Monday, January 25, 2010

MLK Day of Service

This Saturday, I had the opportunity to join Michael for the MLK Day of Service at UT. Michael works for the TeamVOLS office at UT, and it is his job to assist a group of students with organizing volunteer projects for other UT students and organizations. Michael's job is very rewarding because he gets to work first hand with students who are dedicated to community service. I was very excited to get to join him on Saturday for the biggest one-day community service project his office organizes. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, students come together each year for a day of service to honor the civil rights leader. This year was the biggest ever, with over 350 students who volunteered at 14 different area sites. Our group volunteerd for the Bridge Refugee Services office. This office receives refugees who are forced to flee their countries as a result of violence, rape, torture, genocide, and religious, political, and racial persecution. When we first arrived, we met the director named Marilyn who explained to us that the Knoxville office receives approximately 150 refugees a year, mostly from Iraq and the Middle East, Burma, and Africa. They expect to welcome over 300 this year as a result of the earthquake in Haiti. To give us an example of what these refugees have gone through, she told us the story of a woman from the Congo who was a victim of genocide. After being raped by the militia, she was forced to watch the soldiers mutilate and murder six of her children with a machete. She fled to the U.S. with two of her children with the help of the refugee services. To help Marilyn, our small group organized the donations for the office by separating clothing, blankets, towels, household items, and furniture. When refugees arrive, the office furnishes a standard apartment for the family by giving them clothing, a bed, a few pieces of furniture, towels, a comforter, and cooking utensils. Trust me, they get the bare essentials, but it's enough to get them on their feet. For six months, the office helps refugees get acclimated to living in the U.S. by teaching them about our culture and helping them learn English with the hope that they will be prepared enough to get a job within six months. As Marilyn assured us, the purpose of Bridge Refugee Services is not to give the refugees a place to live and a few household items, the greater purpose is to give the refugees enough confidence and dignity to learn to help themselves once the six months is over. It was amazing to be able to learn about what this office does and to be able to help them with the little work we did. It really made me proud to know that places like this exist and so many people in our country understand the value of humanity. Refugee services exist all throughout the United States in very many cities and towns. More than anything, the part of this experience that touched my heart was that 353 UT students came together to volunteer. I know that when I was in college, community service was not at the top of my list of ways to spend my time, so I was really motivated to see so many young men and women who were eager to volunteer. It was a great day of service that truly honored Dr. King. Here are pictures from the day:

Michael manning the registration table.

A group of students getting ready to head to Chilhowee Park.


Our clothing table (I wish I would have taken a before picture).
This is the only storage the office has for household items.
It was a disaster before we got started.
Our group!

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