Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Of Service
Lakewood students honored the legacy of Dr. King on Monday, January 17th by volunteering time on their day off of school and sharing lunch and reflections about the meaning of the holiday. The service sites were arranged in advance by H2O coordinator Celia Dorsh and the wonderfully accommodating organizations who provided meaningful work and background information for the kids.
In addition, several adult volunteers made the community service part of the day a success by accompanying student volunteers to their sites. Lynn Foran and Nora Steele took a group of students to the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) and toured the facility. They helped organize the pop-tab collection (a fundraiser for RMH), cleaned toys, and helped serve food to the guests.
Louise Gorman and her group went to Crestmont Nursing Home to play bingo and socialize with the residents. Students who went to the Lakewood Alive office were treated to great hospitality and a PowerPoint presentation about LA. They helped with some office tasks and created Valentines to be sent to U.S. soldiers serving abroad.
At Hospice of the Western Reserve, large tables were set up with wonderful craft supplies so the volunteers could make sun-catchers and handmade cards to be given to cancer patients. The volunteer coordinator told the students about the work of Hospice, allowing them to reflect on the kindness of making something beautiful for someone who has cancer.
Our last service project was done in two parts: last week students went door-to-door and left notes explaining that H2O would be collecting donations of toiletries to be given to North Coast Health Ministry for distribution to their clients. On Monday, another group re-traced their steps and, thanks to the generosity of residents surrounding Lakewood Park, over 300 items were collected! Additional donations have been collected in boxes at Lakewood High School and The Root Café.
Dr. King truly believed in the ability of every individual to distinguish him or herself through service and he spoke eloquently about the collective power of community. There is no better way to cultivate community than by sharing food, and that was the next part of the day. Student and adult volunteers met at the Woman’s Pavilion in Lakewood Park to enjoy an outstanding lunch. Students who volunteered as site leaders brought dishes for a potluck, as they did last year. This time, however, we reached out to some businesses and were just thrilled by their response--generous donations were made by Deagan’s Kitchen, Aladdin’s Eatery, and Angelo’s Pizza. H2O is truly grateful to these restaurants. The food was not only a nice reward for the good work of volunteers, but more importantly it was a chance to really celebrate the unique and diverse culture of Lakewood and its amazing young people.
The final portion of the program was a presentation made by Mr. Joe Lobozzo and students from a Lakewood High School group he advises, Race and Diversity (RAD). Mr. Lobozzo teaches Social Studies at LHS and actively engages students in thinking about diversity and acting on ways to improve cultural relationships, both within his classes and outside of school. RAD showed a video made last year that included quotes by Dr. King, moving images and music, and interviews with students and staff asking difficult questions about race and the progress of acceptance in our society. The final activity challenged everyone in the room to reflect on their past year and improvements that can be made in the next year. This was a great ending to the day, leading us to look forward to another great Day of Service next year!
H2O would like to extend our gratitude once again to our supportive community: Deagan’s Kitchen, Aladdin’s Eatery, and Angelo’s Pizza; adult volunteers Diane Herman, Lynn Foran, Nora Steele, and Louise Gorman; all of our service sites; and those who have donated toiletries. Finally, special thanks to our amazing student volunteers who initiated the project, helped plan and promote it, recruited others, brought food, and enriched Lakewood with their service. It was a great day for Lakewood to be proud!