In honor of the man it is named for, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has become a Day of Service in which individuals are encouraged to give back to their communities.
Area VISTA and AmeriCorps volunteers chose to celebrate the day with a service project at Hillsboro Elementary School. Pocahontas County Cooperative VISTA Assistant Project Director Lynmarie Knight gathered up some volunteers, art supplies and headed to the school with a plan.
“We’re working with [Kindergarten] through fifth graders at Hillsboro Elementary and just teaching them about Martin Luther King, and about community service,” Knight said. “We’re leading them in a service project of their own. They’re making cards and their cheerful cards will be sent out with Meals on Wheels to seniors in their community.”
Students put their creativity to work and made cards with happy greetings and drawings for the project.
Knight was joined by Kimberly Hutcheson, VISTA with Beverly OnTrac; Kaitlen Whitt, AmeriCorps at Allegheny Mountain Radio; Clair Groth, VISTA with Pocahontas Memorial Hospital; Dan Schultz, VISTA with Traveling 219 Project; and Marlyn McClendon with High Rocks.
Suzanne Stewart may be contacted at sastewart@pocahontastimes.com