Daniel Bracho and Rebecca Leaf

On Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, MHS students participated in the MLK Day of Service.

Along with the school assembly held on Jan. 15, MHS welcomed a new tradition this year to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and all of his contributions through the volunteer work of MHS students. 

Two parent volunteers Sondra Levy and Eve Silver organized the event. Students signed up for the day of service by visiting a table in the overpass or by signing up at the YES office. Levy and Silver manned the table, encouraging passing students to volunteer.

There was an incredible turnout for this year’s first MLK Day of Service.  Many students volunteered to work, helping the community during their day off from school. 

Some faculty members also showed their support by offering extra credit to any student who participated.

After taking part in the activities, students felt that it was a truly meaningful experience.

While some projects included raising money for particular causes, most were solely acts of community service. A few of the projects that were offered were included a Habitat for Humanity building project, a food drive at Stop and Shop, and a carnival/ice cream party at the United Hebrew Retirement Center.

A student leader was assigned to each project to help organize the volunteers. The responsibilities of the project leaders were making sure all volunteers had obtained permission slips from their parents, verifying the number of students helping, and finding adequate transportation for each member.

Most projects’ volunteers numbered around 10 students. Alanah Rafferty ’10 was the project leader for the Ice Cream Social at United Hebrew Retirement Home in New Rochelle.

“I helped out at a nursing home in New Rochelle, along with several other wrestlers,” Angela Lagrossa ’11 said. “We served the elderly ice cream with a billion toppings, and it was definitely worth the smiles on there faces.”

The services lasted several hours and began at different times of the day. Every service project was quite successful and had a positive impact on the community.

Rafferty said that she had greatly enjoyed the experience and found that talking to the people at the retirement home had been a very interesting experience. “The project was really rewarding, and you could see how much the residents appreciated it,” she said.

About 10 students visited senior living at the retirement home to keep the residents company and to brighten their day.

“Volunteering for this really made me realize that doing little things can make a lot of difference in someone's lives,” Rafferty said. “It was a great way to spend a day off from school, and I'm definitely going to do volunteer work next MLK day.”

In commenting on the success of the program and to encourage more students to participate next year, Rafferty added, “It [the volunteer work] is just a few hours of your time and those few hours can make a huge difference.”

The tasks lasted several hours and began at different times of the day. Every service project was quite successful and had a positive impact on the community.

 “I think there will be a next year [for this program],” said Rafferty. “It was a real success.”