JWU Denver’s Day of Service Honors MLK’s Legacy

JWU Denver student Katielyn Miller wrote about her experience at this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is traditionally celebrated with a day off from work and school, but JWU’s Denver Campus honors the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by volunteering at nonprofit organizations across the Denver Metro area.

This year, 76 students and roughly a dozen faculty and staff members gave their time to enrich their community. This annual event, hosted by the campus’ Community Service Network, is known as the MLK Day Challenge — and it exemplifies the four pillars that guide our students: Pride, Courage, Character and Community.

Students started the day by arriving to the Great Hall to be assigned an unknown service location. All they know is they will be giving back to the community in impactful and meaningful ways.

This year, students were able to work with 6 nonprofit organizations in the greater Denver area:

• Gathering Place
• Family Promise of Greater Denver
• Ronald McDonald House Denver
• Ronald McDonald House Aurora
• 9Health Fair
• Special Olympics

A number of students also stayed on campus to kick off recycling initiatives for Recycle Mania, an 8-week recycling competition aimed at colleges nationwide.

The MLK Day Challenge is a beloved campus tradition that brings the JWU community together. Participation grows each year, and with good reason — our campus takes pride in the work, whether we are moving furniture at Ronald McDonald House or cleaning medical equipment for the 9Health Fair. The JWU Denver community is grateful for the opportunity to be united for those in need.