Contributed by Younng-Joo Scharf
Early Monday, Jan. 15th morning, CARP Bay Area members participated with volunteers across the East Bay in Oakland’s annual MLK Day of Service. The year’s theme, Building A Beloved Community, shone in bright yellow letters across the front of all the volunteer t-shirts together with the simple motto: Unite, Serve, Transform.
The Gardens at Lake Merritt, this year’s service location, was established over half a century ago and is located in the heart of Oakland. As the Gardens are largely maintained by volunteers, MLK Day is a significant day as it is one of the largest days in the year for volunteers.
From renovating the garden’s handmade wooden bee hotel and de-rooting dead trees, to handpicking tiny weeds and wheel-barreling fresh piles of new soil, the volunteers got down to earth (literally) in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tayshaun Emerson, a CARP Member from the Chabot College chapter, expressed:
“The day of the MLK service was a real change of pace for me. Despite chillier temperatures, I have never been more delighted to indulge in a project where I not only can reap the benefits of my labor, but also have a sense of triumph, a sense of meaning. The most interesting part was collaborating with so many other people with the same goal in mind, to be of help and service to our ever-growing community. The one thing I remember fondly was how despite being so close in proximity of several peers, I found myself along with others taking time on their own to be truly thorough and attentive with their task that moment. It ultimately was my largest source of motivation. My finishing thought is the gratification I felt when working and knowing that I wanted to do the very best I could, and I could only hope the same for everyone else involved.”
