At the moment, Superior AmeriCorps members are gearing up for our next national day of service, the 2010 MLK Day on Monday, January 18! We are very excited to be hosting a handful of events across our region as well as many individual MLK Day presentations at our individual sites. A couple of the projects in the works include a Peace Bench project in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a Fleece for Foster Kids project at Michigan Tech University. All of the blankets will be donated to the local Department of Human Services office to give to children transitioning into foster care.
The MLK Peace Bench project is actually a carry over from the 2009 MLK Day and is very close to my heart. Its purpose is to honor Dr. King’s legacy and commitment to social integrity and service by strengthening neighborhoods and driving discussions between community members of all ages, race, and religion. I brought this project to Superior AmeriCorps last year after reading an article about Hands On Central Texas initiating the project in their own community and building 100 benches in a year to place in various community centers and public buildings. Volunteers helped build and paint each bench with a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quote that exemplified truth, peace, and courage. Although I would have loved to make 100 benches, my team and I were able to round up enough funds and in-kind donations to make seven benches that were placed at three different schools in Hancock, Michigan. This year the MLK Peace Bench team received inquiries from City Hall and other schools for their own Peace Bench. Though we started out small I see this project as one that will be able to be carried on by future Superior AmeriCorps members.
The Fleece for Foster Kids project began as a project during Make A Difference Day this past October. We were only able to make 21 blankets total from material donated by members’ families and friends, but when we dropped them off at DHS their extreme gratitude was apparent. In a thank you note to Superior AmeriCorps DHS explained we had actually caused 21 children to smile who may not otherwise have had a reason to smile. For this simple reason, members felt it was a project worth pursuing again and we are hoping to bring even more smiles to children in the U.P.
We began preparing for the 2010 MLK Day in early December but it has been remarkable to watch AmeriCorps members work together to mobilize community volunteers and take a project from its planning stages through to realization in a short amount of time.
To see if any organizations need your help on MLK day check out www.serve.gov and find opportunities in your area!
“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
3 comments:
Yasmine - Your MLK Day projects sound great! The community support you've received is so exciting. I would love to see pictures of the benches! I hope everything continues to go well in your preparations.
Yasmine, What are the names of the three schools? I'd love to check out those benches the next time I'm up there trout fishing!
It was so great to hear about your MLK Day projects. I hope the bench project continues to grow and grow for years to come!!
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