Warm Up, DC Service Day Kick-off and 3rd Annual Knit-in (BYOY*)
The 2015 Warm Up, DC Day of Service will be officially kicked off at Busboys and Poets with celebratory remarks by community partners and beneficiaries. With civic-minded poetry and speakers as a fitting back-drop at this landmark community institution, participants for the BYOY* “knit-in” will create colorful scarves to be donated to IRC to help those hit hardest by the winter weather.
*Bring your own yarn.
Meridian International Center and its Global Service Leaders (GSL) program will honor the legacy and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service, held both in the Washington, DC community and around the world, addressing Dr. King’s challenge, “What are you doing for others?” Globally, GSL motivates and connects emerging leaders from around the world to address community challenges through volunteerism. In our local communities, GSL develops innovative service projects to demonstrate the power of civic engagement and encourage participation and “buy in” from those not typically asked to volunteer.
In honor of MLK Day 2015, Meridian’s local GSL team will lead a progressive service project to Warm Up, DC on Monday, January 19th. In an effort to bridge the local and global work that Meridian does, volunteers will collect, donate, and share items to be distributed by the International Rescue Committee in Silver Spring, which offers education, nutrition, clothing, and family support programs. As part of this half-day event, there will be collection sites along the the U Street corridor, between 14th and 16th Streets, NW and Meridian’s campus will transform into a multipurpose community service center. All accompanying activities are outlined below.
The international GSL community will also be integrated into the DC-based projects, benefitting from a host of virtual, skills-based offerings including one-on-one coaching sessions with local professional peers and entrepreneurs.
All participants and beneficiaries will be expected and challenged to “pay it forward.”
