MLK Day of Service 2021
MLK Day of Service 2021
This year our annual MLK Day of Service was held on Monday, January 18th 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. During these hours, volunteers provided service to 13 organizations; 11 of these organizations were completely remote, while the other 2 were in person. Being this was only our second virtual day of service, it was a successful day that included additional opportunities from our previous day of service in September. In addition, our volunteers were still on winter break and sacrificed their valuable time at home to give back to the Montclair community. In total, 139 people participated which helped accumulate a total of 444 hours of service. Our virtual opportunities included ‘Aspire Tomorrow’ – sending messages of hope to those who may be struggling with mental health; ‘#BeTheForce’ – writing messages of support to our service members; ‘Color a Smile’ – coloring uplifting images and mailing them to those overseas, senior citizens, and anyone else in need of a smile; ‘Jersey Cares Senior Reading Series’ – volunteers recorded themselves reading a story to be sent to local senior citizens; ‘Jersey Cares Virtual Cards’ – letter writing to senior citizens, frontline healthcare workers, and teachers; ‘Letters Against Isolation’ – creating letters to those currently living in a nursing home; ‘Penguin Watch’ – counting penguins, chicks, and eggs to help researchers better understand population change; ‘#ThousandsofDifferences’ – writing letters of thanks to those on the frontline; ‘Canterbury Village’ – interacting with residents at this local nursing home through Zoom by sharing stories, playing games, pet sharing, etc.; ‘VocaliD’ – volunteers recorded and donated their voice to those that may not have one; and lastly, ‘Words of Thanks’ – writing letters to those on the frontline. The in-person sites included ‘CUMAC’ and ‘Father English’ – two local food pantries. Furthermore, we had 2 guest appearances on our social media platforms, Rocky; and our president of Montclair State University – Dr. Susan Cole! A huge shout out to all of those that participated; especially during a pandemic when our communities need it most – a job well done!
