Remembering MLK through service

Photos: UIC Creative and Digital Services

On Jan. 20, UIC students volunteered to honor Martin Luther King Jr. by doing acts of service in his name in the community.

“Participating in UIC’s MLK Day of Service with Cornerstone Community Outreach exposed me to the reality of food insecurity and homelessness in Chicago and the many ways that we can help,” said Danalyn Garcia, a UIC senior in psychology.

In total, 173 participants gave 572 hours of their time in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 13 different projects at eight service sites in Chicago.

“It’s really important to do the work that is in line and in vision of what Martin Luther King Jr. had dreamt of when he laid down his life and dedicated it to try and make it better for us,” said Muryem Quadri, a senior in the Honors College who’s majoring in marketing and sociology.

Volunteering for MLK Day makes a difference in the community and allows participants to feel connected to Chicago and its history.

“To me, volunteering is about giving freely to the community without any expectations of reciprocation. It gives us the opportunity to expose ourselves to different environments, gain an understanding of others and their experiences,” Garcia said.

Quadri was a site organization leader helping out kitchen volunteers for Stone Temple Baptist Church, where MLK spoke many times during the Civil Rights Movement.

“Having intentionality when it comes to practices like this is really important; it’s going out of my to say that I want to be tied to that history in some sort of respect,” Quadri said.