By Steve Harmic, Penn State DuBois
DUBOIS – Nearly 100 Penn State students from six campuses spent Martin Luther King Day volunteering in the DuBois area. Each year, the community of one of the campuses is chosen for the MLK Day of Service, and students volunteer at various organizations in that community in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., and his dedication to serving others. This year, Penn State DuBois was selected to host the group of volunteers.
Students from Penn State campuses at DuBois, New Kensington, Greater Allegheny, Shenango, Fayette and Beaver spent the day in service at community-centered and charitable organizations such as Goodwill Industries, the Humane Society, DuBois Nursing Home, the DuBois Historical Society, and more. They completed any and all volunteer services in areas where each organization has a need for help.
“It’s important to give back to our local community, because the community has done so much for us,” said Penn State DuBois sophomore Evan Aravich of Brockway. Aravich spend the day volunteering at Goodwill. “We do this in honor of Martin Luther King because of the freedom that he gave everyone and the freedom he worked for. We give back in his name because of what he did for us.”
Penn State DuBois freshman Darcie Grenier sorted donations of clothing at Agape, in DuBois, a faith-based charitable organization that helps families in financial crisis. Grenier said, “I think it’s important to give back to the community. It makes you feel really good.”
That help is always appreciated, according to Agape Executive Director Gina McElwee. She said, “Having the volunteers is key to our success. We’ve been inundated with donations. We’re very thankful for all of the donations, but it can be hard to manage, so the volunteers are a great help.”