MT. STERLING, Ky. (LEX 18) — A day to celebrate the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior may be a holiday in the calendar, but to some folks in Montgomery County, it's not a day off. Some volunteers spent time saw wood and piecing together desks. Those are going to students who need somewhere to study while learning from home during the pandemic.
At the DuBois Community Center in Mount Sterling, Valerie Scott, Taunya Jones and other adults spend their time leading children through service.
"We want the youth to know that you should be serving while you're on Earth. You should be giving back always," said Jones.
For the past four days, in honor of Dr. King, they led members of the community through acts of service.
"We did bags for our nursing home. So we have some activities and some toiletries so they packed bags for Windsor Care Nursing Home," said Jones.Monday was the final day of service centered around Dr. King's birthday.
There were more desks built, along with a food drive to help families.
Sunday marked the MLK Unity March through downtown.
After a year of social unrest, Scott was excited to see the community come together, along with some new faces."And they were new people that didn't look like me. And, I felt the pendulum of justice is moving people's hearts. And their hearts are being moved and they're coming out to join us," said Scott.Jones says it's important to maintain a connection between the children and their older generations.
So on Monday, a group of kids stopped by a nursing home to say hello to an old friend.
The connection today comes through a glass window, with the hope that soon, they'll be able to hug once again.
