QUINCY, ILL. -- QU students showed the spirit of Martin Luther King Junior as they brought the National Day of Service to Quincy. Seventy-five students spread to around 12 different non-profit organizations around town looking to lend a hand. Natasha Ramsey organized QU's own Day of Service.
"I wanted to bring this to the university to get students involved. It is a day they give but also a day of recognizing Dr. King and his works," Ramsey said.
Ramsey is the Director of Multicultural Leadership Programs at QU. Her project had students around town cleaning up and helping out nonprofit organizations.
Some of the students felt they got more out of this than people they were helping.
"We got in and got the help going. The people who were there were really appreciative and really nice so I was happy to even meet them," QU student Sherika Smiley said.
"Volunteering your time, your free time, and earnestly doing it from the heart to help somebody else, that is like the greatest gift you can give. And the gift that returns back to you is just a wonderful feeling," QU freshman Jevante Francis explained.
Ramsey felt this project had a large connection to Martin Luther King's big picture goal, bringing the community together.
"While we are not going through the civil rights movement he went through, we are tapping in to those things that he did in regards to giving up our time helping to strengthen our communities and assisting these organizations," Ramsey said.
Ramsey said the turnout was overwhelming. She was happy to see this many people choose to use their Saturday morning for the better good of the community. This is the second year that Ramsey organized the event at QU. She said 15 people attended last year, which was significantly lower than this year's attendance.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA