Fourth Annual MLK Day of Service to Take Place on Jan. 21

On January 21st Scotch Plains and Fanwood will hold the fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Since there will be a half-day of school in the district this year due to Hurricane Sandy, many of the events will take place in the afternoon.

At 12:30 p.m. the day will kick off at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA with a drop-in lunch and fair. The fair will have a variety of informational booths on Martin Luther King Jr. and pizza provided by Nick’s Pizza for 2 dollars a slice. Nick’s Pizza is will be donating 50 percent of the profits made to MLK Day.

According to a press release, last year’s event drew over 1,000 volunteers. 

“This year’s goal is to further establish the event as an important day in our community,” the release stated.

Following the MLK Day fair a variety of volunteer opportunities will be available for children, families and teens.

Registration and a list of activities are available at spfmlkday.com.

Some of the activities include participating in building a home for Habitat for Humanity in Plainfield or cleaning up the trails at the Fanwood Nature Center. 

At the YMCA, volunteers can make valentines, cards and videos for the troops, wrap and/or donate shoeboxes for needy children and wrap children’s books or create bookmarks for families in Overlook Hospital.

Also at the YMCA from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., children in grades three and up can create ski jumps out of foam piping and once mastered they can create their own roller coasters from the piping.  Those who participate are encouraged to bring science books for after school programs run by the 4-H Youth Development Program of Union County.

Adults are welcome to attend a seminar on helping children cope with loss, discussions on bullying and racial equity and a blood drive. 

To further explore the service opportunities that are taking place in Scotch Plains and Fanwood on MLK Day, visit spfmlkday.com. Under the category “2013 Events,” you will be able to register for each specific event. Volunteers are encouraged to start registering because space is in each event is limited.