In celebration of the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Summit Area YMCA offered meaningful opportunities for the community to join together in a day of service to give back to those in need and to learn more about diversity and inclusion. Sharing the same values of honesty, compassion, respect, and service, the nonprofit organization ran a Winter Coat Drive to support individuals in need throughout Union County, an annual lunch bag making project named “A Child’s Helping Hand” for Bridges Outreach, Inc. to provide meals to the homeless, as well as an impressive Teen Diversity Panel that demystified the thoughts and opinions of teenagers regarding the current social, political and economic climate they live inAt the core of Dr. King’s character were not only his revolutionary leadership skills, but also his dream of a united, multiracial country that celebrated equality, compassion, tolerance, and nonviolence. The Y commemorates his memory daily in practicing his ideals of unconditional acceptance, love, humility, and service. On his birthday, as a part of The Shaping Summit Together initiative, children and families of all races and ethnicities came together at The Learning Circle YMCA (a branch of the Summit Area YMCA) and made sandwiches, packed snacks, drinks, and more into decorated lunch bags to send to Bridges Overreach, Inc. With the help of dozens of volunteers and children in the child care center ranging from toddlers to school age children, the service project completed making 754 bagged lunches, surpassing their numbers in 2016 of 550 bagged lunches. Children learned the importance of helping those in need and the impact they can make in their communities.
The Winter Coat Drive run at the Summit YMCA collected over 200 winter coats in support of Society of Saint Paul de Vincent by collecting gently used coats for men, women, and children in need throughout Union County. Teens then volunteered to help sort and bag all the donated coats at the Y, providing them a sense of meaningful action and appreciation in helping others.
Lastly, the Y ran its final Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in the Summit YMCA auditorium, spotlighting a diverse teen panel that answered questions from a moderator and from the audience regarding their views on growing up in an ever changing and diverse world. The event began with a series of activities designed to be interactive and educational for teens and adults alike. Stereotypes of teens were explored, asking participants what they thought of a particular teen based on their photograph, and arts and crafts from different countries including China, Africa, and more were also offered so that participants could learn more about other cultures around the world.
The Teen Diversity Panel then began with the moderator asking questions such as how the teen panel felt about the future with the new Presidentelect coming into office on January 20, how they felt regarding the current status of racial equality in the United States, as well as how social media affected their way of communication and understanding the world they live in. The teen panel’s voices provided intelligent, valid, and honest opinions on each topic, and meaningful discussion took place as both teens and adults in the audience asked questions to better understand the viewpoints of an often misunderstood generation.
The Teen Diversity Panel was an exemplary way of observing Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy in getting closer to reaching a united, multi-racial country through meaningful discussion and genuine efforts in understanding those who are different from who we are and what we know. Teen Diversity Panelists were also Achiever’s program participants at the Summit Area YMCA, a program that provides free college preparation, tutoring, career workshops, college tours and more.
For more great events, visit the Summit Area YMCA event calendar: http://bit.ly/SAYCalendar The Summit Area YMCA is one of area’s leading 501c3 organizations. Our programs and services are open to all through our financial assistance programs made possible through the generosity of our members, donors, staff and partners. To help us help others, please make your donation today at www.thesay.org.
(above l-r) Teen Diversity panelists Nkozi, Mariam, and Tara.
Photo by Summit Area YMCA
