Appalachian State University student volunteers work in the gardens at Hunger and Health Coalition in Boone during the university’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. Pictured in the foreground is Meredith Maiken, a senior sustainable development major from Lake Toxaway. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Student volunteers from Appalachian State University sort food items donated to the Hunger and Health Coalition in Boone during the university’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Pictured in the foreground, Appalachian State University junior Kam Miller, a communication, advertising major from Gastonia, splits wood at Helping Hands Woodlot Ministry in Boone during App State’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Cori Ferguson ’21, a graduate student in Appalachian State University’s industrial-organizational psychology and human resource management program, cleans the floor of the serving area at F.A.R.M. Cafe in downtown Boone. Ferguson, who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology-business from App State, volunteered at F.A.R.M. Cafe as part of the university’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Appalachian State University students work to clear and prepare raised garden beds at Boone’s Hunger and Health Coalition during App State’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Appalachian State University student volunteers sort and organize donated foods items at the Hunger and Health Coalition in Boone during App State’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Student volunteers from Appalachian State University help split wood at Helping Hands Woodlot Ministry in Boone during App State’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. Sophomore Rachel Rosalia, a social work major from Wilmington pictured in the foreground, is all smiles while volunteering. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Appalachian State University senior Abhaya Velmani, an English major from Cary, sweeps the kitchen area of F.A.R.M. Cafe in downtown Boone — a nonprofit, pay-what-you-can community cafe that operates primarily with the assistance of volunteers. Velmani was one of more than 50 App State students, staff and faculty who volunteered during App State’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Three Appalachian State University student volunteers pause for a photo during App State’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. More than 50 App State students, staff and faculty participated in the annual event, serving local nonprofit organizations. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Appalachian State University student volunteers display the “A Simple Gesture” bags they helped fill with donated food items as part of App State’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. A Simple Gesture, a program chapter operated by Boone’s Hunger and Health Coalition, helps keep the High Country’s food pantries and food banks stocked — helping those in the area who experience food insecurity. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Appalachian State University student volunteers work together to clean the floor at F.A.R.M. Cafe in downtown Boone during App State’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26. Photo by Chase Reynolds
BOONE, N.C. — More than 50 students, staff and faculty participated in Appalachian State University’s 2022 MLK Day of Service, Feb. 26 — marking more than two decades of Mountaineer community service in the High Country through this day of reflection, education and service.
The annual event, organized by the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership (CEL) with support from Intercultural Student Affairs, honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his message of social service, as participants accomplish challenging projects alongside community partners — all while being challenged intellectually, socially and physically.
“Today is a day to remember that the pursuit of freedom and justice is seldom an easy path. It takes all kinds of people and all kinds of action to create change, and all of us have the capacity to contribute to Dr. King’s legacy,” said App State interim Chief Diversity Officer Jamie Parson, who delivered remarks at the event kickoff in Plemmons Student Union.
App State Community members completed 162 volunteer hours, serving four local nonprofits: F.A.R.M Cafe, the Hunger and Health Coalition, the Volunteers-In-Parks program for Blue Ridge Parkway and Helping Hands Woodlot Ministry.
Each organization asked students to complete a service project — from splitting wood and sorting and organizing donated food items, to deep cleaning facilities and preparing gardens for spring planting.
App State’s first MLK Day of Service — formerly known as the MLK Challenge — was held in 1999 and has since become a model for campuses across the nation.
North Carolina Campus Compact, a member of a national coalition of 1,000-plus community-committed colleges and universities, wrote a $300,000 grant in 2011 to replicate the CEL program throughout the state and nation.
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About the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership
The Office of Community-Engaged Leadership at Appalachian State University engages students in academic, experiential and community-oriented programs that enhance their capacity to serve and lead in socially responsible ways for the benefit of their local and global communities. The office comprises the former Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) and Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) offices. Learn more at https://cel.appstate.edu.
About the Division of Student Affairs
The Division of Student Affairs at Appalachian State University is committed to the development of lifelong learners and leaders by engaging and challenging students within a culture of care and inclusion. The division consists of 16 units that offer activities and services to help students develop more fully by becoming global learners, fostering healthy relationships, appreciating diversity and different perspectives, understanding community responsibility, enhancing self-awareness, developing autonomy and living ethically. These units include the Career Development Center, Campus Activities, Office of Community-Engaged Leadership, Wellness and Prevention Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Health Service, Parent and Family Services, University Housing, Student Conduct, University Recreation, Intercultural Student Affairs, Student Legal Clinic and Off-Campus Student Services, Electronic Student Services, Child Development Center, and Staff Development and Strategic Initiatives. Learn more at https://studentaffairs.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, 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 nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
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