Jo Mercer

Jo Mercer

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Olivet Boys & Girls Club Honor MLK Day Of Service

READING, PA, January 21, 2019 — On the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service (Monday January 21st 2019) from 10 am-2 pm, the Olivet Boys & Girls Club will be hosting an organization-wide event to honor Dr. King’s legacy.  Nearly 350 individuals consisting of club kids (ages 5-12), Olivet staff, AmeriCorps members (high school and college students that complete 450 hours of community service with the organization), and community volunteers will come together to participate in educational activities and complete a service project.  

Educational activities throughout the day will focus on young people involved in the civil rights movement. Club members will learn about Ruby Bridges, the Birmingham Children’s March, and the Little Rock Nine which all played a pivotal role in ending segregation in the United States. The goal is to reinforce the message that young people have a voice and can create positive social change.   

Club members will also complete a service project to honor first responders (police, firefighters, EMTs, and dispatchers) in the local community.  Youth will make thank you cards and decorate drawstring bags containing granola bars, hand sanitizer, instant coffee and tea, as well as other useful on-the-go items. The bags will then be distributed to nearly 400 local first responders the week following the event. As these individuals often work long hours, are out and about in sometimes harsh conditions, and work every day to save lives and keep the community safe, the organization feels that this project will be the perfect way to say “thank you” to these local heroes. 

The day will culminate in a “Peace Walk” where the group will walk, carrying signs of peace and equality on city blocks near the PAL club. 

Our teen members (ages 13-18) will participate in special programming focused on the theme of “Boss Up to Bullies” at our Clinton Club (677 Clinton St) location from 11 am-2 pm. Teens will participate in an open forum discussion about bullying and what it means to be an “upstander”. The event will also include a debate and panel discussion on the use of the “n-word” in addition to completing a service project for the local community.  

The Olivet Boys & Girls Club thanks the following sponsors and donors for their support on this important day of service: BCAP, Giant, Weis, GoMacro, Body Drench, EcoLips, DoubleJoy Coffee Select, Alpine Start Coffee, Tea Drops, Bare Snacks, Tom Sturgis Pretzels, Café Sweet Street, Noshinku, Bobos, Pony Express Enterprises, Rise Protein Bars, and Nice-n-Clean. 

Community volunteers for the day will include students from Alvernia University and Penn State-Berks.  

About the Olivet Boys & Girls Club: The Clubs provide a safe environment with programs that encourage character development, education, life skills and exposure to arts and culture. Such exposure allows kids to see their way out of poverty and become productive, outstanding members of society.  

The Olivet Boys & Girls Club has a strong reputation for providing life-changing experiences to its members, including mentoring experiences with diverse, trained and caring staff and volunteers who want to make a difference in the life of a child. 

A chartered member of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Olivet Boys & Girls Club serves 3,000 members a year, 1,500 different participants a week and 800 kids a day at seven club sites and six school sites in Reading as well as a location in Pottstown. The Club was founded in 1898. Its mission is “To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as healthy, caring, productive, responsible citizens.  

For more information about Olivet Boys & Girls Club visit www.olivetbgc.org


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