Watch a video of the ‘King Day of Service at AFS.

A warm current of compassion flowed through the Abington Monthly Meeting House on January 15 as hundreds of volunteers, who gathered for the annual “King Day of Service,” listened to inspirational words and sang in unison before setting off to do good works for people they’ll likely never know.

In his welcoming remarks, Head of School Rich Nourie talked about Dr. King “as a man not only of eloquent vision and a prophetic voice that continues to resonate and challenge us, but also a man of extraordinary accomplishment” — and noted that he had achieved many of his accomplishments much younger than most people.

Dr. King graduated from Morehouse College at age 19, earned a doctorate and was only 25 when he became pastor of Dexter Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. From there, he played a key role in the 384-day boycott of the city’s buses, which led to the end of segregated seating, and rose to national fame as leader of the civil rights movement. He travelled over six million miles and gave more than 2,500 speeches over a 10-year period. At 35, he became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

What had inspired this life of excellence and extraordinary accomplishment? Rich said he saw these threads running through Dr. King’s life.

• His family and church had instilled in him a clear sense of his worth as a person, the irreplaceable value of his own life and the insight that his creator had an important purpose for him. Rich asked those in the Meeting House to ponder this query: “Do we similarly know the worth of our own lives, and are we helping our children to know their own worth?”
• His life of profound commitment beyond self to the well-being, justice and freedom from oppression of all people, noting over and over that we find our fulfillment and purpose in a life lived for others.
• His understanding of God’s vision for the world, one based in peace, compassion, inclusion and dignity for all and his place and role in that work. “He knew that God was with him at all times in work that began long before his time and would continue long after his death,” Rich said.

Rich closed his remarks by bringing Dr. King’s work on behalf of equality, peace and justice to the challenges facing today’s world.

“Dr. King lived in consequential times and so do we,” he said, encouraging all to be inspired to a similar sense of purpose and commitment in our lives.

Lower School Director Andrea Emmons, the main organizer of the day’s activities, asked the volunteers to be sure to introduce themselves to others while working on their projects, because community building was an important element in the “King Day of Service,” too.

Senior Kenan Sayers gave a personal reflection, and several speakers read inspiring words by Fred Rogers, Helen Keller and Dr. King. Lower School Music Director Keisha Hirlinger led the group in lifting up a musical message with these songs: “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” “With My Own Two Hands” and “This Little Light of Mine.”

Then, filled with a sense of purpose, the volunteers fanned out from the Meeting House to cheerfully work on one of nearly two dozen projects aimed at helping those who have no homes; those who are suffering from illness, and those who have been slowed by the frailties of old age.

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About 600 volunteers participated in “King Day of Service” projects, lending a hand to projects that benefited at least 11 local organizations that help those in need, according to Lower School Director Andrea Emmons.

Volunteers made soup; created fleece blankets, hats and scarves; sewed teddy bears; assembled activity kits for children; cooked hot meals; built birdhouses out of recycled materials; designed colorful placemats and much more.

The Upper School was a beehive of activity in late morning when U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) stopped by to talk with the volunteers and thank them for their work. While in the Student Commons, he sat next to youngsters at a table and completed a get well card and cup for Sara’s Smiles, a foundation that helps children who have been diagnosed with cancer.

In the Stewart Lobby, the varsity basketball team, led by Coach Steve Chadwin, sorted books for a public school library. When they finished, they joined in a huddle, put their fists together, and said their familiar “Roos!” cheer. On this special day, they added one more: “MLK!” Then, Coach C told the boys to “go home and study.”

Though most of the volunteers worked on projects in the school, others participated at A Step Up Academy next to the Meeting House; at two local retirement centers and at Girard College, the flagship center of “King Day of Service” activity in Philadelphia.

AFS partnered with McKinley Elementary School and A Step Up Academy in sponsoring the event here. Local organizations that benefited were: Aid for Friends; the Breathing Room Foundation; Sara’s Smiles; Face to Face Germantown; Kitty Cottage Adoption Center; Mitzvah Circle; St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children; Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership; the Women’s Center of Montgomery County; Community Legal Services, and Whosoever Gospel Mission.

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The used clothing sale that is held annually in conjunction with the “King Day of Service,” this year raised $1,540 — even though the highest price charged was only $3. The sale was held on the mornings of January 13 and January 15  in the Lower School. Volunteers, led by Paula Cohen Corbman, Director of Early Childhood Admission, and Suzanne Pitcairn P’17, P’20, had spent hours sorting the donated clothes by type and size, and stacking them neatly on classroom tables. Proceeds were given to the Montgomery County Women’s Center’s domestic-violence-prevention program.