Over 100 Laurel residents, officials and students came together for the 8th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day of service.
The event took place in the Laurel Multiservice Center gymnasium. Organizer Carreen Koubek, special assistant to the city administrator, said the event was a way to continue getting out King’s message.
“We put the word out for needing volunteers,” Koubek said. “This community just steps up every time because they believe. . . in all the events that we do, coming together to help others. I can just tell you, I see it every day, and it just warms my heart.”
During the event volunteers put together care packages containing clothes and snacks such as nutrigrain bars for seniors at the Morningside House of Laurel assisted living facility.
Speakers included Laurel Mayor Keith Sydnor, At-large Laurel City Council President Brencis Smith, Clerk of Circuit Court Mahasin El Amin, District 1 County Council Member Tom Dernoga and author and empowerment coach Cortland Jones.
“Dr.King was momentous, he was monumental,” El Amin said. “But we cannot forget that he started off not with 1,000 people, not 100 but just a few. . . that helped him lead the charge and collectively to stand up and fight for the rights that we hold over here and that are being destroyed and chipped away.”
During his speech, the mayor challenged the audience to go and listen to King’s speech ‘The Other America’, so that they could see the problems spoken of there are still occurring today.
The event featured performances from the award winning Laurel High school choir, a dance from performer Nina Harding and a poem from spoken word artist Angela Alexander.
Kevin Lewis Sr, the director of the Laurel choir, said that it’s important to him that his students are actively involved in community service so that they can see a bigger picture than themselves.
“I want them to understand how fortunate they are to be in the positions that they are in because we have students who come from great families and students who have a lot of needs,” Lewis said. “It’s important that we do serve because it’s not a day off from school, it’s a day of service.”
During the event, the crowd of volunteers raised $500 to help with the delivery of a new piano that had been donated to the school.
Meisha Howard, a senior with the Laurel choir, said the event was a wonderful experience.
“It’s important because it’s to really reconnect the community,” Howard said. “There’s people out there who need things and who need help, and it’s not just you getting able to relax on your day off. You can reconnect and say, ‘Hey, there’s something that I can do to help our community’.”
The event drew out community members of all ages. 10-year old Reed Holmes came with his mother Miranda Stephens to volunteer.
“It’s helpful,” Holmes said. “Anybody should do it, it’s a good thing.”