FSU Kicks Off Project in Honor of MLK Day of Service

In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Fairmont State University is organizing a Box of Sunshine Drive to benefit clients of the Soup Opera in Fairmont.

“The campus Civic Engagement Advisory Board would like to partner with the community to help brighten someone’s day by providing small personal hygiene care packages to the clients of the Soup Opera in Fairmont,” said Amy Drvar, Civic Engagement Coordinator. “As part of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, we are all asked to serve our neighbors and communities; the national holiday is intended to be a day ‘on’ and not a day ‘off.’ Collecting these items is a small way that we can assist our neighbors in need.”

The community is invited to donate travel-size shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving cream, razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes and other personal hygiene products at Fairmont State. The collection drive kicks off Monday, Jan. 13, at the men’s and women’s basketball games at the Feaster Center. From Monday, Jan. 13, to Sunday, Jan. 19, Box of Sunshine Drive collection boxes will be located on campus at the Feaster Center, Falcon Center, Turley Center and at the Ruth Ann Musick Library Circulation Desk.

On Monday, Jan. 20, which is the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, FSU will officially be closed, but student, faculty and staff volunteers will gather at 11 a.m. in Room 106 of the Turley Center to go through the collected hygiene items and put them together in small personal packages which will be donated to the Soup Opera for distribution to its clients.

For more information about the project and how to help, contact Amy Drvar at (304) 367-4644 or e-mail amy.drvar@fairmontstate.edu. For more information about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to Serve, visit http://mlkday.gov/.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is the federal agency that leads the annual MLK Day of Service, working with the King Center in Atlanta and thousands of nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations and schools and businesses nationwide.

These projects include delivering meals, refurbishing schools and community centers, collecting food and clothing, signing up mentors, reading to children, promoting nonviolence and more.

The MLK Day of Service shines a spotlight on service as a powerful force to bridge economic and social divides – today and throughout the year. National Days of Service provide each of us with an opportunity to join neighbors and local leaders to tackle community challenges and strengthen the nation.

Martin Luther KingJr. Day of ServiceAmy DrvarRuth Ann Musick LibraryFalcon CenterFeaster CenterTurley CenterSoup Opera