Students impact High Point community on MLK Day
Students and faculty come together to make a difference in the community in a variety of ways to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Photo by: Veronica Fulton.
By Alexis Ancel // News Editor
High Point University honored the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through a day of community service on Jan. 18.
For the past three years, HPU has joined hands with the rest of the nation to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by engaging in service work that benefits the community and works to find solutions to major problems in America.
At HPU, MLK Day is not considered a holiday, but rather a “day on” instead of a “day off.” The amount of participation for this holiday has been building each year and as a result, this year HPU was able to partner with over 30 HPU clubs, departments, athletic teams and Greek Life as well as local businesses, schools and non-profit organizations in the High Point community.
Many of these events have taken place annually such as the worship service promoting the Ministers Conference of High Point and Vicinity Annual Breakfast and Oratorical Competition, programs that award high school students scholarships. However, new events are added each year due to the increased student and community participation.
This year, HPU members were able to work with refugees and help provide food and essentials through World Relief, an organization that assists in settling refugees in the U.S.
“I think this is important after the recent light refugees have been portrayed in,” Erin Karpovich, Civic Leadership Coordinator and NCCC AmeriCorps VISTA, said. “These service opportunities allowed participants to engage with refugees firsthand to develop friendships and mutual understanding.”
Some events were more personal, such as the walk that HPU junior Kaitlyn Wright helped organize and host in order to raise money for a six-year-old girl living in North Carolina with an aggressive brain tumor. The event ended up raising $667 for the young girl and her family.
“My sorority hosted the event but as president, I planned a lot of things so it was awesome to see it all play out and finally make a difference,” Wright said. “I enjoyed being part of a day where we are all encouraged to step back from our lives as students and were encouraged to participate with our peers, faculty, staff and community members to give to those in need.”
Planning for this holiday began back in August by the AmeriCorps members hosted by HPU’s Department of Service Learning who coordinated the events. Many service projects took place on the weekend leading up to the holiday as well.
HPU prides itself in the many ways in which we give back, not just on MLK Day, but throughout the year in communities everywhere. One of the goals of the holiday is to not only make a difference for those in need, but to spark interest and encourage more people to take action in their everyday lives.
“I hope volunteers experienced more of the city of High Point and engage in conversations with one another that do not regularly take place,” Karpovich said. “I also hope this day excited others about service and empowers them to create and sustain partnerships. Through this way, we can use this day of service to set up consistent service opportunities with the partners we worked with throughout the year.”