{"id":222957,"date":"2024-01-17T12:44:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T17:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=222957"},"modified":"2024-01-24T14:46:08","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T19:46:08","slug":"honoring-mlk-by-serving-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2024\/01\/17\/honoring-mlk-by-serving-others\/","title":{"rendered":"Honoring MLK by Serving Others"},"content":{"rendered":"

Below-freezing temperatures didn\u2019t deter a record number of Montclair State University students and staff from volunteering as part of the University\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

While some students made sandwiches, assembled snack kits and hygiene packages at the Student Center Caf\u00e9, 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.<\/p>\n

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NextGen member and Nursing student Princella Boateng fills out some forms before boarding a bus and heading outdoors for her volunteer work assignment in Ringwood.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt was definitely cold but it was so worth it,\u201d said Princella Boateng, a sophomore Nursing major and NextGen member.<\/p>\n

Boateng, who is in her second year in the Next Generation Service Corps<\/a>, added: \u201cI’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\u2019s really beneficial for me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before heading out to their respective volunteer sites, students heard from Bloomfield College Chancellor Marcheta P. Evans, who spoke about the importance of students\u2019 voices and the need to be of service.<\/p>\n

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Bloomfield College Chancellor Marcheta P. Evans, who was the featured speaker to student volunteers for MLK Day of Service, answers students’ questions.
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Mikaela Guzman, Bonner Leader and Service Coordinator in the Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships, said Evans\u2019 message was just what students needed to hear.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, the feeling was different,\u201d said Guzman, who headed this year\u2019s planning committee. \u201cWe\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

To that end, this year for the first time, students returned to campus and gathered for a period of reflection.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, they didn\u2019t have a moment to think about what they did, how great their experience was or what they may have learned,\u201d Guzman said, adding that one student who visited seniors in a nursing home shared how she \u201cdidn\u2019t realize how older adults can feel so alone\u201d and vowed to return to volunteer with fellow sorority sisters. Student volunteers also included Bonner Leaders<\/a> and AmeriCorps<\/a> members. New Bonner Leader and NextGen members were welcomed and learned about their programs during partnership activities.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Guzman declared the Day of Service a \u201c100% success\u201d and added that as the Montclair and Bloomfield campuses continue working together \u201cwe can continue to make these really meaningful experiences for the entire campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo Gallery
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Story by Staff Writer Sylvia A. Martinez<\/b><\/a>. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters<\/b><\/a> and John J. LaRosa.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n