Each year College Possible honors the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. by committing acts of service within our community. This year, senior leadership selected Open Door Mission as our service project following a morning of presentations about the life of Dr. King and the impact he continues to have on our world and the work we do.
To start the day off, the leadership team and AmeriCorps service members watched Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech. Together we took some time to reflect on his legacy as an agent of change and how he encouraged us to come together to work for equality and social justice. His leadership, integrity, resilience, and mission to implement change, is what bring such honor to reserving this day for service.
Knowing this speech would make and change history, Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his purpose to making change that we all can embrace today. Dr. King wanted to bring acknowledgement to the inequalities, stigmas and challenges that black communities faced and still currently face today. Dr. King highlighted how we can overcome challenges and obstacles as a nation by working towards equality and social justice goals together.
The presentation was nice. It was nice to hear more about history and hoping for our nation to start leaning towards un-censoring history”, said College Success Coach Yulissa Vargas-Salinas.
After the presentation and interactive activities, leadership staff and AmeriCorps members then headed to the Open Door Mission Lydia House to complete their service day. We provided assistance with sorting and taking inventory on toy donations, organizing the food pantry and library and cleaning the kitchen and dining spaces.
Volunteering at the Open Door Mission Lydia House was a great experience. While helping in the infant/newborn room, a couple of us had to separate the diapers and baby essentials for the families that live there. Women who live at the Lydia House have access to diapers, pacifiers, diaper bags, breast pumps, powdered milk, and car seats.
The significance of this service day allows us to take a pause on our daily routines and gives us a chance to think about the things we take for granted,” said Aminatu Issaka College Possible Omaha’s High School Director.
