Going Above and Beyond for MLK Day

Blog post written by Nicole Belding, Iowa Reading Corps AmeriCorps member at Washington Elementary

Nicole Belding (left) and her Internal Coach,
Cindy, at the donation table.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?" - Martin Luther King Jr.

To celebrate the spirit of Martian Luther King Jr. Day, I organized a donation drive at my school for Noah’s Hope. Noah’s Hope is a non-profit pet rescue group that serves the Sioux City community. If a dog is sick, abused, or hurt, the staff members step in to fight for the animal’s survival. Furthermore, if a dog is missing, staff members and volunteers do whatever they can to help the family reunite with their pet. Because this organization continually goes above and beyond what is expected, I thought MLK Day would be a great opportunity to give back.

To prepare for the donation drive, I sent a letter home to students’ parents and guardians that explained the service project and listed potential items to donate to the shelter. To incorporate an element of service-learning, the individual who founded Noah’s Hope visited our school to provide a presentation about the organization and to share success stories with students.  After the presentation, I set up a donation table in the hallway for students to drop off their donations throughout the week.
  

On the final day of the donation drive, one little boy visited the donation table with his wallet and said that he would like to donate some of his money. He told me that he worked hard for the money and he wanted to give it to Noah’s Hope. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the students and staff at my school. It is such a great feeling to know that we were able to make a difference in our community for MLK Day. I’m proud to be an AmeriCorps Member!