Lily Conway
Steven Blalock
IA Scholars
January 21, 2019
MLK Day of Service
On January 21st, 2019 I woke up at 7:00 AM so that I could be at the Union in time to be registered as a volunteer. I wasn’t sure what the organizers were going to ask our small IA ensemble to do, but I knew that it would be beneficial to the community. The day of service was planned to be centered around the celebration of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr, so that students could continue his legacy through means of community service. The point is that your small impact on your community should parallel the giant effect that MLK left on the world. A student may not have the same amount of influence that the famed civil rights leader had, but doing something is better than doing nothing. The opening ceremony included multiple preformances imcluding a rapper, two dancers paying tribute to Aretha Franklin, and a chorus singing church hymns. This seemed appropriate due to the nature of the holiday and was a nice way to start off the day. Our group was assigned to COSI, which was a relief to hear. It was incredinly cold outside and I really wasn’t looking forward to standing out in the wind all morning. Once we got. to COSI, some workers explained to us that we would be compiling materials that would be used in kits that would be sent to children for interactive science presentations. Personally, I was assigned the role of cutting a large tube into 4 inch pieces while another person organized the pieces into groups of eight, and then bagged them. The work of two hours was tedious, but simple.
While this event seemed small to me, I knew that the work that all the volunteers put in saved the workers hours of their time and would eventually help children around the world have a better learning experience. I personally always enjoy volunteering. Not because I neccessarily enjoy the activity or feel better after I’m done- it’s just that I enjoy putting in work that assists someone in doing less work. Does that make sense? If putting in my effort lessens the work that a normal worker would have to put in, then I’m willing and happy to do so. This event was important for me to take part in because I feel as though the messages that MLK brought into the world have been forgotten recently. His whole philosophy was centered around peace, equality, and love. Quite frankly, the world today has been lacking in those departments and sometimes all you can do is spend a morning helping out your community. It may not be much but it’s enough for one person.