Volunteering on MLK Day: Texas Tech
Volunteering on MLK Day is a great way to honor and support the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This January the Texas Tech staff and student-athletes came together to support kids in foster care with a Sweet Case build.
More than a Federal Holiday
MLK Day is more than a federal holiday, it is a day designated to serve and give back to the community. The J.T. & Margaret Talkington Leadership Academy leveraged the holiday to host the first service project of the year.
Jessica Gray, Assistant Athletics Director of the J.T. & Margaret Talkington Leadership Academy was quoted by KLBK says,
By doing this day of service, we are honoring Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy in that the importance of today is that it is a day on, not a day off to help improve our community.
Community and Core Curriculum
One of the core values established by the Texas Core Curriculum is social responsibility. This value is part of the state’s core objectives to help create well-rounded citizens. Texas Tech’s website defines the core objective of social responsibility as,
intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.
By helping kids in foster care the student-athletes and staff certainly met this objective. Michelle Detwiler, a graduate assistant in the Talkington Leadership Academy commented on the event,
Being able to have the opportunity to serve our Lubbock community is always an honor. We always look forward to having these opportunities to come together as a department to give back to the Lubbock community. We hope that these duffle bags can create a positive impact on the youth in the foster care system in Lubbock.
Volunteering on MLK Day to Help Kids in Foster Care
Together with the student-athletes and staff, they decorated and filled 50 Sweet Case duffle bags for kids in foster care. The Buckner Children and Family Services agency received the donation to distribute to the youth they care for.
Each Sweet Case duffle bag contains essentials and comfort items such as hygiene kits, blankets, stuffed animals, crayons, and coloring books. These items help make transitions easier for foster children, giving them something personal to carry with them through a challenging time. The meaningful work done on MLK Day created a positive impact for those in need, reflecting Dr. King’s call to serve others and improve communities.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, we would like to thank the staff and student-athletes at Texas Tech. Giving back to the community is more than a curricular goal and volunteering on MLK Day is a great tradition. For more ways to help kids in foster care, check out our team building service projects here.
