MLK Day 2010 - Great turnout and success despite the rain

The Yavapai County VISTA Project (YCVP), in association with Service For Peace, held its 3rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event on Monday, January 18th, 2010, from 9AM to 2PM at the Prescott United Methodist Church. Attendance was high, and so was the energy in Agape Hall of the United Methodist Church in downtown Prescott. Attendance numbers captured 406 people present for the morning activities. The kickoff celebration at the church’s sanctuary included remarks from the Yavapai County VISTA Project, a brief video on the MLK Day of Service, and focused around the theme of “make it a year on, not just a day”, as 15 community non-profits participated and tabled the event to encourage volunteerism throughout the year.

Service projects for event participants included: the Prescott Creeks Watson Woods Preserve clean-up, where 66 volunteers collected refuse, learned about the preserve, and prepared over 12,000 Willow tree saplings to be included in the restoration; “Big for a Day” with Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters where over 25 adults volunteered to be matched with a local little brother or little sister; and, at the Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, one of our largest projects, brought together 147 people who hauled 2,300lbs of trash and brush from the park’s grounds. A mid-winter cleaning and other organizational efforts were a common theme among our other service projects, with over 65 volunteers serving at the Prescott Area Women’s Shelter, Disabled American Veterans thrift store, The Coalition for Compassion and Justice, Prescott Valley Food Bank, and Goodwill Industries’ two Prescott locations to clean, organize, and sort various items.

Youth and youth engagement became a central focus of the event as well, as many attendants volunteered for the day as a family. Projects were designed and implemented by YCVP staff for youth, ages 2-6, 7-10, and 12-18. Youth projects focused on teaching about the legacy of Dr. King and developing an appreciation for people who give back to the community. The youth participants created over 200 thank you cards for area workers performing public service, including: firefighters, health care workers, librarians, and the men and women of the armed services. The teen event engaged 16 youth to think about how they can change the world through building an interest in service and by committing to continue to create change in their home communities.

A VISTA update from Rimrock

In early December following the Thanksgiving season, VISTA member Annika Head returned to work developing youth activities and community resources at Rimrock’s isolated Beaver Creek School. This is when she received the unfortunate and ill-timed news. Annika’s supervisor informed her that the Central Arizona Food Bank had to immediately discontinue all donation operations to Rimrock’s local food distribution center for December, predominately due to an inopportune logistical issue.

Karin Ward of Beaver Creek School, the Verde Food Council, and Annika immediately began collaborative efforts to ensure a delivery from somewhere. They directly contacted the St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix and were recipients of good news: St. Mary’s was eager to help. Rimrock’s Beaver Creek Food Bank typically averages 150 people per month, mostly due to an unreliable and limited food distributor and lackluster community outreach efforts. St. Mary’s said they would be in the area next Saturday and could provide food for 700 people.

Annika and Karin now recognized their situation at the Rimrock Foodbank as a crisis of opportunity. They attended all community meetings with the announcement, flyers were sent home with every child at Beaver Creek School, and the news was circulated in the community’s e-newsletter. In the few days before the shipment was to arrive, Annika also spent time calling and contacting everyone that had ever expressed a need for food donations.

When the morning finally came, an hour before opening a line formed out the door, and by the end of the day nearly 650 people received food that Saturday, quadrupling the average amount of food recipients. With the remaining perishable items, Annika and Karin were also able to donate additional food for the Kiwanis Christmas Food Box Drive, providing food for families in need during the holidays.

What could have been a catastrophe turned out to be a gift in disguise. Relationships have since been repaired with the Central Arizona Food Bank, and Rimrock Food Bank is operating again normally. The amount of people in attendance for Rimrock’s January distribution stayed nearly as high, with the increased numbers believed to be due to the immediate and extensive outreach efforts of December. Through St. Mary’s large delivery in December, the unfortunate needs of Rimrock were seen, but larger deliveries can now be ensured.

Project preps for MLK Day 2010 - Monday, January 18th - 9am to 2pm

The Yavapai County VISTA Project (YCVP), in association with Service For Peace, will host its 3rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event on Monday, January 18th, 2010, from 9AM to 2PM at the Prescott United Methodist Church. The event is an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to come together in common purpose and engage in meaningful service and volunteerism in recognition of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The day will feature volunteer and service opportunities with local organizations, a keynote speaker who will highlight the life and legacy of Dr. King, and a Volunteer Opportunity Fair where attendees can visit with leaders of local organizations and sign up to volunteer throughout the year.  

Service project participants include: Prescott Creeks, Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters, Prescott Alternative  Transportation, Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, Goodwill, and the Disabled American Veterans organization, among others. The event will provide free refreshments, and the opportunity to earn free admission to Disneyland and Disney World parks through partnership with the Disney and HandsOn Network’s “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day” promotion.

Initiated by Congress in 1994, the MLK Day of Service builds upon Dr. King’s legacy of service through transforming the federal holiday honoring Dr. King into a national day of community service. The aim is to make the holiday a “day on”, where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to bridge social barriers, meet community needs, and improve lives.

Participants are encouraged to register for their preferred service project in advance on YCVP’s front page, or on the day of the event. The Prescott United Methodist Church is located at 505 W. Gurley Street, in Prescott [Get Directions].