Senior Latin American Studies
major Lindsay M. Johnson promotes the Martin Luther King Challege
in W.H. Plemmons Student Union.
Instead of taking
a day off this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, members of the Appalachian
State University community have the opportunity to put their time
and energy into service projects Monday during the annual MLK Challenge.
This daylong event honoring the life of Dr. King
is sponsored by the Appalachian and Community Together (ACT) office.
The main purpose of the MLK Challenge is to challenge
participants to work as a group to complete many important service
projects and to make a difference in their own lives and in the
lives of others, according to a letter written by Community Service
Program Coordinator Jenny R. Koehn, who organizes the Challenge
and the service projects done during the day.
“It’s
always a surprise what projects we’ll have every year,”
senior Lindsay M. Johnson, who is in charge of registration for
the day and a member of the impACT team, said Wednesday.
Past projects have included raising money for a new freezer for
O.A.S.I.S., hosting a birthday party for the residents of Appalachian
Brian Estates, cooking meals for Hospice, and gathering items for
foster families, said Johnson.
Many agencies are not able to devote the time, money or labor needed
to complete projects such as these, Johnson said.
That is where the MLK Challenge volunteers come in.
The event begins at 8:30 a.m. in Legends with registration and breakfast.
After opening speakers and events, volunteers are placed into groups
and sent out in 15 Appalachian vans. From there, the groups form
a game plan to complete their project, Johnson said.
Meals, including a continental breakfast, lunch and a pizza dinner
will be provided for the volunteers in return for the services they
provide during the day, according to Koehn’s letter.
Groups will return to campus by 5:30 p.m., when they will have dinner
and a time of reflection on what happened during the day.
“Everything gets accomplished. It’s amazing,” said
Johnson.
At the close of the day, participants will also have the opportunity
to commit 100 hours of their time to additional community service
during the year.
It is a great opportunity to work as a group to accomplish a goal
and to use creativity as a means of helping other people. It could
even spark interest in doing more community service in the future,
according to Koehn’s letter.
“Everyone walks away pretty tired but knows they have done
something extremely worthwhile for their community,” Johnson
said.
There are only 150 spots available for the MLK Challenge. Individuals
and groups must be registered by today. For more information, contact
the ACT office or Jenny Koehn at 262-2193.
