costs.
She also said there are slated to be about 50 service sites, up from about 45 last year.
“The goal of this event is to give back to the community by creating a way for OSU students to give their time to just a few of the Columbus area’s wonderful service agencies,” Perez said in an email. “We want them to connect with the service and to gain a deeper, more personal understanding and appreciation for the legacy of one of our nation’s most influential activists and peacemakers.”
AJ Wood, a second-year in chemical engineering, said he plans to participate in the day’s events. He said he did not participate last year but decided to volunteer this year after hearing about the experiences of others.
“I enjoy reaching out to the community to give back to that which has given me so much,” Wood said, “Martin Luther King (Jr.) Day is a perfect day of no classes that gives ample opportunity to do just that.”
Carly Edelheit, a second-year in molecular genetics, said she expects a lot of people to be at the event this year.
“I am in Mount Leadership Society and we do different community service projects and I chose Martin Luther King (Jr.) Day because it is a lot of fun,” Edelheit said.
