For the last several years there has been a movement afoot to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by turning the holiday commemorating his birthday into a day of service. Young people from the Plymouth YMCA’s Youth Volunteer Corps took up that challenge this year. They teamed with Davenport University to assemble and distribute hygiene kits to homeless veterans at Michigan Veterans Association in Detroit.
The kits include things like deodorant, razors and soap that the men can take with them. The really meaningful part, though, was when the 10 YVC volunteers were able to distribute the kits directly to the men they helped, says Josh Borg, community program director for the Plymouth Y.
“The veterans felt like they were recognized,” Josh says. “Even just being down there to tour the facilities had a good impact on the veterans.”
Most of the youth are from Plymouth or Canton, and all are between the ages of 11-18. Being involved with YVC gives them a chance to broaden their own world view while being of service. Many of them have little experience in the city of Detroit, for example, and the MLK Day project let them meet people there and see a part of the city they might not otherwise experience.
It also allows the older teens who have been in the program for a few years to mentor younger ones who are newer, Josh says. “We try to do a wide variety of service learning, rather than just busy work volunteer opportunities,”he says.
The MLK Day project taught the students about the impact that just a few hours can have, Josh added. “They were able to see that a simple act on a day like that makes an impact more than just the three hours they were there,” he says.