ECU honors Martin Luther King Jr. through service, speaker

Published Jan 17, 2014 by
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During a previous year's MLK Jr. Day of Service event, ECU College of Business graduate assistants Heather Clayton and Devang Patel worked together to paint a wall in the Salvation Army's Family Store. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)

During a previous year’s MLK Jr. Day of Service event, ECU College of Business graduate assistants Heather Clayton and Devang Patel worked together to paint a wall in the Salvation Army’s Family Store. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)

East Carolina University students were encouraged to use their day off from classes on Monday, Jan. 20 to participate in a day of service honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

The day’s activities were organized by the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center and other campus groups, which scheduled 10 sites where students could volunteer including the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, Third Street Community Center, Jarvis Boys and Girls Club, My Sister’s Closet, all in Greenville and A Time for Science in Grifton.

The day began at 8:30 a.m. in Hendrix Theatre, where volunteers met for a light breakfast, watched a video clip of King’s “I have a dream” speech, heard from community leaders about the importance of service and community engagement and participated in team-building exercises.

The students then traveled to their assigned locations.

Also involved in The MLK Day of Service are the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center, Alpha Phi Alpha, the Black Student Union and the Council on Family Relations.

Several other commemorative events were planned for campus, including:

  • 17th Annual Community Unity Breakfast, Monday, 7:30 – 9 a.m., the Murphy Center at ECU. This was a free event, hosted by the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce and the Office of the Mayor, City of Greenville.  Dr. Virginia Hardy, ECU vice chancellor for student affairs, was the featured speaker. The ECU Gospel Choir performed.
  • Humanitarian, actor, author, health and wellness ambassador/educator and philanthropist, Hill Harper spoke on “Visualizing the Dream” to the ECU community, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Wright Auditorium. Free admission, but tickets are required. For ticket information, call 252-328-2466.
  • Dr. Allen Mask will be the keynote speaker at the 30th annual Andrew A. Best M.D. Senior Recognition Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 25, for graduating minority medical students at ECU. Mask is the founder and director of Raleigh Urgent Care and the WRAL-TV health team physician. The event begins at 7 p.m. at the East Carolina Heart Institute at East Carolina University at 115 Heart Drive. The event was sponsored by the ECU Student National Medical Association. Best was Greenville’s first black physician. He died in 2005. Information is available by calling 252-744-2278 or e-mailing aabestbanquet2014@gmail.com.