Many UNI students, faculty and staff members picked up the baton as well on Monday. The UNI Service and Leadership Council hosted the event in conjunction with the Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley. Participants volunteered at several organizations, including the Northwest Iowa Food Bank, the Catholic Worker House, Country View, the Cedar Valley Volunteer Center and a weatherization project with Green Iowa Americorps.

Monica Maharry, sophomore communication major and co-president of the Student Leadership Council spent her time at the Center for Engery and Environmental Education making kits for educational use.

“I just think It’s really important to get out and volunteer and be able to help serve others especially when we have a day off like this and that’s obviously what we’re doing in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.,” Maharry said.

According to Maharry, a lot of people signed up for the event.

“It’s really exciting to see that the student body really also enjoy volunteering and helping out,” Maharry said.

International students also attended the event, such as Lu Wang, senior finance major. Wang said she had only recently heard of this and came because she truly enjoys helping others. Like Wang, many students participated in the event for the first time this year and were there because they enjoy volunteering.

Natalie Dunham, junior graphic technologies major, recently tranferred to UNI and took the opportunity to get to know her community better.

“I enjoy volunteering and why not?” Dunham said.

Dunham also said that she thought volunteering would be a great way to make new friends and network, a sentiment with which Katie Polit, junior communicative disorders major and member of the UNI Service and Leadership Council,  agreed.

“I love getting involved. I love volunteering. I came to UNI and getting involved was sort of my first step to go and do stuff. I’m so glad I did. I made all kinds of awesome friends here. The exec. team is great.  Everybody does a good job and you make all kinds of friends,” Polit said.

The event kicked off with a speaker, Stephanie Logan, from the College of Education and ended with a reflection piece at the Wesley House.

“I think it’s great to get involved either on campus or in your community,” Maharry said. “I think it’s just kind of our purpose and something that we’re called to do or need to do here.”