TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — On January 20, the entire nation will come together to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. But for more than a decade now, Indiana State University has their own way of giving back to the community.
MLK Day of Service is set to return once again in 2025. Community Engagement Assistant Director Alex Whitmore says the event serves as an opportunity for volunteer students and staff to make a difference in the community.
“MLK Day of Service, it’s a dedicated day to do service around your community,” Whitmore said. “Service was a huge thing that Martin Luther King Jr. stood by, was strong about, and with that, every day when students have the day off, there’s some students, some staff, that want to give back to the community. That’s what MLK Day of Service is for.”
The event has become so popular that they added another service day last year. This allows for volunteers who missed out on day one or may have had other plans on the holiday.
“Something that we started last year and we are continuing is we like to celebrate it on two days now,” Whitmore said. “We still know, yes a lot of students want to sleep in on their day off on Monday, but they still want to honor MLK and honor doing service, so we also have on Thursday, another second day that we’re going to be celebrating.”
Whitmore says there are several reasons why volunteers want to participate in the event, but the main one is giving back.
“Why I love my job, why I love doing community service is because it also makes me feel good about giving back,” Whitmore said. “It makes me feel good that I’m helping and doing things for a city that I love, so I think a lot of these ISU students feel the same way and that’s why they want to give back to Terre Haute.”
Among several activities, volunteers will participate in a local soup kitchen as well as sorting and stocking a clothing closet.
