Service and change is the focus for the Lipscomb community as students and faculty remember the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lipscomb’s multicultural organization Kappa Iota Theta will host “Change for Change!,” a weeklong change drive.
Students can bring their extra change to the student center front desk to help purchase school supplies for the Youth Life Learning Center.
“The Change for Change drive is a great example of how small change can add up and make such a big difference,” said Elizabeth Hayes, Intercultural Engagement and Development administrative assistant.
“We want students to remember that sometimes, it’s the small deeds that are truly impactful.”
Students from Lipscomb, Belmont, Fisk, Vanderbilt, Tennessee State and Trevecca will come together at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, in Tennessee State University’s Kean Hall to kick off the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Students will have several opportunities to choose from, including helping to paint McKissack Middle School, sorting food at Second Harvest Food Bank, painting a mural at Hadley Park Community Center, sorting medical supplies at Project C.U.R.E. and helping the Christian Women’s Job Corps of Middle Tennessee move to their new location.
“The MLK Day of Service is a significant event in that it’s one of the only times in which all the universities come together, and it’s really exciting to see that vision that MLK had of serving, that everybody can serve,” SALT program coordinator Cara Harris said.
“And I think just the way [students] take some time to come together and learn about why they’re doing it, that’s what makes it a unique service opportunity for Lipscomb students.”
Although registration is already closed and all spots are reserved, students can still contact Belmont University’s Allison Long, who coordinated the day of service, to be added to a wait list. Students can also visit the Hands On Nashville website to check for other volunteer opportunities provided during the day.
Students will be able to earn two chapel credits and SALT Tier I credit for full participation in the day.
An MLK birthday celebration will take place in the Zebi student lounge on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 12 p.m. Ice cream and cake will be served.
The film, A Long Walk Home, will be shown Thursday, Jan. 16, in Swang. Set in 1955 Montgomery, Ala., during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the film will go along with the week’s themes of change and service. A short discussion will follow. Students can earn one chapel credit.
A special chapel service on Tuesday, Jan. 21, will mark the end of the service week. T.B. Boyd, III, president and CEO of church and literature supply company R.H. Boyd Publishing, will speak at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day chapel service. A reception with Boyd will take place in the Hall of Fame Room before chapel begins.
Students can also participate in the annual MLK commemorative march starting at 10:15 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 20. The march will begin at the intersection of 28th and Jefferson Street and end at Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church.
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