By offering one-time opportunities like the MLK Day of Service, we give students convenient ways to engage in community service. Service can be beneficial in so many ways. Students develop empathy, expand their comfort zones, and learn new skills that they can apply in different aspects of their lives.
It was 31 years ago when the United States Congress designated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a National Day of Service, sounding the call to create change through service.
Bridgewater State University answered the call, and for the past 21 years has offered the campus community opportunities to give back and honor the life and legacy of the Civil Rights icon.
Organized through the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice (MRISJ), this year’s MLK Day of Service took place Saturday, Jan. 25.
The event is a great way to invite students to get involved, said Jen Thibodeau, MRISJ director of programs.
“By offering one-time opportunities like the MLK Day of Service, we give students convenient ways to engage in community service,” she said. “Service can be beneficial in so many ways. Students develop empathy, expand their comfort zones, and learn new skills that they can apply in different aspects of their lives.”
Volunteers signed up to work at one of the six off-site or on-campus events. The service projects were identified by the community organizations MRISJ works with to ensure the help is needed and truly benefits the organization, Thibodeau said.
The first of the projects took place in Pembroke, where volunteers packaged meals with the Outreach Program End Hunger New England for people facing food insecurity.
Volunteers also traveled to Acushnet to work with Gifts to Give and processed donations to create gift packages for local children living in poverty.
Meanwhile in Attleboro, at the Old Colony Habitat for Humanity, volunteers assisted with the organization of donated items and a general inventory.
Kimbery Thomas, ’93, Old Colony’s CEO/executive director, was excited for the collaboration with her alma mater.
“We appreciate the support and are grateful for the help from BSU,” Thomas said. “As a small non-profit we really value the time that people are willing to give us.”
Back on campus, volunteers worked with Project Pack to assemble Post Assault Comfort Kits for survivors of sexual assault. Project Pack was started by BSU alumna Tamara Dzialo, ’02 (see story here).
Also on campus was the opportunity to work with School on Wheels. Volunteers created fleece tie blankets for the organization’s winter warm & wellness bags that are distributed locally.
A new partnership with the National Marrow Donor, the Be the Match program created a new on-campus opportunity this year. Volunteers helped to assemble and label cheek-swab kits used for the bone marrow donation registry.
What impresses Thibodeau most about the Day of Service is the way Martin Luther King Jr. continues to impact generations of young people.
“He inspired, persisted and ultimately brought about positive social change. I see these traits in our students, and I continue to be inspired by their persistence and desire to fight the complex injustices that surround us,” she said.
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