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Get Ready for Hopkinton's Martin Luther King Day of Giving Back

By Michelle Murdock, Freelance Writer

Monday, January 16, 2012 is Hopkinton's 5th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Giving Back. To learn how you can participate and give back, watch the HCAM News video with this year's event organizer, Margie Wiggin.

Martin Luther King Day of Giving Back, originated by Youth commission member Linda Katz, has always included service projects and activities for young people to participate in, either on site or at a few locations off site. It also includes a Red Cross blood drive in the Doyle Gym. This year will be a little different, since we are still having the blood drive in the Doyle gym, but we are going out and about in town and are not going to have any other activities on site.

Our day will start at 9 AM in the Middle School cafeteria with a light breakfast courtesy of South Street Dunkin Donuts. Then at 9:30 AM we will head to the Middle School auditorium for inspiration from our speaker, School Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Landman, who will talk about growing up as the child of Holocaust escapees, and how MLK's message and example inspired his parents, continues to inspire him in his life as an educator, and holds relevance for all of us over 40 years later.

Following Dr. Landman's talk, young people will join up with their service groups to go out into the community and work to give back in various ways. Community Service activities include Girl Scouts leading activities for Seniors at the Senior Housing main building, since the Senior Center is closed that day and Boy Scouts with the High School Skateboarding Club helping collect and move donations to Project Just Because. We also hope to send Scouts to tackle small projects in town buildings. Nancy Clark and the High School Honor Society will be helping out at the Historical Society building, and Cheryl Perrault will be leading a song circle on MLK eve. SADD at Hopkinton High School will be collecting toiletries for Project Just Because, which Cherylann Lambert Walsh has said are greatly needed. The Ignite group at the Middle School and Unite group at the High School will be doing service activities all week following MLK Day.

On MLK Day, the High School Peer Leader group, under the direction of Stacey Place, will be holding a story hour and leading craft activities at the Library for children, and the Leo Club will be working to help out at the Respite Center. The Red Cross Club, also from the High School, will be making and taking lunch to Hopkinton's Police and Fire Stations.

The BeFree group will be helping at the Blood Drive in the afternoon, and Faith Community church will be collecting for Project Just Because for the months of January and February. St John's Church confirmation class will be helping paint rooms at Serenity House, as will groups of older Girl Scouts.

"There are many more groups and service projects planned for that day, and we hope all who are planning to give back to Hopkinton that day are ready for a full day of community service," said Wiggins. "If you are a shut-in elder or otherwise in need of a group of Boy Scouts or other young people with their adult chaperone to help out at your house with winter outdoor work project or small household projects, please contact us at hopkintonmlkday@gmail.com, so we can schedule your project with one of our service groups that day."

Let's make it a great day of Giving Back to Hopkinton!!

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