"Life's most persistent and urgent question: What are you doing for others?" Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. posed this question to a generation long before mine. In commemoration of his commitment to service and equality, first observed in 1986, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is a nationally recognized day of service. In 1994, Congress also designated it a national day of service, changing popular belief that MLK Day is “a day on- not a day off.”
To fully understand my MLK Day experience, I must start at the beginning. November 1st marked the beginning of my AmeriCorps journey of 1,700 hours of service at Jersey Cares as the Service Events Coordinator. I was reveling in the thrill and delight of my new job but it was time to hit the ground running. My task at hand was to lead the planning for the 3rd Annual Jersey Cares MLK Day of Service. Jersey Cares set out to mobilize 2,000 volunteers and expand to 15 counties in New Jersey, essentially doubling the size of the event from the previous year. All of this was to be accomplished in just two and half months, an ambitious and aggressive task for even a seasoned veteran. As a rookie, listening to the goals and challenges of the event made me quiver but I knew there was no time to waste.
With the firing of a start gun for a race, my team and I embarked on a two and half month marathon towards the finish line. Armed with the determination to succeed and teamwork, our 4 person team made countless phone calls, emails, Tweets, Facebook posts, visits to volunteer fairs, everything short of enlisting the services of a skywriter to spread our message to service minded individuals. When faced with adversity, our team rallied on. Not even back-to-back winter blizzards or ice storms could take our eyes off the prize.
The two and half month long hustle was in the home stretch and all the preparations were completed. Early morning of January 17th my supportive mother, who has been eager to organize a coat drive at her office and sketch a mural, joined me at the largest volunteer site, Dr. Michael Conti School P.S. 5 in Jersey City. Final preparations were made and 500 volunteers began to arrive. While working at the registration table, it was wonderful finally putting faces to people I have been in contact with for months and meeting new faces. Students, corporate volunteers, members of Greek organizations, families, fellow AmeriCorps members, faculty and parents of students at P.S. 5, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and other service minded individuals were eager to begin. After the opening ceremony concluded, I took to my post on the ground floor. For three hours, I was amazed at the spirit, can-do attitude, teamwork, and camaraderie of the volunteers at Dr. Michael Conti School P.S. 5. Volunteers of all backgrounds and ages came from all over with the same altruistic intentions. Every volunteer personified what MLK Day is all about.
1 rental van, 15 counties, 25 hours spent in our storage facility, 38 partner agencies, 167 rolls of tape, 475 gallons of paint, 2,000 volunteers, 2,034 paint brushes, 5,778.5 hours of volunteer service, guidance and the support from my colleagues as well as friends and family made MLK Day a giant success. It was a day that was larger than any of us could imagine. Expectations were far exceeded and a month after the event, I have basked in the glow and glory of the accomplishment for Jersey Cares, our volunteers, our agencies, and myself.
To me, MLK Day was not about the fastest and most challenging two and half months of my professional life. It wasn’t just another task at work or another school revitalized. Hundreds of thousands of other Americans, including the Obama family, answered the call to service on January 17th, 2011 and knowing that I played a small part in it is what I will bring away with me. Making MLK Day a day on- not a day off is something that will stick with me long after my year of AmeriCorps is completed. In retrospect, MLK Day 2011 will remain one of my finest accomplishments in both my professional and personal life.
- Stephanie Asymkos
Service Events Coordintor
Americorps Member
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