MLK Service Days: ‘A day on, not a day off’

ETSU students, faculty and staff volunteered and served with local community organizations during MLK Days of Service Jan. 20 and 25, as well as during a special service opportunity for Spring Preview students Jan. 17.

By virtue of who Martin Luther King Jr. was and what he believed in, ETSU Director of Leadership and Civic Engagement Joy Fulkerson thinks there is no better way to honor his life and legacy than to do service.

“When I think about Martin Luther King, and I happen to be a quote person, he talks a little bit about, ‘Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve,’” Fulkerson said. “I think there’s so many things that – it’s easy for us to think about the haves or the have-nots; the disparities of our country that are real. But service is something everyone can do.”

Jan. 20 marked the 25th anniversary of the National MLK Day of Service, originally founded by Coretta Scott King in connection with the federal holiday. With the slogan “A day on, not a day off,” volunteers around the country participate in direct service and bring communities together around conversations of inclusivity, Fulkerson said.

Over the course of all three service days, ETSU students, faculty and staff volunteered at organizations such as the Appalachia Service Project, Habitat for Humanity Restore, Good Samaritan Ministries, Second Harvest Food Bank and Carver Recreation Center. Volunteers served from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday and Saturday, with nearly 100 participants present at Monday’s event.

The Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement and Volunteer ETSU have teamed up to organize these service events for the past four or five years. Their purpose is to match up students who are interested in service and volunteering with non-profit and community organizations who need volunteers.

As a member of an organization in need of volunteers, Appalachia Service Project Warehouse Manager Brick Smith appreciates student’s willingness to serve.

“The students help me out so much I can’t even begin to tell you,” Smith said. “Last year in 2019, I hosted 181 volunteers in this warehouse. So I rely on the volunteers, and that was the equivalent of 709 volunteer work hours. So without their help, I couldn’t complete this job.”

Volunteers on Monday helped Smith clean and sort power tools, while Saturday volunteers helped him check inventory for an upcoming audit. When he arrived at work on Saturday morning, Smith discovered ETSU students had helped him check inventory on Jan. 26, 2019, making him realize how students’ contributions to ASP have come full circle over the past year.

“I got my files, and I found out that exactly a year ago today – off by one day – we were doing the exact same thing,” Smith said.

Second semester transfer student Ayesha Khan was one of the students who helped check inventory Saturday. Having volunteered with ASP in the past, she said she came back because it is a learning experience, and she enjoys giving back.

“It’s like you’re giving back to the community because we don’t appreciate how much we get from the community,” Khan said. “We don’t really stop and think, ‘You know, maybe I should do something for others, too,’ so I always think of it like you’re giving back. You’re doing something. You’re making a difference.”

When organizing these events, Fulkerson said they are mindful of the short period of time they have, and the non-profits must be savvy in terms of the kind of projects they create for volunteers to complete. These time constraints, however, did not stop sophomore Robert Jauregui from seeing the bigger picture through only a few hours of service at Habitat for Humanity Restore.

“Any time that you can really even give out – like even 30 minutes – to your community or anything just helps people,” Jauregui said. “You don’t have to do huge things to make an impact. It’s just like a butterfly effect. One small thing can turn into a giant – I guess – mess of goodness.”

Fulkerson said some of the leaders who served at Second Harvest Food Bank on Monday took time to reflect on their service and help toward the community need. They also reflected on the camaraderie with each other during the process – about how service is a way for people to get to know one another and to break down barriers.

Sophomore Pamela Avendano-Rubi experienced this camaraderie first-hand on Saturday at ASP. She had met two of the girls she volunteered with in previous science classes at ETSU, but she said she got to know them better through volunteering together. For Avendano-Rubi, there are two primary reasons for college students to volunteer.

“One [reason] is understanding the community, by simple fact,” Avendano-Rubi said. “And another one is interaction with people; and sometimes you don’t realize how important it is to interact with someone and know how someone else lives their life.”

Volunteer ETSU is a student group that organizes and provides leadership for events such as Service Saturdays and Alternative Breaks to educate students and engage them with community service programs. Service Saturdays take place once a month in a format similar to MLK Days of Service, with upcoming dates on Feb. 8, March 7, as well as the Dula Day of Service on April 4.

To learn more about Volunteer ETSU and upcoming service opportunities, or to sign up for a Service Saturday, visit https://www.etsu.edu/students/sorc/organizations/civicengagement/programs/volunteer.php