Campus-wide day of service held for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Photo courtesy of Melissa Keith
Junior athletic training major Marco Herrera is pictured writing a letter to a family through Ronald McDonald House

Waynesburg University celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday to honor the pivotal civil rights figure. This holiday is not only an observed day off for public schools, but it is a nationally recognized day of volunteering to honor the Rev. Dr. King. The university’s Center for Service Leadership, led by assistant dean of student services Kelley Hardie, hosted a time of service on the first floor of the Stover Campus Center from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

“It’s really awesome to both honor our mission and the great Martin Luther King Jr., so why not do an on-campus service day? That’s what we do best, right?” Hardie said.

The organizations represented on this day of service included: Project Linus, The Crayon Initiative, Operation Gratitude and the Ronald McDonald House.

Project Linus has a chapter in Greene County that the Center for Service Leadership office often participates in. Students are able to hand-craft blankets for the benefit of children in need.

According to Hardie, Project Linus’ mission is “to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans.”

Lexis Zeiler, freshman nursing major, was among a group of students working on blankets in the Campus Ministry Lounge, finding a creative outlet through their service.

“I think sometimes we forget that the tiny things we take for granted mean a lot to people who don’t have those things,” Zeiler said. “Sometimes people do service so others can see, but sometimes the stuff that is most important is done in the background.”

The holiday’s service front is intended to strengthen communities and bring people together to uphold Dr. King’s dream.

“Obviously what service means to our university, it fulfills our mission. We feel that service is a huge component of our DNA, as President Lee once stated,” Hardie said. “But we do it because we are a Christian institution and Jesus Christ taught us to serve.”

The celebration continued into Tuesday as the Martin Luther King Jr. convocation featured a performance from the Lamplighter’s Concert Choir and a message from speaker Dr. Georj Lewis.