Students give back on MLK Day of Service

On January 21, the offices of Student Affairs Programs and Multicultural Affairs held the fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The theme this year was “Legacy Begins At Home.” 

Each year the theme and locations change, and this year students, faculty and community members were sent out to help at parks, homes, churches and a number of other locations. 

To help participants clean up and restore more places around town, Habitat for Humanity, Love INC, and Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful paired up the University organizations. With the help of these organizations, students were able to help with a variety of projects.

“Our group was pretty big, so when we got to our job site we were able to accomplish many things,” Loriann Whitman said. “Many of the girls in my group were taught how to properly plant flowers, while they guys helped dig up trees in the yard. Another group went to help with the firehouse and then we all returned to help dig up weeds in the yard and pick up the trash around the neighborhood.” 

Many student organizations were spotted throughout the day, including Zeta Tau Alpha, Student Activities Association, The Order of the Lumberjack, and even a few students from the women’s basketball team. Over 350 students, faculty and community members participated in the event. 

“My favorite part of the experience was the feeling that I got after we were done with our project. I felt really happy and proud of myself for helping out the community. It made me want to do it all over again,” Morgan McGrath said.