By Amy Batista, Special Writer
HIGHTSTOWN – While some had the day off from work in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, others spent the day honoring him through doing community service and giving back.
“This is our first organized year of Rising to Volunteer . . . and wow,” said Rise Executive Director Leslie Koppel. “We had single people, high school students, retired folks and families who spent a few hours of their day giving back.”
This year’s national Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service was Monday, Jan. 18. In the spirit of the day, Rise asked people on its Facebook page to set aside a few hours of time and sign up to help out. The group set up two-hour blocks of time during which people could volunteer at their Rise Greater Goods Thrift Stores and Rise Food Pantry between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The theme of the day was a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
“I worked with a dozen volunteers starting at 10 a.m. and everyone came and left with a positive attitude,” said Ms. Koppel. “Even though there was snow on the ground, it was a nice warm way to spend the day, make new friends and spread smiles. It was really a day of appreciation for what makes Rise special, the people around us who care and work to make a positive impact of service.”
Aidan Shannon, 14, of East Windsor, volunteered at the Greater Goods Thrift Store.
“When I go to NYC, I see some other people who aren’t as lucky as me to have a house or a home, have nice clothes,” said Aidan. “So I thought I would come and help out and see what I would do for the people what weren’t able to have what I have every day.”
He said that his job for the day was to sort out the men’s jeans and organize them by size and put new items on the racks.
“Martin Luther King’s quote ‘What are you doing for others?’ really hit me because it means you can’t just worry about yourself, you have to worry about others, you got to just get out there and help,” he said.
Aidan volunteered at the Rise to the Task soup kitchen and he thought he could take it another step further and come and help at the thrift store as well.
“Other people should come out and help, we need more volunteers to get together so the work can get done,” he said. “I see how the donations come in and the help to organize and sort them is limited, so if more volunteers were to come we can get the work done faster.”
Alyssa Grillo, 15, of East Windsor, said she just wanted to help out in the community and give back.
“Martin Luther King inspired people to give back, and work hard and that is what I am trying to do today, give back,” she said. “I think it is a real good thing to help out. Everyone should volunteer, not just because it is MLK service day but everyday should be a service day in some way or another, she added.
The Monahan Family – David Monahan, Theresa Ramos and son Edward Monaha, 14, of Hightstown – took some time out of their day to volunteer as a family.
“We are inspired to volunteer because it is a great thing to do as a family and we thought this will be a good time. Also, our son has started high school and he needs to complete his service hours and why not do it together?” said Teresa Monahan.
She said that volunteering today is important to them because they are a multi-racial family. Being a family of color, they have always been inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and what he has done to always give back so much to his community and to his people.
“It’s kind of nice to be able to continue that legacy,” she said.
Her husband, David Monahan, said that he thinks volunteering is important for the community.
“I know it is a day to pull people in and having them volunteer, but it shouldn’t just be for the Martin Luther King Service Day, it should be what Rise is doing,” said Mr. Monahan. “It is not just about giving once or twice a year, it is about trying to help out your community.”
He said that the family has been donating to Rise and they like what they as a community agency do.
“They are going a great job and we wanted to be part of this amazing (day),” he said.
“Without Dr. King, it would have been impossible for me to be here and to continue his legacy and to help people on this and every day,” added son Edward.
Olivia Romulus, 16, of East Windsor, volunteered with her mother, Diane, at the Greater Goods Thrift Store.
“It is my first time volunteering at Rise,” she said. “I am encouraged at my school (Notre Dame High School) to do service even when I am not in school.”
She said she was excited because she gets to organize the sweater area and pick out the ones that are not in style.
“Volunteering today allows me to service and give back to my community and see the options they have when they come to shop,” she said.
Diane Romulus said that she has volunteered before at the Latino Festival this past summer.
“I am being recruited to being a board member so I am excited to see hands on what Rise is all about and what it contributes to the community,” said Ms. Romulus. “I am always willing to give back. I said as soon as my daughters are all grown and when I am not making soccer runs or basketball runs and things like that I would volunteer.”
She said that today they are arranging the men and women’s section of the Thrift Store particularly the sweaters, working on putting out the old and bringing in the new arrivals, fixing it up and making it look pretty for the clients when they come in.
As she reflected on the MLK day of service, “It is a day to give back, it is the least we can do after all that we have all of us are lucky in some sort of shape or form and it is a day to just stop and reflect and to just give back,” she said.“
