Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

There is no question that Furman students are heavily involved in just about everything. One of our many claims to fame is the fact that US News ranks us as the fourth best school for making an impact. Whether it is through Heller Service Corp, Greek life, or religious organizations, there is no doubt that Furman students are heavily involved both on and off-campus. Martin Luther King Jr is quoted saying, “Strength is rooted in community collaboration, mutual understanding, and love between people.” To honor and commemorate Dr. King’s legacy as well as help make our community a better place, each year on MLK day Furman hosts the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Every year over 300 students, faculty, and staff give their time to local Greenville charitable organizations in the hope to help lay a foundation while making the greatest impact possible for our community. Volunteer opportunities range from assisting Habitat for Humanity with a project at one of their restoration locations, clearing land and debris at the YMCA camp, organizing medical charts at the Greenville Free Medical Clinic, and much more. 

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For the past two years, I along with my fraternity took part in this event. Both years I spent the day helping clean up the YMCA camp for low-income children. By doing this, it would allow them to have the summer camp experience that many others get to have growing up. This past year we spent the day cleaning up and rebuilding a natural outdoor chapel at the camp. While this event is just one day of service, it can be the start to so much more. For some, it can be the start of something new. Many students are exposed to new organizations and the work that they do for our community, leading them to want to help out in the future. I have seen from this event the start of long term relationships that individuals from Furman have created with these organizations. Personally, I feel as if this is something that we can all be proud of.

This is just one of the few service events that Furman hosts each year and if you are interested in getting involved with community service on campus I highly recommend you contact the Heller Service Corp for more information.

Josh