Urban League of Broward County students to spread messages of hope during Martin Luther King Day of Service on January 18
Urban League of Broward County students will participate in a “Seeds of Hope” service-learning project in observance of the national Martin Luther King Day of Service on Monday, January 18, 2016. Students will assemble seed packets with positive messages of hope for distribution in the annual MLK parade along the Historic Sistrunk Corridor in Fort Lauderdale.
Seeds of Hope is one of several local volunteer projects funded by Broward College’s MLK Day of Service Awards. The purpose of the "Seeds of Hope" project is to engage young people in conversations about social justice while providing a creative outlet of expression to promote change from a cultural and historical lens. Students will spend the day honoring Dr. King's legacy by inviting the community to join them by sowing seeds of non-violence, justice and equality for all. Following the parade, students will return to the Urban League’s Community Empowerment Center to plant a peace lily in honor of Dr. King’s commitment to nonviolence. “The Seeds of Hope Project is not only a service-learning opportunity for our youth,” said Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh, president and CEO for the Urban League of Broward County. “It also serves as beautification effort to encourage growth in a blighted community deeply affected by injustice and inequality.”
With funding from the Florida Legislature, Broward College, in partnership with the 2016 MLK Day of Service Advisory Board, awarded $190,986 to 42 community organizations to support volunteer projects that honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and transform Monday, Jan. 18 into a day of volunteerism in the local community. “Broward College is thrilled to increase the much-needed support for these MLK Day of Service projects, nearly doubling the award amount to support community organizations and their proposals,” said Broward College President J. David Armstrong, Jr. “One of our priorities is to encourage volunteerism and service within the community year round, and these notable volunteer projects offer the opportunity for sustained service and ongoing community involvement.”