On a day when our country is reminded of the kindness and love spread by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Reinhardt offered their time and energy to focus on service.
Reinhardt University’s Campus Ministries led a service event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 18, partnering with the community to meet the needs of others.
With 30 students, staff and community members in attendance, two projects took place simultaneously. At Cline Park in Waleska, participants partnering with Cherokee County Park Services cleaned litter, fixed a broken bench and spread mulch throughout the park. In the Bannister Glasshouse on campus, others assembled 130 care packages for the senior citizen residents at The Lodge at Bridgemill, 100 packages for nurses at Northside Cherokee Hospital and 200 for nurses at Piedmont Mountainside.
“The event was very successful,” said Josh Garner, director of spiritual life and service. “The greatest part of the event was watching people do their best to bring hope and joy to other people. Although the participants won’t get to see the reaction of the people they served, the thought of making other people smile made them work hard.”
Reinhardt University often celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a day of service to honor his legacy.
“This event was all about serving those around us,” said business major, Kaylee Jones. “I feel like this event made a small impact on a lot of people within the community. We packaged bags to give to nursing home residents and the nurses that work there to show that we appreciate what they are doing during this time of COVID-19.”
Campus Ministries often plans service events around campus and leads mission trips during Spring Break. Having served with Campus Ministries for the past few years, Jones finds importance in community service due to its ability to help the people around campus.
“If you are helping out your community and trying to make it better in the long run, it will help out so many people,” said Jones.
