Students Participate in Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Activities

Nearly seventy students and staff honor the legacy of Dr. King by performing service activities

Students Participate in Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Activities



Nearly seventy William Paterson students and staff members celebrated the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on January 20 by participating in local service learning opportunities coordinated through the Office of Campus Activities and Student Leadership.

Thirteen students and two advisors traveled to the Garfield YMCA, where they joined with local teens to help rehabilitate the facility’s teen center by repainting bathrooms, the activity room, and meeting rooms, and assembling new furniture for the project, which was sponsored by Jersey Cares. “The representatives from Jersey Cares spoke not only about the YMCA and its impact on the community, but also about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and why we choose to do service to honor his legacy,” says Tristan Tosh, assistant director of campus activities, who accompanied the students.

Later in the day, fifty students and several staff members gathered on campus in the Multipurpose Room in the University Commons to package 10,000 nutritious meals for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in a project sponsored by Stop Hunger Now. A representative from the organization gave a presentation on world hunger and nutrition. “It took four hours to reach the 10,000-meal goal, and the students felt a great sense of accomplishment when they were finished,” says Maribel Rodriguez, associate director of campus activities, who supervised the event.

The two projects were part of a larger effort by Campus Activities and Student Leadership to provide service-learning opportunities for students.  Each service opportunity coordinated through the office includes a short presentation about the issue associated with the project and about the need for service as it affects the community.

The students were excited to see their tweet about their participation retweeted by U.S. Senator Cory Booker: