News 2016: UMass Dartmouth organizes MLK Day of Service projects across SouthCoast

News 2016: UMass Dartmouth organizes MLK Day of Service projects across SouthCoast
UMass Dartmouth organizes MLK Day of Service projects across SouthCoast

Hundreds of middle and high school students to take part in day of service at GiftsToGive in Acushnet and the Boys & Girls Club of Fall River

Gifts to Give
Hundreds of students will echo Dr. King's message of service and leadership through projects taking place at GiftsToGive in Acushnet and the Boys & Girls Club of Fall River.

UMass Dartmouth students will join upwards of 300 SouthCoast middle and high school students will echo Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s message of service and leadership on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Monday, January 18, through service projects taking place at GiftsToGive in Acushnet and the Boys & Girls Club of Fall River. Through sponsorship from the Massachusetts Service Alliance, UMass Dartmouth’s Leduc Center for Civic Engagement, in conjunction with its SouthCoast Serves collaborative, have organized the service projects as part of a three-day Youth Civic Leadership Institute January 16-18.

A teach-in, followed by a volunteer march to GiftsToGive, will begin Monday, at 9:30 a.m. at Normandin Middle School. Students will arrive at approximately 12:45 p.m. at GiftsToGive following the march. Students from Normandin, Keith Middle School, Roosevelt Middle School, and Our Sisters’ School are expected to participate.

In Fall River, students will arrive at 9:30 a.m. to the Boys & Girls Club to take part in team building and service learning projects. The Day of Service will close with a dramatic Martin Luther King, Jr. reading.

The goal of the Youth Civic Leadership Institute is to engage high school students from across the SouthCoast in service learning and civic programming. It is designed to not only inspire students to be agents of change in their communities, but also give them the tools, resources and training to implement service projects that make a difference. This August, more than 40 students took part in a series of community service activities as part of the inaugural Civic Leadership Institute.

Students interested in taking part in the Institute and MLK Day of Service may contact southcoastserves@gmail.com or call Sandra Belli, Americorps SCI Volunteer Coordinator, at 508-999-8932Registration is required.