Students give back to communities at MLK Day of Service

Although most Pitt students used Monday’s holiday to sleep in, others saw Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a chance to give back to the community.

More than 600 students filed into the William Pitt Union Ballroom yesterday at 9 a.m. to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. During the annual event, people across the country volunteer on their day off from work in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The commemorative service day’s motto is “a day on, not a day off.”

Pitt’s Student Volunteer Outreach, an organization that promotes student participation in community service, sponsored Pitt’s involvement in the MLK Day of Service. SVO’s MLK Day of Service Committee organized the event, through which Pitt students participated in local service projects.

According to committee chair Janard Pendleton, there were more than 25 volunteering locations. Some of the service sites were the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in Duquesne, Pa., Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland, Seneca Place in Penn Hills, Pa., and the Department of Veterans Affairs located Downtown. Pendleton called it a “nice mix” of organizations.

Pendleton, a graduate student pursuing a doctorate in administrative and policy studies, said the service projects at each location varied. Students sent to the Department of Veterans Affairs met and spoke with veterans about Martin Luther King Jr.’s lasting influence and legacy. Students placed at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank sorted food.

According to Pendleton, about 650 students volunteered at MLK Day of Service, a significant increase from last year’s 500 volunteers.

Pendleton said that he believes college students play a major role in moving communities forward.

“It was college students working hard to elect our president,” Pendleton said. “It was college students during the Civil Rights Movement, white and black students who were working together diligently so that everyone could have civil rights.”

Kylea Covaleski, a junior psychology major, spent her “day on” crafting greeting cards for men and women in the armed services.

“When I heard about [MLK Day of Service], I thought it would be a good opportunity to do services for the community in and surrounding Pittsburgh,” Covaleski said. “It’s much easier to help the community when you find out about one of these bigger events, and I feel like it’s really great, too, because it brings together a lot of organizations from Pitt.”

While many students tooks buses to their designated areas of service, Covaleski joined a group of almost 80 students who were assigned to the Kurtzman Room in the William Pitt Union to make greeting cards for members of the armed services and the elderly.

The room was full of students crowded around tables covered with stacks of colorful handmade cards. Students wrote jokes, poems and words of encouragement in the cards.

Julia Korenoski, a senior psychology major, said she really enjoyed making cards for members of the armed services and the elderly because she said it allowed her to “release her inner child while helping out the community.”

The cards for overseas U.S. military members will be sent in care packages and distributed by volunteers from Operation Stars and Stripes, a nonprofit volunteer organization that seeks to support active-duty personnel, reserves, national guardsmen and women, veterans and their families by sharing words of support through handmade cards.

Students also made Valentine’s Day cards to be distributed to local senior citizens by the Meals on Wheels Association of America, an organization that delivers meals to the elderly.

Samantha Barley, a junior psychology major, said she enjoyed making cards as her MLK Day of Service project.

“I think the cards could really bring a smile to someone’s face and light up their day,” Barley said. “Just getting a card from someone and knowing that people care about what they’re doing and what’s going on in their life can have a really positive impact.”

Pendleton said organizing the MLK Day of Service took a lot of time and effort. The committee faced challenges when trying to locate organizations that were open on the holiday.

Pendleton said his experience as committee chair was rewarding, and he was happy with the turnout. He said he hopes to add more volunteer sites throughout Pittsburgh and have a higher student turnout for next year’s MLK Day of Service.

“Getting students involved and having them go to places and give back is part of our civic responsibility,” Pendleton said. “And I think that volunteering is just a great thing to do. It makes us feel good and it helps people, too.”