Holiday encourages service
By Jon Gilman
Staff Writer
Rebecca Spears will not be sleeping in this Monday,
nor will she be leaving West Lafayette to enjoy the extended weekend
like most Purdue students.
Instead, the graduate student will be sticking
around to volunteer her time on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the betterment
of the Greater Lafayette community.
Spears is a graduate assistant for the Task Force
on Citizenship Education, a program which aims to educate the community
about diversity through critical thinking and discussion.
The Task Force on Citizenship is one of the many
programs that will volunteer its time Monday under a larger program
called Affirming the Dream: Acts of Kindness/Acts of Justice.
Affirming the Dream is a volunteer program administered
by the Diversity Resources Office and includes faculty, staff and students.
The program is sponsored by the Indiana Civil Rights
Commission, and its members put forth three hours of community service
every year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Last year, approximately 200 volunteers assisted
more than 33 community agencies, including the Mental Health Association,
the Community and Family Resource Center and the Food Finders Food Bank.
Dorothy Simpson-Taylor, director of the Diversity
Resource Office, said in a press release that she hopes for more volunteers
this year.
"We believe that participation in this observance
promotes inclusive thinking. These actions help Purdue students become
citizens of the world where they will eventually make the world a better
place," Simpson-Taylor said.
The program is in its seventh year and is an offspring
of the King Holiday Service Act, which President Clinton signed on August
3, 1994.
The bill was designed to turn Martin Luther King
Jr. Day into a day of service that reflects King's life.
"The day of service is a realization of Dr. King's
dreams. It is a reflection of his commitment to communities and his
ability to inspire all of us to care for and be a part of others' lives,"
Spears said.
Ray Wolfgang, a graduate student who is a veteran
to Affirming the Dream, encouraged the Purdue community to get out and
volunteer this Monday.
"It feels good to help someone and meet new people,
and it's also a nice break from the everyday routine," Wolfgang said.
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