PHOENIX — Honoring the remarkable legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., more than a hundred ASU students from Changemaker Central are volunteering in the community, teaming up with several valley organizations for the annual ASU MLK Day of Service today.
One of the events they’re participating in is the Salvation Army Phoenix Family Services, where they’re consolidating inventory and re-organizing donations.
“I definitely think that Martin Luther King wanted us to put good out into the world, so I think that it’s great that we’re honoring his memory this whole week by doing different service projects,” ASU student Jackson Hamblin said.
“Helping people is something that’s really important to me,” ASU student Julia Smith said. “And so this is just one more way to do that.”
Hamblin and Smith are just two of the many ASU students making a difference in our community this MLK Day of Service, organizing donations at the Salvation Army’s southwest family shelter in Phoenix.
“When we dedicate a little bit of time in our week, we can really give back to people in our community, our community members, our neighbors,” Changemaker Central coordinator and advisor Celeste Tejada said.
Changemaker Central is a student-run organization that exists to create a university-wide culture that empowers students to apply their passion, knowledge, and expertise to create innovative solutions to local, national, and global challenges.
“A lot of people aren’t aware of our history,” Smith said. “And where we’re coming from, and how far we’ve come and how much farther we have to go, and so this is a really great way of memorializing something that was important to him.”
At the Salvation Army, they were doing just that, by being “Changemakers” for this important day of service, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King.
“He really made an impact through his legacy of being involved and making a change and using your voice and using your actions to make a difference wherever you are,” Tejada said.
“We here at the Salvation Army are so appreciative that they chose our organization to come help serve,” Salvation Army vocational coordinator Savannah Hernandez said.
Hernandez said all of this went toward helping the more than 120 residents they are currently serving. At any given time, they can help up to two dozen families. These generous donations are a big part of that.
“We’re able to provide about 4 months of a home for these parents and these families,” she said.
“I just hope they know that all these articles of clothing had a lot of love put into them,” Hamblin said.
Volunteers doing something as simple as helping sort and fold clothes goes a long way, so organizations like the Salvation Army can continue their main mission of helping others.
Through their ongoing work, they’re honoring Dr. Martin Luther King and remembering what he stood for at the same time.
“It furthers his message by spreading compassion,” said Hernandez. “He understood how important service is to the community, and especially for people who aren’t recognized or are underprivileged.”
If you would like to help donate to the Salvation Army, right now they are looking for more winter clothes for their adult clients.
They are also looking for more volunteers. If you’re interested, click here.
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