Power in Community: MLK Day of Service 2016

DEARBORN, MI - For the 23rd year, UM-Dearborn celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by hosting the MLK Day of Service on January 18, 2016.

UM-Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little; Jonathan Larson,
Chair of Committee and Cassandra Fluker, Director
of Student Activities at Henry Ford College welcome
volunteers to MLK Day of Service.

This is one of the biggest and more cherished campus traditions in which faculty, staff, students and alumni from UM-Dearborn in partnership with Henry Ford College, get together to spend a morning of work to lend a helping hand to more than 20 community service organizations throughout Metro Detroit.

Jonathan Larson, Academic Advisor of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS) has been part of the MLK Day of Service Committee since 2008, serving as Chair of the Committee for the last four years. He lead the planning of this day that usually begins in April and continues through the Day of Service in January.

Larson mentioned that "This year we worked with 20 different community agencies including Fish and Loaves, Cass Community Services, Michigan Urban Farming Initiative and Priest Elementary School".

Donation from CEHHS community and MLK
volunteers to Priest Elementary School

CEHHS community and MLK volunteers donated socks to Priest Elementary School in Detroit as part of the planning for this event.

"I'm proud to honor Dr. King's legacy by coordinating a large scale service event which impacts the entire region and highlights the service culture of UM-Dearborn", Larson said.

Jonathan Larson,
Chair of MLK Day of
Service Committee

Chancellor Daniel Little welcomed volunteers to campus before they embarked on their service activities such as packing food for Kids Against Hunger; cleaning areas at Blight Busters; working with Michigan Urban Farming Initiative; organize donations at South Oakland Shelter; painting buildings at Franklin Wright Settlement or sorting food at Fish & Loaves.

"It fills my heart with pride every time I see young people… give a day of service to contribute to the betterment of our region", Little said.

There were nearly 500 volunteers this year who despite the frigid temperatures decided to honor Dr. King's words: "If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way."

Volunteers helping at Blight Busters