Molloy University celebrates its fifth annual MLK Day of Service

The late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in America. He participated in and organized several marches and nonviolent protests, including the March on Washington in 1963 — where his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech was broadcast on televisions across the nation — and two of the three marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.

King was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis in April 1968, and was not alive to see the historic enactment of the Civil Rights Act, which was adopted into law a few days following his death.

In recognition of his dedication to service, Molloy University in Rockville Centre celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day every year by participating in the annual MLK Day of Service.

The first event took place at Molloy in 2019 with the goal of inspiring others to take action within their communities instead of simply treating the national holiday as a day off from school or work.

The sixth annual MLK Day of Service began in the morning with a keynote presentation, entitled “Give Them Shelter… Then What?” by Jean Kelly, the chief executive officer at The INN in Hempstead.

The INN is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that provides a broad variety of essential services to assist those challenged by hunger, homelessness and profound poverty. It partners with those in need in a dignified and respectful manner to help them achieve self-sufficiency.

The organization was founded in 1983 as a single soup kitchen run by a small group of concerned volunteers and has since grown to try and help make an impact in the lives of many families across Long Island.

The day began at 10 a.m. with a mini-resource fair at the Public Square library, which was followed by on-campus workshops, including a training class on hands-only CPR. This life-saving technique is used in several emergencies and is good practice for anyone in the event that someone should need to be resuscitated. It also included a demonstration of how to properly use an automated electronic defibrillator device.

Participants also pitched in during the other workshops to help organizations like The INN of Hempstead and Molloy’s Midnight Run by collecting much-needed toiletry items for the homeless. They also helped prepare and design “smile bags” filled with different items and activities that will be distributed to children and teens at local hospitals, and helped prepare early literacy packets with the goal of empowering families in need to prepare their children to learn how to read as they enter Kindergarten.

In previous years the event also provided participants with a unique opportunity to experience what it was like to both see and hear Dr. King deliver one of his historic speeches up close, through the use of virtual reality technology.