Staff members at the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA prepare to pick up trash in the Tampa Heights Neighborhood as part of the annual MLK Day of Service.
“The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Staff from the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCAs participated in the annual MLK Day of Service by spending their Martin Luther King Jr. Day offering acts of service to several bay area nonprofits. Employees helped out at Metropolitan Ministries, delivered food to homebound residents through Meals on Wheels of Tampa, and participated in clean-up projects at YMCA Camp Cristina and in the Tampa Heights neighborhood. Robyn Ostrem, Vice President of Operations, spent time at Meals on Wheels, “By encouraging employees to participate in MLK Day of Service today, I was able to work alongside my colleagues to deliver warm lunches to 13 homebound residents through Meals On Wheels of Tampa.”
For Central City Family YMCA Associate Executive Director, Eboné Mitchell, the day was not only a chance to help the community but an opportunity to strengthen relationship with her coworkers. “We spent an hour and a half beautifying the area around our YMCA buildings. It was a time for staff and volunteers of multiple generations, race, ethnicities and geographic locations to come together for this day of service. All of us left feeling proud of the work that was completed.”
Eboné added that the work gave everyone involved a chance to reflect on their individual situations as well. “As we were collecting trash, on more than a few occasions we had to stop and ask ourselves if something was trash or it was someone’s belongings. We don’t often think about the transient populations that live around Tampa Heights and so it was a moment of reflection and gratitude!”
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. It’s a chance to engage with the community while honoring the legacy of Dr. King.