On his Twitter account, the late basketball icon Kobe Bryant posted on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “The best way to honor the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. is to ensure kids understand his purpose, message and impact so that they can carry it forward. This is a great way to start teaching them. #MLKDay.”
That impact played out locally via community service back on Jan. 18 when The Mission Continues, a non-profit, gathered volunteers to paint benches, murals, landscaping, and add other enhancements to the Harriett Tubman Village Charter School campus.
“Martin Luther King Jr. was all about serving his community and this was a perfect match on so many levels,” said school counselor Adriana Bush with the Harriet Tubman Village Charter School.
“The Mission Continues is a national non-profit that serves to empower veterans to serve, after they have taken off the uniform,” said city impact manager Tristan Williamson with The Mission Continues.
The Mission Continues-Legacy of Service, a national non-profit, showed up at the school two days before the holiday with lumber, paint, construction tools, 138 volunteers, and 35 veterans.
“We probably spent $2,000 on lumber alone,” said Williamson. “And 50 gallons of paint.”
The Mission Continues also showed up in December 2019 to work on other enhancements.
“We built benches and picnic tables,” said USMC veteran Mike Plue, a volunteer with the 2nd platoon command.
Tubman, which has 435 students, is named after the American abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman, and is a Leader in Me school based on the principals of a book by Franklin Covey.
The students, called leaders, numbered in the tens that included seventh graders Saabrina Bayer, 12, Salma Ismail, 12, Iqlaas Mohamed, 12, and Samiya Hasim, 12, among others.
Volunteers included the young and old.
“I want to help other people,” said Anika Ochs, 6, who was volunteering with her mother Melissa. Anika Ochs was helping stencil an empowering phrase on to the school’s front walkway.
“This is my fifth event with them,” said Ian Marshman, an E-5 with the Navy. He noted, “We have a tangible outcome” of the various projects they completed.
Another volunteer, Stacey Ebert, helped with the lunch that served 18 pizzas, salads, soda, water, and Starbucks.
For information on The Mission Continues visit missioncontinues.org.
—Rebecca J. Williamson is a local freelance news writer.
