Reflection and service were the themes of the day as young and old volunteers participated in projects at the St. Joseph Center while remembering the struggles civil-rights leaders faced in the past.
More than 100 volunteers gathered Monday at the St. Joseph Center in North Little Rock to participate in the AmeriCorps Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
The event was part of a nationwide effort to volunteer to honor King's legacy by renewing personal vows of citizenship through service and to engage in conversations that advance national healing.
"Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve," said Arnessa Bennett, special projects director for the city of North Little Rock, quoting King. "You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."
AmeriCorps members and volunteers from various groups took on projects around the center in North Little Rock.
A.B. Stewart, program director for Full Circle FarmCorps, said the main project for the day was preparing a piece of property for bus stop gardens, a developing project between the nonprofit, the City of North Little Rock and Rock Region Metro.
"The symbolism of beautifying the bus stop is that the Civil Rights movement occurred at the bus stop," Stewart said. "The beauty of service is that it brings people together."
AmeriCorps Team Leader Katie Matthews also unveiled a Contemplation Station designed to inspire reflection on civil rights history, the bus boycotts and what the movement continues to mean today.
"Martin Luther King Day is a day of reflection and the creation of this station allows you to reflect on transportation and equity," she said.
Volunteers also worked on planting, raking and preparing gardens for spring. These gardens include the Hunger Relief Garden in partnership with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the city's Fit 2 Live Community.
"The city wants to make sure and promote the St. Joseph Center as much as we can," Bennett said. "This place is truly a treasure. The mayor wants people to know about this treasure especially during a time when they couldn't hold many special events due to covid."
The volunteers who participated in the event came in various age ranges.
Dave Danner, a retiree, has been doing volunteer work at St. Joseph Center almost weekly.
"This allows me to get outdoors and help the environment," he said. "I spent my whole life in an office setting now I want to spend my time getting out and helping."
Bella Angtuaco, 13, and her family were working at the St. Joseph Center as part of her confirmation at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church.
"This is what she chose as her family project," said her mother, Melissa Angtuaco.
Bennett said seeing the number of young people volunteering was encouraging.
"These young people will become our future directors, future leaders of nonprofits and grant writers and that is a beautiful thing," she said.