TSU, Sister Institutions to Hold Joint MLK Day of Service Jan. 17

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – More than 300 student volunteers from area colleges and universities will join forces at Tennessee State University Saturday, Jan. 17 for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

Students from TSU, Belmont, Fisk, Trevecca Nazarene and Vanderbilt Universities will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by helping to alleviate hunger in Middle Tennessee, around the nation and throughout the world through sorting food at Second Harvest Food Bank and Feed the Children, sorting medical supplies at Project C.U.R.E., and sorting recycled building materials at Habitat ReStore.

Dr. Linda Guthrie, director of the Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, said the goal of the day of service is to make sure that students are able to connect with their community by challenging them to think critically about issues going on around them.

“Tennessee State University has a long history of service to others, which is central to the institution’s mission and academic curriculum,” said Guthrie. “Our students come to TSU with the expectation to serve. They often find opportunities to do that through day-of-service events, community organizations or in the classroom. Through events such as this, our students have the opportunity to not only serve, but to create and lead projects that both change their lives and the lives of others.”

According to planners, the day’s activities begin at 11 a.m. with sign-in, registration and kick-off rally at Kean Hall. Guest speaker Andrew Maraniss, author of Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South, will address the volunteers at noon.

Following lunch, students will fan out across Nashville starting at 1 p.m. to not only help at local food banks around the city, but also partner with Soles4Souls to sort shoes at their warehouse, and have the opportunity to prepare and distribute disaster preparedness kits to senior citizens at the Hadley Park Towers and I.W. Gernert apartment complexes. Volunteers will return to the TSU campus at 3 p.m. for reflection and celebration.

For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/MLKJointDayofService2015 or call 615.963.5383.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University3500 John Merritt BoulevardNashville, Tennessee 37209615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 42 undergraduate, 24 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.