RSVP of Henry County is collecting donations for the Mount Pleasant schools.
RSVP is leading Henry County Iowa residents in
a donation drive to honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy. Henry County residents will be joined by hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the country as part of the 27th annual MLK Day of Service.
“This is an opportunity to follow Dr. King’s call to create a Beloved Community right here in Mount Pleasant,” said Lindsey Ford, the director of Henry County RSVP. “Volunteer service is a powerful tool that builds strong communities, as well as a resourceful way of meeting the needs of our community. Volunteering can happy at any age, and this is just one way we can support the children of Mount Pleasant.”
At the beginning of the school year, the school system gets an influx of supplies. By January, supplies are running low, and several more months of school remain. Teachers and staff often end up using their own money to purchase needed supplies. Some suggested items that can assist the remainder of the school year include Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, tissues, Chapstick, and flushable wipes. All donations can be brought to The Fellowship Cup, by January 14th, so they can be delivered to the schools on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 17th.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a defining moment each year when Americans across the country step up to make our communities more equitable and take action to create the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream. While Dr. King believed the Beloved Community was possible, he acknowledged and fought for systemic change. His example is our call to action. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at the March on Washington, he described a “fierce urgency of now.”
More than 50 years later, his words have renewed meaning. They remind us that we are stronger when we march forward, together. The global pandemic has opened our eyes wider to the inequity in our world. The time is now to act with swift urgency to deliver on the promise of Dr. King’s example and mission.