Neighbors show up to help neighbors at Highland Park’s MLK Jr. Day of Service

Highland Park’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. event may just be a Day of Service, but it enables days and days of impact.

Representatives from more than 30 organizations connected with community members on Monday morning, Feb. 17, inside the recreation center in the hopes of not only collecting day-of donations but also gaining regular supporters and volunteers.

“It’s evolved into an opportunity to really connect with community organizations who are doing great things. It’s not just today,” Mayor Nancy Rotering said. “It’s an opportunity for people to really get to know organizations they can work with throughout the year.

“It’s been really great to see the connections that are made here.”

In its 16th year, the event is a collaboration between the City of Highland Park, its Human Relations Advisory Group and the Park District of Highland Park.

Hundreds of, if not a thousand-plus, residents annually pass through the event. The single-digit temperatures combined with the new date (the event was moved from MLK Jr. Day on Jan. 20 because of the presidential inauguration) may have kept attendance below the event’s average; however, hundreds were on hand Monday.

Interactive events began inside the rec center at 10 a.m., which was an hour after donation dropoff began near the entrance of the facility. The dropoffs collected paper and household goods for A Safe Place, food items for Blessings in a Backpack Highland Park, new and gently worn shoes for the city’s Reuse-A-Shoe program, and toiletries and blankets for the YWCA Shelter via the National Council of Jewish Women.

Inside, Rotering and other special guests — including Highland Park High School sophomore Dara Babalola, president of the school’s Black Student Union — provided words of inspiration to kick off the activities.

“We hope that you can carry today’s spirit of service forward into the community and that it inspires you to explore other ways to help make a difference for our neighbors in need,” Rotering told attendees.

Civic and service tables were organized in a circle around the rec center’s gymnasium. Plenty of service projects were ongoing. The Red Oak PTO, for instance, made snuffle mats — a toy/puzzle that adds a challenge to a dog’s snack time — that were going to animal shelters throughout the area.

Devika Kallergis, of Highland Park, was on hand with the Red Oak PTO. But she and her children were also on hand as interested residents.

“This is such a good opportunity to have one event to give back and learn about different organizations,” she said. “We believe it’s important to be volunteering your time and efforts.”

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Subscribe to The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a subscriber? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.