MLK Challenge: 20 years of service at Appalachian

By Alex Jansen

Posted Jan. 25, 2019 at 5:51 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University students, faculty and staff have answered a call to service for 20 years through the university’s MLK Challenge — a day of reflection, education and service organized by Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT), whose mission is to cultivate responsible citizenship through education and action.

In this annual event, the Appalachian Community works alongside community partners on service projects for local nonprofit organizations to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his message of social service.

This photo gallery looks back at volunteers providing valuable service throughout the community — from sorting recyclables and paper at the Community Care Clinic, to organizing children’s books at Watauga Public Library and cleaning every nook and cranny of F.A.R.M. Cafe in downtown Boone.

About Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT)

Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) provides service experiences as opportunities to connect and engage with others to build authentic relationships, stimulate critical thinking and skill building, and recognize individual impact and responsibility to the local and global community. Between the 2004–05 and 2018–19 academic years, nearly $25.5 million of value has been contributed to the community via Appalachian State University’s Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) program (over 1.91 million hours of service plus $781,419 in funds raised) using the $25.43 per hour national standard for volunteer time. ACT partners with over 160 local nonprofits. Initiatives include blood drives, hunger and homeless awareness events, fundraising for local charities and alternative service experiences. Learn more at https://act.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.