King's legacy inspires many in the Milwaukee area to seek out volunteer opportunities

La Risa R. Lynch
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

From Whitefish Bay to Waukesha, Milwaukee-area residents rolled up their sleeves for a day of service to honor the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s work for social and racial justice.

This is the second year that residents, undaunted by the coronavirus pandemic, carried out volunteer service projects at churches, in libraries, for schools, or remotely in their homes.

Taylor Farage, 16, was among a group of Whitefish Bay High School students to participate in Bay Shore Lutheran Church’s first MLK Day of service. She and others worked diligently in the church’s meeting room to fill colorful drawstring bags with winter gear and toiletry items.

And in the church’s kitchen, another set of volunteers feverishly assembled 800 sandwiches for Just One More Ministry, a nonprofit that helps feed needy communities, shelters and food pantries.

Farage, a sophomore, said the experience was an eye opener and made her more appreciative of little things she may ordinarily take for granted. She realized many people don’t have simple things, such as a toothbrush.

Teens Sohraya Keltner, 15, left, Amalia Holbrook, 14, and Taylor Farage, 16, right, assemble personal and winter kits for those in need at Bay Shore Lutheran Church, 1200 E. Hampton Road, Whitefish Bay, as part of the Day of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. day on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Forty volunteers participated in making 75 personal kits, 25 winter kits and 800 sandwiches. The personal kits that included hygiene items will go to the Hope Center, personal kits will go to the Milwaukee Christen Center and the sandwiches will be delivered to Just One More Ministry in Glendale.

“I just really enjoy knowing that I am doing something to really help,” Farage said.

Freshmen Sohraya Keltner, 15, and Amalia Holbrook, 14, didn’t mind giving up their day off from school for a day of service. They both said helping people who are less fortunate is a better use of their time than online shopping, hanging with friends or watching Netflix. But giving back is a tenet of King’s teachings of selflessness and sacrifice.

“(King) is always about love and peace and spreading that to people no matter what their situation is,” Holbrook said.

The teens helped to assemble 75 personal care kits filled with lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste and 25 winter kits stuffed with hats, gloves and hand warmers. The kits will be distributed to the Hope Center in Waukesha and the Milwaukee Christian Center.

With rising COVID-19 numbers, the church, located at 1200 E Hampton Rd., Whitefish Bay, still went ahead with plans for its service day. The event kept a limit on the number of people inside the church, but also provided an opportunity to “remote volunteer.”

Individuals can pick up the sandwich-making kits, assemble them at home and drop them back at the church. Donations to supply the kits came from church members and local businesses including Bayshore Lutheran Church Foundation, Thrivent, and Meijer.

“We decided to still proceed with the day of service because the need is so great," said Pastor Sarah Stobie, who came to Bay Shore Lutheran in 2019 after serving as pastor near Philadelphia for four years. "We felt that what we were doing was too important to cancel or postpone."

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But she said she was thrilled with the outcome. She is already looking for next year’s event. She hopes it will be a family affair where both adults and children can participate together. She wants next year's event to have an educational component that teaches about King and his message.

“I hope that those who participated feel a sense of accomplishment in the service that they are giving to the community," she said. “Volunteering for your community is just so rewarding, but more than that it is extremely helpful.”

City Year Milwaukee’s executive director Dr. Stephanie Maney-Hartlaub agreed.

Usually, City Year Milwaukee’s annual MLK service day attracts more than 300 volunteers, making it the largest volunteer event for the King Holiday. Maney-Hartlaub hoped to be in person for this year, but covid forced the organization to also do remote volunteer projects.

So, last week about 150 volunteers picked up service project kits to paint 50 STEM-themed canvas mural posters and 100 canvas pencil cases to design it with inspirational messages at their homes. Volunteers will also put finishing touches on two benches and craft thank you cards to show love and support for students during these challenging times. City Year's service projects are for Brown Street Academy but additional poster murals and pencil pouches will be donated to other Milwaukee city schools.

The goal of the service projects is to create an environment that is warm and beautiful because kids are also going through a lot too, Maney-Hartlaub said.

"While we're all just talking about covid, (youth) are talking about all the things that create post-traumatic stress from them, the loss that they're experiencing during this time," Maney-Hartlaub said. "It's really the words of encouragement, the individual attention that has gone into (these projects) that makes them a powerful gift" for the students.

Even with the pandemic, Maney-Hartlaub said, the service projects are about building community.

“When I think about the focus of our service day, it really has always been about bringing people together, collaborating as a community to create change,” she said.  “The need for that has not all changed since the pandemic. We spend so much time thinking about what divides us and not spending enough time thinking about what brings us together.

“This day of service allows us all the opportunity to take action, even if it's just a small action to start to be a part of the change. And the pandemic has made me want to double down on the idea of service and creating a better world because it has been so isolating," she added.

Emily Hare wasn’t looking for volunteer opportunities when she walked into the Waukesha Public Library on Monday. She wanted to return some materials when she saw the library was open and hosting kid-friendly MLK events. So she decided to stay.

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Khorye Huffman, librarian at the Waukesha Public Library, 321 Wisconsin Ave., Waukesah, reads “We March” by Shane W. Evans on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, during the children’s storytime as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at the library. The public was also invited to contribute to a collaborative art journal to share their thoughts and feelings about the holiday and other social issues.

The library had an interactive story time for children featuring books on King and civil rights marches as well as a sing-along.

Hare, the mother of 3-year-old Kaden and 1-year-old Emma, is always looking for opportunities to expose her children to diverse cultures and activities.

“I feel like I didn’t get that when I was growing up," Hare said. "I grew up in a small-town where there is a lot of misconceptions, a lot of assumptions, and a lot of segregation of ideas. I moved to the city when I went to college and my eyes were open.”

Emily Hare and her children, Kaden, 3, left and Emma, 1, center,  listens to stories about civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., during a story time that celebrated the legacy of King at the Waukesha Public Library at 321 Wisconsin Ave.on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. The public was also invited to contribute to a collaborative art journal to share their thoughts and feelings about the holiday and other social issues.

The Marquette University grad said she always tries to read books that show inclusiveness and diversity from all different walks of life, people, and circumstances.

“I think it is never too young to be introduced to things like that. I don’t want to shelter my kids,” Hare said.