Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played an iconic role in the Civil Rights Movement, helping to end segregation. We dedicate an entire day each year to honoring him and his legacy. Most people enjoy this day off from school or work, but some people decide to make it a “day on,” rather than a day off.
MLK Day of Service has become a tradition across the United States, especially in the Philadelphia area. Did you know that Philadelphia has the most participants in the United States? It’s true. A large amount of the Friends’ Central community participates in this day of service each year.
Friends’ Central’s service is to Bethesda Project. For those who don’t know, Bethesda Project is a nonprofit organization that serves the chronically homeless of Philadelphia. They provide food, water, and shelter for those who don’t have their basic needs, as well as a healing program. Our school has made six hundred bagged lunches that contain a sandwich, an apple, and a baked good such as a cookie. Some have even donated toiletries that were donated to residents.
On Monday, January 18, 2017, students, families, and friends arrived on campus. Each person was given a name tag and a t-shirt. After that, they were seated in the Meeting Room for a pre-service assembly. A member of the Bethesda project gave information about the organization. Afterwards, there was an amazing performance from the musical group known as “City Love.” One member of this group is Dwight Dunston from admissions, who is also an alum of Friends’ Central School.
Following the performance, the service began. Everyone washed their hands and put on rubber gloves. There were several stations, such as the sandwich station and the bagging station. As people were still figuring out what to do and how to do it, business was slow at first. Time passed, and the work would remind one of an assembly line.
From personal experience, I was in charge of checking bags to make sure that they had everything they needed. The bags would gradually come faster.
Grab. Good. Slide.
Grab. Good. Slide.
Grab. Good. Slide.
Grab. Good. Slide.
Everyone found the service enjoyable, despite the vigorous work. Toward the end, bags came to me at a rate of one per second. It was certainly not easy, but everyone knew how rewarding it would be at the end. A round of applause took place when the very last bag was placed in a box. A few people volunteered to drive some of the boxes down to the shelter in Center City.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been and will continue to inspire generation after generation to do good. The experience of the MLK Day of Service was absolutely rewarding. As mentioned, our community has made, bagged, and brought six hundred bagged lunches to a Bethesda Project shelter. While King may have given us a day off, we should all be sure to make it a day on.