Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted nothing more than to bring peace to his community. Since the year 2000, students from the University of Tampa have honored him through the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
On Monday, January 16, 65 students showed their support by heading off to work at various local nonprofits. This included caring for the Tampa Bay Hospitality House, a homeless facility for women and children through the Salvation Army. The service description on the Hospitality House website stated that The Salvation Army helps these families make the transition from homelessness to independent living, by meeting their basic needs and offering them access to the skills and services they need to regain their independence and self-sufficiency.
Many other students disposed of liter and debris on the Courtney Campbell Causeway to help maintain the beauty of Tampa Bay. The Courtney Campbell Causeway is a vital artery in the body that is Tampa Bay, providing a vital link to the cities of Tampa and Clearwater, stated on the Courtney Campbell Causeway homepage.
The Martin Luther King Day of Service was organized by the P.E.A.C.E (People Exploring Active Community Experience) Volunteer Center. “It is important to continue to carry out Dr. Martin Luther King’s passion for improving the community and serving others,” said student coordinator with the PEACE Volunteer Center Ashley Hawley, stated in a recent article regarding the future goals of the upcoming Day of Service.
This event provided wonderful opportunities to become involved not only at UT but also in the surrounding community. Volunteering as a college student provides the opportunity to explore career options, helps polish leadership skills and is a great way to meet other students who share the same interest of giving back to their community.
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 2012 was another successful event The P.E.A.C.E Volunteer Center had. We enjoyed the speech from Alpha Phi Alpha in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King and Stephanie Russel-Holz address to the students about the importance of giving back to the community on this national day of service,” said Hawley.The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, incorporated is a Gamma Zeta Lambda Chapter that was charted in 1945. The early goal of the Chapter was to sponsor as many social events as possible. Now the chapter is involved in various programs and projects, adding to MLK’s dream. (Stated on the Gamma Zeta Lambda Chapter website).
Students can easily get involved on Hire-UT. There are many events and options to help with UT’s surrounding community.
More information about the P.E.A.C.E. Volunteer Center can be found at http://www.ut.edu/Content.aspx?id=4872&terms=peace.
Kirby Jay can be reached at kirby.jay@spartans.ut.edu.