Wittenberg University is partnering with Springfield City Schools for the eighth year in a row to host the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Heritage Center of Clark County, located in the heart of downtown Springfield. 

The MLK Jr. Day of Service was organized by Wittenberg's Community Service Program in the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Civic & Urban Engagement as part of the national Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, a federal holiday set aside to honor the memory of King through service. 

There will be approximately 25 Wittenberg students and 30 Hayward and Roosevelt Middle School students participating in a day of activities focused on Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of legacy. The participants will be involved in games and artistic and educational activities throughout the day. 

“A day of service that is centered on legacy has a much more important meaning today than it has in a long time,” said Jaymi Green, class of 2018, who is coordinating the event. Green, from Radnor, Ohio, is a communication and history major. 

“When we look at the worlds’ leaders, we are looking for people that remind us of MLK Jr. or others who have left their mark in history for the better,” she continued. “While we plan on discussing the legacy left from those who made Springfield what it once was, we also plan to stress that the students involved will have the chance to create their own legacy. We want them to realize that everyone has the potential to leave a mark where ever they go, but we want them to think about what kind of mark that will be.”