Hope College students volunteered throughout the Holland community on Saturday, Jan. 18, through “Martin Luther King Time to Serve,” a time of service scheduled in celebration of the national commemoration of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In structure, the event was similar to the popular and long-running “Time to Serve” program that is held early during the fall semester. While the fall program is especially for new students, to inspire interest in service while helping acquaint the members of the college’s newest class with the Holland community and other students, the recent event provided a similar opportunity for all students.
“With its focus on serving the community, the program was scheduled as a way of honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as we look ahead to the celebration of his birthday,” said Wilma Hart, who is assistant to the director of student life and is coordinator of volunteer services at Hope. “It also responds to a strong interest on the part of our students. While Hope students volunteer throughout the area in many ways, through the years we’ve had many upperclassmen request an event like ‘Time to Serve’ in which they could participate as well.”
As a pilot initiative, the program was developed for approximately 100 students who served at 10 community organizations. This year, the fall event, which in 2000 likewise began with 10 sites and 100 participants, featured 350 students serving at 35 locations.