More than 800 George Washington University students were among the crowd of 10,000 who came to the D.C. Armory on Saturday to fill care kits for members of the military. The event, sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, Target and numerous local organizations, was designated as the national service event to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day for 2013 and to kick off a busy inauguration weekend.
Throughout the day, volunteer shifts filled more than 85,000 kits that included personal care items, hand-knitted scarves and individually written letters. The kits were collected by Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing care packages to deployed troops, wounded veterans and first responders.
Vice President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano both stopped by to participate in the project and to speak to participants.
Mr. Biden quoted Dr. King’s famous line from his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
“That’s what you all are basically doing today—you’re acknowledging that,” Mr. Biden told the crowd. “We’ve had too much of the coursing of our culture. We have to move back to reaching out, and that’s what all of you are all about.”
George Washington President Steven Knapp also volunteered and spoke to the afternoon shift of volunteers.
“I can’t think of a more fitting way to kick off the inaugural festivities and to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. than by coming together to serve as we are today,” he said. “We do a lot of service events, but I don’t remember one that was on this large a scale or had this much energy in one room. And it’s great to see that our students are an essential part of this effort.”
GW student and veteran Derek Regier, who spent five years in the Marine Corps, including one year deployed to Afghanistan, said the volunteers working on the care kits shouldn’t underestimate the importance of the packages.
“Getting a care package when you are deployed is a pretty big deal,” he said. “I know what it’s like. Receiving a box gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling.”
Mr. Regier also addressed the crowd and highlighted GW’s Veteran Service Initiative, a project that brings student veterans and non-veterans together to participate in service with community partner organizations.
GW freshmen Nnanna Onyewuchi and Josh Solomon were among the hundreds of GW students who filled care packages.
“Growing up, I knew a lot of people serving in the military,” Mr. Onyewuchi said. “I always want to support them.”
Mr. Solomon said he was having a great time at the event, which included music by DJ MC Lyte.
“It’s a good combination of service and pure enjoyment,” he said. “Some people say you can’t have fun doing community service, but that’s not true.”
GW students will participate in another service event on Jan. 26. This day of service, an annual university event to honor Martin Luther King Jr., will include 250 students who will work with AmeriCorps programs Teach for America and Jumpstart in local schools to beautify classrooms, prepare educational materials and read with children.
The university will also celebrate Dr. King’s legacy on Jan. 28 with a forum called “Complicated Legacies: Lincoln, King, and Obama,” held at the Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E St., NW. The forum will feature a panel of distinguished historians who will discuss the accuracy of deeply held views about Lincoln, Dr. King, the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington, as well as the relevancy of these competing views today. Find more information and request free tickets online.