OH’s school schedule had Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national day of service, off of school. But instead of staying home in the warmth of their beds, many student volunteers gathered to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“[Dr. King’s] life was so full of service and I think that’s a wonderful way to honor his legacy and what he did for human rights,” said OH Student Council adviser Anne Sweeney.
Oswego Student Council members helped organize food, clothes, and more at the Kendall County Food Pantry. Volunteering on MLK Day has been an ongoing tradition for the OH Student Council.
“For the past couple of years, we’ve always done an MLK volunteer opportunity, so, as my role, decided that [I] got to do it,” said OH senior and Student Council President, Kyra Pattison.
Students volunteer to help their community and make a small but mighty difference in people’s lives. Serving at the food pantry can teach students about helping others and how to continue to do so throughout their lives.
“I think it’s a great thing and hopefully, we’ll continue to do that in the future years as well,” said Sweeney.
Dr. King was a prominent figure in American history who helped people through the civil rights movement. Learning about what he accomplished and continuing his legacy by helping people is vital.
The OH Black Student Association (BSA) also honored MLK with a day of service by making blankets for Rush Copleys NICU.
“We’ve been making them on our own and then to make it come back to the program that I sponsored is very special,” said BSA sponsor and gym teacher Shaunise Thomas.
Helping those in need has been shown to increase feelings of positivity, and MLK Day is the perfect time to do it as this day is set aside for such service.
“My son was in the NICU and my nephew were in the NICU for three months and it was amazing how much stuff we got and how much I wanna always give back to them because they took care of me and my son and my nephew when nobody else could,” said Thomas.
Honoring this day as a day of service impacts our communities and honors Dr. King’s life.
“Everybody should be able to be happy the way they are every day when they wake up,” said Thomas.
My name is Andrea and this is my first year as a 42Fifty staff reporter! I am a senior at OHS and am involved in many honor societys. I am so excited to write many stories this year.
Love this!