Jan 15, 2018 2 min read

Students at Washington & Jefferson College spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day doing community service projects that will continue all week.

Justin Dandoy, director of community engagement, said the day, on which many people are off from work and school, is considered a national day of service – “a day on, not a day off.”

“We try to align with national service efforts,” he said.

The students put together healthy treat bags for the LeMoyne Community Center and birthday gift bags for local senior-living facilities. They also painted a mural for the Salvation Army’s summer children’s program and worked on an ongoing project of turning plastic bags into sleeping pads for the homeless.

“It’s all in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and his work,” said Rachel Stalker, a graduate intern at W&J. “A lot of the students we work with are very service-minded.”

Three students helping out Monday were Emily Huber, a senior, Sydney Kightlinger, a freshman, and Maria Reynolds, a sophomore. Kightlinger said she always tries to do some type of community service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“Part of Martin Luther King’s vision was to do for others,” she said. “Civil engagement is very important.”

Dandoy said in order to accommodate all of the student volunteers, they extended the service projects throughout the week. They will be making cards for hospice patients today, and doing organization work at Hidden Treasures, a City Mission store, Wednesday. On Thursday, students will help with moving and planning at Domestic Violence Services’ Fresh Start apartments, and Friday, they will be working with a local CASA program for children in foster care.

Dandoy said they usually have about 10 to 20 students helping out with Martin Luther King Jr. Day service projects. Many of the students are part of the school’s community outreach program.

“They are great for being leaders in the community,” he said.