On Monday, January 16th, MCAC continued our tradition of service to the community, and partnership with the Montgomery County Volunteer Center, by hosting the 4th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service at the Silver Spring Civic Building. Members of MCAC joined over 1400 volunteers including families, students and members of various community organizations to work on 25 different service projects. The collective impact to the community through volunteerism reflects Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous quote: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?'”
As part of the MLK Day of Service, MCAC also sponsored the Drops for Tots Blood Drive to collect blood that would be given to children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) at Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC) in Washington DC, which treats 1,400 children with SCD. MCAC’s goal was to collect blood from 20 donors, and it exceeded that goal by collecting blood from 24 donors. Since each pint of blood can be used for as many as 4 to 5 children, the blood that was collected will help 120 children at CNMC. CNMC representatives were very impressed that, as a first-time sponsor, MCAC was able to collect blood from so many donors and are excited about returning next year with the goal of collecting blood from at least 30 donors.
In the afternoon, approximately 50 members of MCAC, their families, friends and members of the community attended the annual Tribute and Celebration in honor of Dr. King at the Music Center at Strathmore. Attendees enjoyed an array of talented performers, songs, spoken word and dancing by persons representing diverse cultures and ethnicities, especially the dramatic presentation “From Montgomery Alabama to Montgomery County” by the 2017 Celebration Players. This program was insightful, empowering and truly inspirational; people said they could feel the spirit of Dr. King throughout these amazing performances and are looking forward to attending next year. Click here to see photos (here).
