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The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is a day of rest for some. But for more than 125 Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) students, it was a day of service as they participated in projects on campus.

The day started with a rousing performance by the Phi XI Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Members said the performance was a way to honor King, who himself was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

The performance was followed by guest speaker Melvin Everson, vice president for economic development at Gwinnett Technical College. Everson, a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives and an Alpha Phi Alpha member, provided remarks about Dr. King’s service and challenged the audience to serve their communities.

“What will you dedicate your life to; how will you serve,” Everson asked. “There is always room to serve.”

The guest speaker shared with the audience that it was he, who served as the model for the King statue that stands in Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park in Atlanta. The bronze sculpture depicts King’s final public speech before his assassination in 1968. During the unveiling of the statue that displayed King gazing toward heaven with a bible in his hands, Everson said he stood next to King’s daughter, Dr. Bernice King.

“When they unveiled that statue, it was … moving,” Everson said with emotion in his voice. “That man changed my life. He’s done so much for this nation to bring us where we are now.”

Also moved was volunteer Jenelle Primo, who listened intently to Everson’s speech. As a mother who engaged her children in community service from a young age, her participation in the event was a way to share quality time with her family in service to the community.

“Service is something that’s embedded in all of us,” she said.

Primo’s daughter, Jasmine, 21, a sophomore psychology major at GGC, was excited to participate in the event.

“All I’ve ever known is giving back to others” she said. “It’s an opportunity to do more than just for myself. It’s great to be able to give back.”

Her sister, Jewelle, 18, a GGC freshman, participated with her sister and mother in the “Bags to Mats” project, where plastic bags were disassembled and turned into mats, which will be donated to local homeless shelters.

“This is something I’ve not done before,” she said. “I like the idea of helping the homeless.”

In addition to the “Bags to Mats” service project, students participated in a seed packaging project and cleanup efforts on campus as well as GGC’s microfarm.

“This event was an opportunity for our students to understand and gain a passion for service and wanting to continue to serve GGC and the community,” said JP Peters, assistant director of community engagement in GGC’s Student Affairs division, and lead organizer of the event.

Peters said he was overwhelmed at the response of the students and their enthusiasm to participate. He plans to build upon the success of the event in future years.

Download 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service photos.