East Students Volunteer on MLK Day

Martin Luther King Day is usually anticipated because it means a three-day weekend. This year, however, a little over 30 East students volunteered their time with different charity organizations through the Youth Volunteer Corps, making their holiday “A Day On, Not a Day Off.”

Senior Maddie Bavley, a National Honor Society co-president, presented this project as an extra opportunity for service, outside of NHS’s standard three projects.

“I knew about the day of service through the Youth Volunteer Corps because I’ve been volunteering with them for years,” Bavley said.

The first volunteer stop was at reStart, a homeless shelter that serves around 7,500 men, women, and children. Volunteers that day were busy cleaning the shelter and helping to organize amenities.

“We sorted donated furniture into trash and usable piles, then brought in the good furniture from outside,” senior Bailey Borgmier said. “Then we cleaned off bunkbeds, bathrooms and brought up like 200 bedsheets for just one night.”

“I see homeless people when I drive around the Plaza, and I don’t really think about how they’re supposed to live,” Borgmier said. “Working at reStart has helped me see it from their perspective and get a better understanding of what they’re going through, and I was able to help them.”

The second volunteer opportunity was at Harvesters, a local food pantry that’s been a popular volunteer project for East students in the past. Students spent two hours packaging, sorting, and passing out food, as well as providing tours of the facility for guests.

“We worked in a snack pack assembly line, which were for students who depend on school lunches to eat through the weekend,” senior Hanna Jane Stradinger said. “It was a good time because there were a lot of East kids, and we made over a thousand packs, so we impacted a lot of people.”

The third method of volunteering that day was at Hope Care Center, a non-profit nursing facility that tries to help victims of HIV/AIDS recuperate and be able to care for themselves. The patients were treated to games and activities hosted by volunteers, so their holiday was not missed.

“We talked and hung around with the people there and played board games like Jenga and Cranium,“ senior Grace Boehm said. “It makes you realize how there are so many people that need help and all that we can do. Even if it’s just talking or playing a board game it can impact their outlook on life. MLK was an inspiration to everyone and I wanted to make a difference like he did his entire life. I like to see the change that happens.”

The last volunteer project was at Heart to Heart International, an organization that responds to disastrous circumstances to provide care and medical help. Their most recent call to duty was the devastating earthquake in Haiti, where they supplied internally-trained medical volunteers and basic medical equipment. Senior Perry Jackson organized amenities such bandages and shampoo to be able to be taken out on short notice.

“I thought that this project in particular would be interesting because my Grandma is involved with Heart to Heart and is going to Malawi next week. I thought it would be good to do something that she was involved in,” Jackson said. “At the end all of the students that were working there discussed how to better reach the communities that need help, which is exactly what Heart to Heart does, and how to get through to them as well as the people that are causing the issues in a cooperative, and supportive way.”

While most students came to fulfill community service obligations for NHS, many also were able to impact their communities.

“Martin Luther King Jr. Day was not only an opportunity for NHS students to get in extra service hours on a day off, but it was a great way to honor Dr. King because volunteering itself is a positive output of energy that teaches people to work for others,” Bavley said