Celebrate the legacy of Dr. King
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration
Monday, January 16, 2012
City Year New Hampshire Headquarters
848 Elm Street, Suite 201, Manchester, NH
On Monday, January 16th, Governor John Lynch joined 150 volunteers and City Year New Hampshire (CYNH) for its 12th annual MLK Day Celebration, sponsored nationally by Bank of America. Participants of the service day spent the morning canvasing the Rock Rimmon neighborhood in Manchester’s West Side, collecting more than 500 pounds of food from more than 200 households as part of a larger, state-wide food drive being organized by Volunteer NH.
The day started off with a kickoff celebration at CYNH headquarters, where the crowd assembled to participate in City Year’s trademark physical training exercises and hear inspiring words from Governor Lynch and from Dick McIntire, Board Chair for Volunteer, NH.
When Governor Lynch arrived for the kickoff, he immediately gathered City Year corps members and members of the Student Conservation Association (SCA) at the front of the room to address them directly. Speaking first to the City Year corps members, Lynch said, “I love City Year. I want to thank you for all that you do in the classrooms, and I’m honored to have you here in New Hampshire.” Governor Lynch then thanked the SCA members for their work as AmeriCorps members working to protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, and cultural landmarks here in New Hampshire and across the country. “We are all here to celebrate MLK Day,” said Lynch. “Dr. King’s message was about giving, and about caring, and about doing your part to help out in your community, and that’s what you are all doing today, and it’s what you do every day.”
Other participants included representatives from Volunteer NH, middle school- and high school-aged graduates of City Year’s Young Heroes Program, and dozens of City Year supporters.
Food for the service event was donated by The Weathervane, Moe’s Italian Sandwiches, Panera Bread, and Frito Lay.
After the food drive, City Year corps members helped out at the 30th Annual MLK Day Community Celebration at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church, which included a pot luck community supper and the presentation of the Lionel Washington Johnson Youth Awards to the student winners of the Martin Luther King Arts & Writing Contest. The theme of this year’s contest was, “The Moral Arc of the Universe is long but bends towards Justice.” Three of the four winners were fifth graders from Gossler Park Elementary School, where City Year corps members, working in partnership with teachers, serve full time as tutors, mentors and role models. The winning Gossler Park students were Rebeka Aherrera, who received first place in the artwork category, Ervenson Louis Jacques, who received second place in the writing category, and Morgan Guerrier, who received second place in the artwork category.