MLK Day of Service scheduled for Jan. 16
By Jamie Richard, Correspondnent, CoatesvilleTimes.com
CALN – In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dedication to civil service and the pursuit of education, the Caln Area School District will host a Martin Luther King Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 16 at the Coatesville Area High School.
The event is organized by school board member Dr. Tonya Thames Taylor and Shamica Johnson, a reading specialist at Scott Middle School. Having organized separate service days in the past, Thames Taylor and Johnson decided to join forces and create a service day that encompassed the entire district.
“The city of Coatesville has never had a MLK program that was city-wide before, that collaborated with so many entities within the city,” said Thames Taylor.
All programs are run by students and community volunteers in conjunction with several organizations such as the Brandywine Health Foundation, the Asia Adams Foundation and the Coatesville Police Department.
The event will primarily feature activities that encourage participants to become more active members of the community including voter registration, community beautification, cards for servicemen and women, a blood drive and the creation of care packages. Thames Taylor hopes the event will stress the importance of giving back to the community.
“We want people to leave realizing how honorable and character-building it is to serve,” said Thames Taylor.
The event will also include educational workshops for students and teens on a variety of topics including drug and alcohol education and healthy dating. Recreational activities such as zumba, hip-hop dancing, quilting and youth mentoring games will also be available throughout the day.
The day of service begins at 8 AM and lasts until 2 PM. More information on the day of service as well as a complete schedule of events can be found at the CASD website (www.coatesville.k12.pa.us).
Dr. Taylor does anything to self promote. This program eliminated an annual Black History program that was growing by community leaders and school employees. Dr. Taylor is not a plus for the Coatesville Community