“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve,” Martin Luther King Jr.
Every year the third Monday of January is observed as a federal holiday dedicated to the memory of a great person who served his fellow man with everything he had. Organizations honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy by setting aside a day for community-related service.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Samaritan Center had the opportunity to partner with Southern Adventist University to host a group of over 25 student volunteers. The Social Services Department used the volunteering students to pack up and put away donated gifts for next year’s Christmas Toyland. The Thrift Store was grateful for the assistance the students gave them sorting donated items. The Communication and Marketing Departments were also excited about how the student volunteers were able to help them. A couple of students were photographed modeling clothing from the thrift store to be used for marketing the Samaritan Center’s thrift merchandise. Several of the volunteers wrapped and decorated collection barrels for the spring cleaning drive. They outdid themselves and the barrels look amazing with their white backgrounds, and the lemon-lime themed decorations made the barrels look fresh and bright.
“The students were willing and we got so much done with their help,” said Sharon Smith-Hensley, director of social services.
When these students were volunteering they were not just serving the Samaritan Center, they were serving the community too. That is one of the special aspects of service, it reaches further than just where it happens. These students are great because they were willing to serve.