BYU NewsNet - Students celebrate MLK Day with service

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Repainting a bathroom, giving manicures to the elderly, making school bags for impoverished children in Africa, decorating pillow cases and making valentine's day cards for soldiers may not be high priority on some students' holiday to-do lists. But that's exactly what many BYU and UVU students did on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Students participated in the annual Community Outreach Day and the Walk of Life, BYU programs aimed at remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., by proving valuable service opportunities to students and faculty.

Quoting Dr. King, Madison Sowell, BYU honors program director and the keynote speaker at the event, said, "Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't need to have a college degree to serve. You only need 'a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love."

For many students, the service opportunities provided were a way to get involved and give back to the community.

"There's always a way you can give back," said Kahi Amina, a psychology major from Hawaii. "It's just giving your time to help others because there is always somebody who is giving time to help you, whether you realize it or not."

Charmaine Griffin, a theater and creative arts major from UVU, said, "For most people, (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) is another day for study, but for some of us it's a day to give back ... because the rest of the year, we always think about ourselves. I want to make this a tradition (for myself)."

Students were also motivated to serve by the examples set for them by Dr. King through his life.

"I think we can all follow his example by serving and giving our talents to something we feel passionate about," said Richard Portwood, president of the UVU Service Council.

The evening's Walk of Life program included a symbolic candle light procession from the Centennial Carillon Tower to the Wilkinson Student Center.

Anthony Bates, multicultural student advisor at the Multicultural Student Services, said the candle light procession is symbolic to, "passing knowledge and understanding to one another with the hope that we can work towards something better."

Peter Johnson, assistant professor of accounting and the featured speaker at the event, said, "His (Martin Luther King Jr.)Life, gives me the hope that I can always overcome, that I can exercise faith and continue to move forward even in times of trials and challenges."

Along the Walk, posters and signs were put up highlighting significant events in Dr. King's life. A small collection of Dr. King's favorite gospel songs were also played during the walk.

"I am very impressed with the people who are committed to come out here ... the one's here are putting forward the effort to stand up to the cold. I admire them," said Alberto Puertas, associate student life vice president at the University Advisement Center and one of the program's many attendees.

The evening program ended with a performance by the choir and a captivating presentation of an abbreviated version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech.