BOONE, N.C. — Approximately 200 students will participate in the annual MLK Challenge at Appalachian State University on Saturday, Jan. 21.

This event will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a day devoted to service to the greater Boone community. It is sponsored by the ACT Office. ACT stands for Appalachian & the Community Together.

Students will gather at Legends at 8 a.m. They will be split into teams and assigned a faculty or staff “site leader” before being given a service challenge to be completed by day’s end. These challenges involve everything from maintenance and cleaning to new construction. They provide students an opportunity to serve alongside people in the community and to make a meaningful difference to organizations in the area. The event concludes at 6 p.m.

During the 2016 MLK Challenge, students served 20 agencies. They also raised over $1,000 in a bonus challenge for the Dr. Willie C. Fleming Scholarship, a need-based scholarship supporting qualifying freshmen who demonstrate a desire to promote cultural diversity.

Students may sign up to participate by going to AppSync. Registration closes Jan. 18.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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