Numerous OH students participated in the nationwide Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 15. The day was dedicated to the legendary civil rights activist as an opportunity for citizens to volunteer their time and honor his dream of a better America.
In a district email sent to students and staff on Jan. 12, the day is described as “the only federal holiday that is designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities.”
Additionally, the district encouraged students to spend even a few hours giving back to the town and honor the day’s namesake.
The email stated, “We encourage you to be thinking of ways that you can make a difference in honor of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who dedicated his life to speaking out against injustice, inequality, poverty, and war.”
Groups like Student Council and Black Student Association (BSA) dedicated their day off to do just that. The OH Student Council visited the Kendall County Food Pantry, located in Yorkville, to give their support.
“We were basically in charge of sorting cans so we spent a majority of the time going through these big tubs that they had of cans and we sorted them into fruits, vegetables, stuff like that,” said senior Student Council member Megan Griest.
No matter if students were brand new to volunteering or had been volunteering for years, they took the opportunity to help as much as possible on their day off. Students did various activities within their warehouse, but they all described the experience as both fun and impactful for their town.
“It is important to give back your time,” said senior Student Council member Keira Frey. “Do something good with your day– instead of sitting around playing video games, you’re going out and helping your community.
Numerous OH students participated in the nationwide Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 15. The day was dedicated to the legendary civil rights activist as an opportunity for citizens to volunteer their time and honor his dream of a better America.
Credit: Megan Griest
Senior Megan Griest (bottom) and Junior Matthew Everix (top) sort cans at the Kendall County Food Pantry. Credit: Megan Griest.
In addition to the Student Council, BSA gave back their time from the comfort of their own homes. Rather than drive during a winter storm to their event, they adapted and did the event with friends and family at home.
“We used to go to Rush Copley and make blankets for premature babies,” said BSA Adviser Shaunise Thomas. “It did not happen this year because of the severe weather, so the kids made their blankets at home and brought them in for us to donate.”
These blankets are very important to babies in the NICU, but they also help get students involved in something very important to Oswego– community service. Service projects like these take only a few hours but can make a difference for someone in need.
“It is one of the pillars of our club that we do community service once a month,” said Thomas. “We are all so fortunate in life so we should always find the time to give back.”
Even if OH students missed the chance to help this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, both clubs featured offer numerous other volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Getting involved in the local community cannot only help someone in need but also the students doing the volunteering themselves.
“Everybody needs to do service,” said Thomas. “Every student should be able to give back.”
My name is Sasha Pankuch and I am a junior here at OHS. This is my first year with 42Fifty too. I am very involved here at OHS; I am on the board of Student Council, I play the saxophone in the Panther Marching Band, and am a member of multiple honors societies!
great article sasha!! well written
Lovely article! Hope to see more volunteering from my OH peers in the future too!
This is the cutest article even.Thank you to everyone who contributed to their community this Martin Luther King day!