Broward County Volunteers Honor MLK’s Legacy Through Service at Namesake School
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Each year, Comcast volunteers across the country go out into their communities to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy through service. These service events are part of Team UP, Comcast’s always-on national employee volunteerism program. In South Florida, 20 Comcast volunteers gathered at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Montessori Academy in Fort Lauderdale and participated in a variety of beautification projects in partnership with Hands On South Florida to improve the school grounds. They built benches and tables, painted murals and refreshed the landscaping.
Bobby Singer is a Headend Manager for Comcast. He and his daughter Reagan enjoy volunteering at Team UP events together. For this project, they were tasked with building benches out of planks of wood to provide some new seating areas around the school’s campus. Around them, other groups were building tables and filling in new landscaping.
“We really wanted to do something positive with our day off of work and school,” Singer said. “I think it is important for us to give something back to our community that gives so much to us and also, to do it together.”
Inside, volunteers created “Book Bundles” for students to keep them excited about reading. The bundles included felt capes for students to wear and bookmarks designed by the volunteers. Jenny Del Valle, Literacy Outreach Manager for Hands On South Florida, put together this project.
“It is so wonderful to see the excited faces of our volunteers today, especially on a day when they are off work. Instead of being at home, they’re here to make a difference and in this case, help bring kids literacy,” said Del Valle. “MLK was a community organizer. It is so inspiring to see everyone come together in this way to honor him. It’s why I do what I do.”
Suzette Dawes, an Administration Clerical Representative for Comcast’s Florida Region, carefully designed her “Book Bundle” with flowers and butterflies. She was excited to see it come together and wrap it around an inspiring, educational book.
“Being a Broward County resident, I love volunteering here. I make it a priority to volunteer several times a year,” said Dawes. “I love the school projects because I like knowing I am making a difference in young lives and inspiring kids to grow and learn!”
Since 2010, Comcast has contributed more than $24 million in cash and in-kind donations to Broward County nonprofits. Read about more our Broward County community efforts: