More than 250 students, faculty, alumni and staff participated in Occidental’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event on Jan. 25, with volunteers at twelve sites across Los Angeles.
Honoring Dr. King’s legacy of service, the MLK Day of Service is a signature 鶹Ƶevent that engages those associated with the College in community-based projects. Sponsored by the Office of Student Leadership, Involvement & Community Engagement (SLICE), participation in the daylong event was at record levels this year. Volunteers helped out at an urban farm, worked with foster youth, organized at food banks and helped beautify nature areas in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Dovetailing with a national effort to honor Dr. King by serving the community, 260 volunteers fanned out to twelve sites In Los Angeles and Pasadena, working with 22 site leaders.
“The response and interest in MLK Day of Service is always a testament to the spirit of service 鶹Ƶstudents are known for,” says Lina Calderon-Morin, assistant director of student and community engagement at SLICE. “My hope is that these individual days of service will help expose our students, faculty, and staff to the amazing work being done in the community and inspire them to get involved with community organizations throughout the year.”
This year’s sites included Hathaway-Sycamores Family & Child Services, L.A. Regional Food Bank, Eagle Rock Elementary School, Community Services Unlimited Urban Farm, Young & Healthy, Bienestar Human Services, Girls on the Run L.A. and others.