From left: GOSO participants, Aldo and Michael, and volunteer, Ben.
In honor of the Martin Luther King Day of Service 2019, GOSO participants, staff, and volunteers came together to serve the community! #MLKDay is a day to remember and honor Dr. King’s legacy, and is also a day to challenge oneself to take action through service.
Dr. King’s birthday was the perfect time to kick off our new program, GOSOGives, which will allow GOSO participants to support their communities through a variety of engaging service projects, to benefit organizations and causes they care about. These enriching experiences will teach GOSO Guys invaluable skills, including teamwork, leadership, philanthropy, and more.
“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve….You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Saturday, we completed our first service project: painting classrooms at the East Harlem Scholars Academy — an elementary school just a few blocks from our office! The project was organized by the staff at EHSA and Repair the World as part of an MLK Week of Service. Dozens of other volunteers from across the city were there along with us!
As we added the fresh coat of paint to the classroom walls, we knew it was more than just a necessary maintenance update. When the students return to their classrooms and see the change, they’ll be able to feel the support from the members of their community. Putting the proper care and resources into our schools is incredibly important for student success, especially in communities like East Harlem where schools have been historically under-resourced.
GOSO participants — Aldo, Keybo, and Michael — were all volunteering for the very first time on Saturday. All three had always wanted to get involved and give back to their city, and were excited to have that opportunity through GOSOGives and to do so on this special weekend. Their passion for supporting the youth in their community, and their belief in the value of education (one of GOSO’s Three E’s!), made this project a meaningful first service experience for them.
“Looking around the room, there are a lot of people here coming from all over. I think this reflects Dr. King’s message because we’re all different people coming together to work for a greater good.” – Aldo, GOSO Participant
We’d like to thank everyone at the East Harlem Scholars Academy and Repair the World for allowing us to be a part of this project! It was an incredible weekend that reminded us to strive to be great and to serve others not just on Martin Luther King Day, but everyday, as he did.
We hope you’ll join us for our next community service event! If interested in learning more, please contact Emily Barnard (ebarnard@gosonyc.org).
Check out some more photos from our day below!
GOSO participant, Keybo, was thrilled to participate in his first volunteer project!
Team work makes the dream work! GOSO volunteer tutor, Elizabeth, and GOSO Guy, Aldo, paint a classroom cabinet.
#TeamGOSO feeling proud of our service, with our President & CEO, MG (far left), giving us a thumbs up as well!