Honoring MLK by Serving Others

Below-freezing temperatures didn’t deter a record number of Montclair State University students and staff from volunteering as part of the University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, now in its 10th year. The group, which this year was joined by students and staff from Bloomfield College of Montclair State University, numbered 250. They spread out across New Jersey communities to volunteer at nonprofit and service organizations serving young children to senior adults.

While some students made sandwiches, assembled snack kits and hygiene packages at the Student Center Café, dozens of others were shuttled by bus to 19 locations, such as the Vanguard Theater in Montclair to Rebuilding Together North Jersey in Ringwood. Inside the theater, student volunteers cleaned, painted and organized. In Ringwood, student volunteers worked outdoors in the cold, doing some demolition work and cutting wood boards for a house that was being rebuilt for a family.

“It was definitely cold but it was so worth it,” said Princella Boateng, a sophomore Nursing major and NextGen member.

Boateng, who is in her second year in the Next Generation Service Corps, added: “I’ve always loved to volunteer, that’s part of the reason why I joined NextGen. I feel every time I’m volunteering, I’m doing God’s work and serving God’s people. It’s really helpful and it’s really beneficial for me too.”

Before heading out to their respective volunteer sites, students heard from Bloomfield College Chancellor Marcheta P. Evans, who spoke about the importance of students’ voices and the need to be of service.

Mikaela Guzman, Bonner Leader and Service Coordinator in the Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships, said Evans’ message was just what students needed to hear.

“This year, the feeling was different,” said Guzman, who headed this year’s planning committee. “We’ve been trying to ensure that for students, the Day of Service is really meaningful and not transactional. The whole purpose of doing this is to continue to create that sense of unity brought about during the Civil Rights movement.”

To that end, this year for the first time, students returned to campus and gathered for a period of reflection.

“In the past, they didn’t have a moment to think about what they did, how great their experience was or what they may have learned,” Guzman said, adding that one student who visited seniors in a nursing home shared how she “didn’t realize how older adults can feel so alone” and vowed to return to volunteer with fellow sorority sisters. Student volunteers also included Bonner Leaders and AmeriCorps members. New Bonner Leader and NextGen members were welcomed and learned about their programs during partnership activities.

Engage NJ awarded the Montclair campus $7,000 and the Bloomfield campus $1,000 to help cover costs of the event. In addition, Montclair received a $3,500 grant from the New Jersey Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission.

Guzman declared the Day of Service a “100% success” and added that as the Montclair and Bloomfield campuses continue working together “we can continue to make these really meaningful experiences for the entire campus.”

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Story by Staff Writer Sylvia A. Martinez. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters and John J. LaRosa.