Tuesday, January 21, 2014

UIS students honor MLK with Day of Service

Dozens of students from the University of Illinois Springfield took part in a day of service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day today.

The students took on various projects, including heading to a west side church to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. There, the students dismantled pallets and helped build furniture and playground items made from recycled and reclaimed materials.

Habitat will sell those items at its Springfield store to raise money to build Habitat homes.

"I think there should be way more people out here giving back than just the few that are here today," UIS freshman Duane Willingham said. "It helps you as a person, and it benefits other people at the same time."

Students also took part in projects with other agencies, including working with the Red Cross to talk about fire safety with east side residents. Others prepared meals for 30 clients at the Sojourn Shelter, and helped sort medical supplies at the Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach.

The story was reported by WICS-TV 20 on January 20, 2014.

Watch the story online