Cal U honors King with Day of Service
CALIFORNIA – About 120 California University of Pennsylvania students returned to campus a day early to carry on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service. While spring semester classes resumed today, the students were busy on campus and in the community sharing their time on the official holiday on Monday.
According to LaMont Coleman, associate dean for student affairs and an organizer of the event, Cal U’s Day of Service, is typically celebrated the day after the holiday.
“This is the first year we are actually celebrating the event on the holiday,” he said.
“This year, we also have a lot of diverse programs.”
Cal U has held its Day of Service for eight years.
Diane Williams, director of the Center for Civic Engagement, who organized the event with Coleman, said in addition to the date change, project opportunities also have been expanded.
This year’s Day of Service at Cal U included community service projects at the American Red Cross, Center in the Woods, Liberty Towers, Smithton American Legion Post 790 and the “Support the Troops” campaign.
In the Natali Student Union on campus, on-site projects also were lined up for the day in an effort to attract the attention of more students.
“We were a little concerned in the planning process that students may not participate since they didn’t have to be back on campus yet,” Williams said.
“But with this being the 20th year of celebrating, our president, Angelo Armenti, really wanted to incorporate the spirit of giving into the actual holiday.”
Students came together to work on projects such as hand therapy dolls for Medi-Home Hospice, Valetine’s Day cards for patients at St. Jude, stars for an anti-drunken driving pledge, cards for the Veterans Administration Hospital, Daffodil Day packets for the American Cancer Society, fleece blankets for the Golden Living Center and more.
“I am very enthusiastic with this program and what the rest of the semester will now bring for these students here today,” Williams said.
Juniors Jennifer Murphy of Chaleroi and Erin Morrison of Seltzer participated in the onsite service projects.
“This is my first year and I like the on-campus projects,” Morrison said. “I think it appealed to a lot of people with it being January and so cold out to come here and help with something like this. This helps people out just as much whether the projects are done here or somewhere else.”
Murphy said the wide variety of projects appealed to her as participants rotated among the tables to work on as many projects as possible.
“This is very rewarding to do things like this,” Morrison said.
“It’s nice to know that there are other people out there on this day doing this, too.”
William Robertson-Oliver is a freshman at the university, but he said his 10 years of volunteering has prepared him for the day of service.
“My grandma was involved in the civil rights movement and she always talked to me about things like this and how to be a better person,” Robertson-Oliver said.
“In past events that I have participated in, there have been two or three people helping, so it’s great to see a while bunch of people here helping today.”
Robertson-Oliver, who celebrated his birthday just one day before King’s, said volunteering also gives him the opportunity to meet new people.
“It helps me carry on what my grandma taught me,” he said. “It’s carrying on what King wanted us to do and it’s me trying to make my own legacy as an example for others.”