GW MLK Day of Service

George Washington community members celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. by recognizing those following in his footsteps and dedicating a day of service at sites around the community to honor the civil rights leader's selflessness and passion for social justice.

On Saturday, more than 400 GW community members participated in a day of service, giving a hand at sites that included five D.C. schools and 13 parks and recreation centers. Students also worked on projects to benefit the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which supports families of deceased members of the military.

At a packed kick-off rally in the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom, Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service Executive Director Amy Cohen thanked students for their dedication to service, even on a snowy, icy January morning. "As Dr. King said, all men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality," she said. "By working together, we'll join our diversity to a common purpose."

Dr. Knapp called the day of service "the capstone" of a significant year at GW, in which interfaith understanding has had a central role. As part of President Obama's Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge, he said, GW has been focusing on connecting service activities with reflection on the many moral and faith traditions of the campus community.

"Thanks for continuing to demonstrate your passion for changing the world, which is the hallmark of this student body—more than any other in this country," he said. "Please keep serving."

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