“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others’ ” according to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On Friday, January 17, students and community members gathered in the LM Cafeteria to participate in service and honor King’s legacy. This event was organized by LM’s Student Council in partnership with district administration, and has been a tradition for over a decade. It created an accessible opportunity for people all over LM to volunteer. The function was especially convenient for younger audiences, as many of the service activities could be completed by children. The afternoon included multiple stations where people could create items or donate goods to benefit charities. Although the event was received well by the community and had high participation, some participants mentioned that the event needed more thorough planning and advertising.

From crafting no-sew blankets to making baskets full of goods, this event had a multitude of different activities to choose from. The cafeteria was packed with tables, each backed by a student-led club or community group. For example, the Ronald McDonald House Club had a table where people created worry dolls. These dolls, made out of thin wood wrapped in yarn, would be shipped off to children suffering from disease. Another popular table was run by members of Student Council, where volunteers crafted cards for senior citizens. These cards were intended to uplift the moods of elderly community members. While participation was robust, LM was not the only contributor to the event. Harriton BuildOn held a bake sale to benefit their program. In previous years, home and school associations have also created tables. However, these activities had a common thread of benefitting local charity. Hana McLain ’27, a student council member who helped to organize this event, mentioned that most of the service activities focused on “feel good things that would make someone feel happy.”

This event also served as a notable opportunity to bring people of different backgrounds together. Sean Capkin, dean of students and the sponsor of Student Council, mentioned that it was helpful to “have that opportunity for high school students to interact with the elementary school students and really kind of reach out and engage across communities.” This sentiment was echoed by a statement published on the LMSD website: “…participants of all ages worked collaboratively on these projects. The Afternoon of Service served as a platform for fostering connections, reflecting King’s vision of unity and collective action.” It proved to be a valuable and unifying experience for many participants as well. Danny Silverman ’27, a student who supervised the Ronald McDonald worry doll station, explained that his favorite part of the event was “the communal gathering and seeing everyone show and show support for such a truly significant day.”

Although the MLK Afternoon of Service is lauded by community members for its fun and unifying approach to service, some organizational critiques surfaced after the event. First of all, the crafty nature of multiple stations made the different opportunities seem repetitive to some. McLain commented that similar projects at many tables made her “feel like a couple of the stations are the same.” Moreover, she mentioned that LM “could have done it in a bigger space” because the cafeteria felt “cramped.” Maya Zada ’26, a member of Student Council, touched on the organizational difficulties that arose when planning the afternoon. Zada explained that “no planning goes into it with all the clubs,” meaning that there was no central planning to organize the role of each club and organization. For instance, Zada mentioned that “we don’t go to the Harriton student council and talk to them about what we’re doing…Everyone’s trying to sit at their own table doing their own thing.” Each organization operated as an individual entity and created their service tables from there. This lack of coordination may have also resulted in the repetitive activities, previously mentioned by McLain. 

In the words of King, “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.” On the MLK Afternoon of Service, the LM community exemplified this ideal, coming together to contribute to local and national charities. The afternoon incorporated service activities for everyone to participate in, resulting in a unified and diverse atmosphere. Despite organizational difficulties, the MLK Afternoon of Service was a valuable event that provided crucial support to philanthropic causes.