Waples Mill STAMP volunteers in front of the MLK reflection poster. Photo contributed
Volunteering at Volunteer Fairfax’s Give Together event on Martin Luther King Junior Day was a good thing to do on his birthday. It was fun and made us feel great to help others. I was able to come together with my Waples Mill Elementary School STAMP community, Fairfax County Public School board members, and Volunteer Fairfax volunteers at the Jewish Community Center to do good on our day off. We were busy. We made dog chew toys for the Humane Rescue Alliance and Valentine’s Day cards for former foster kids who are now in college through Foster Care to Success. I was also able to make bags of food for people without food, to be distributed by Food for Others’ Power Pack Program; that was my favorite part! Then I drew on a small canvas a heart with color around it for other kids in a group home who need to know they are important. Lastly, I reflected on what volunteering means to me to create an MLK reflections poster.
I think the event was a good way to help out the community. Before that event I was not as experienced with volunteering but now I feel experienced. I think what we did was better than playing video games. We changed people in the community’s lives. We showed that all people in Fairfax County matter. No matter what skin color they are or how much money people have, we are still equal. That is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy was.