This Monday, then President-elect Barack Obama called the nation to serve in honor of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. In response, one of the largest groups ever volunteered for the AU Community Service Center's (CSC) annual MLK Day of Service at four senior housing and aid sites in D.C.
Groups split up to do beautification work at sites chosen to allow students to work with low-income senior citizens, according to Donald Curtis, the CSC operations coordinator. The locations included Allen House and Sibley Plaza, residential sites that provide subsidized housing, and Emmaus and the Washington Wellness Center, service sites for the elderly, according to Curtis.
"We wanted to make it a three-generation project," Curtis said. "We wanted to connect AU professors and students with both the elderly and local youth in D.C."
Justin Bibb, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, is involved at CSC through his student work-study there and helped plan the MLK Day of Service.
"I think the students gained a sense of history through reflecting on the experience of the senior citizens," he said. "Their experiences going through the turbulent times of the Civil Rights Movement and now seeing Barack Obama become president gives them a great way to connect with our generation."
Nora Cobo, a graduate student in the School of International Service who works part-time as the Service Learning Coordinator at CSC, went with the group to Allen House.
"We decorated a room so that they could put on an inaugural ball for themselves, but there was time to also sit down and hear about the residents' experiences," she said. "One resident told us his story of working as Martin Luther King Jr.'s driver. He told us how his experience translates to activism today and what Barack Obama means for that activism."
David Teslicko, a senior in SIS and SPA, listened to some of the residents' stories.
"It was also great hearing the stories of the people at the center," he said. "One woman told stories of her father who fought for racial equality in Louisiana."
Teslicko organized the event with Curtis and helped to beautify the Washington Wellness Center site by cleaning up the back yard.
"It was a very rewarding experience," Teslicko said. "Especially since so many students come out on their day off."
A total of 131 AU participants - including students, alumni and staff - participated in the MLK Day of Service, according to Curtis.
"This [number] more than doubles our turnout from last year, which was 54," he said.
That number does not account for participants from other local universities, Curtis said.
Morgan Jordan, a freshman in the School of Communication, went to the Emmaus site and finished painting one of the staircases.
"It was cool because there weren't just AU kids in the group," she said. "There were a lot of people from GW and other schools."
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