On Jan. 17, Stockton University held the 18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service with nearly 400 students, faculty, and community members taking part in the day’s activities. Participants gathered at the Galloway campus to sort books, write letters to active service members, and a variety of other services to help the community. While COVID-19 safety protocols presented the day with a set of challenges in regards to face-to-face participation, there was an online element and no shortage of enthusiasm for philanthropy.

Eliza Hunt’s article for the Stockton University website highlighted many of the volunteers from the event and their principles of taking the time to participate. For senior Jazzlyne Muniz, who participated for the first time in MLK Day, volunteering has really helped enrich her college education.

“It’s actually really amazing,” said Muniz. “I did volunteer work like a week ago for the City of Atlantic City and I also mentor for the kids of Atlantic City, so this project really meant a lot where we’re writing letters to those kids.”

The MLK Day of Service holds a variety of meanings and traditions to students, and many expressed their passion for bettering the community. For junior Bryan La from Galloway, Stockton’s MLK Day of Service has been an eye-opening experience that he’s participated in for just a few years short of a decade.

“I’ve been participating in this event since my freshman year of high school,” said La, “so I’ve been doing service for almost 8 years now. It’s my favorite thing to do every single year and I look forward to it.”

Another highlight of the event was the 18th Annual Community Engagement Awards, which complemented the overall pro-community vibe of the day. Students, faculty, and staff were awarded for their contributions to community work all in honor of Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy.

For more information on the MLK Day of Service from last week, you can visit the Stockton University website to observe the work of students, faculty, and community members and find more opportunities to take part in volunteer work across Stockton campuses. 

For the full press release from University Relations and Marketing, click the link below:

Stockton 2022 MLK Day of Service