City Year Chicago Day of Service at South Side school honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.​on January 26, 2025 at 5:21 am

CHICAGO (WLS) — On Monday, the nation observed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Some in the Chicago area are still celebrating and honoring Dr. King this weekend with a day of service.

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City Year Chicago remembered the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Saturday on the city’s South Side through their annual Day of Service.

“This is an opportunity for us to come together, regardless of differences or beliefs and community,” said Valencia Koker, Senior Vice President and Executive Director for City Year Chicago. “We find in service, so that is what today is all about it.”

AmeriCorps members and community volunteers rolled up their sleeves to honor the work of Dr. King. Their task was beautifying Orville T. Bright Elementary School in the South Deering neighborhood.

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Volunteers brought out brushes and painted murals throughout the school. One of the murals reflected the rich diversity of the school.

“To represent each and everybody in our school, we decided to create a map,” said Jalon Brown, Impact Manager at City Year Chicago. “So what the school is going to do is once we continue the trace, they will paint different colors of the schools that are representative of the students.”

The act of service is meant to inspire others to want to give back to their community.

“We expect to leave it more beautiful than we found it,” Koker said.