Students at the rally get ready to serve and honor the life and legacy of Dr. King!
Oregon Campus Compact Associate Director, Tina Shantz, at the mic giving directions and getting students excited to serve.
Students pose for a picture after leaving the rally and heading to their service sites.
College students begin sorting through gently used children’s books. Throughout the day, 700 students organized, cleaned, and helped distribute 40,000 books to low-income homes, libraries, and schools in Portland.
Children’s books being sent into the Portland community.
The service projects prompted volunteers to reflect on the value of education and how poverty impacts learning.
“It’s really exciting to bring together a large group of college students to respond to the community’s needs,” said Concordia University’s Assistant Director of Service Leadership, Amy Dickerson. “MLK Day is impactful because it inspires students to serve not only one day but also to continue their service to the community throughout the year. By uniting colleges and universities to serve together, students become a part of something bigger than each of their individual campuses.”
College students in Oregon are experienced with serving their community. Oregon ranks eighth in the country for college student volunteerism according to the Corporation for National & Community Service report, Volunteering and Civic Life in America. Oregon’s students are challenging those who believe they are disengaged and apathetic by showing up (in record numbers) to serve and prove through action that they are making a difference in their community.
Other popular MLK events included:
• “Keep Alive the Dream,” a celebration for all ages produced by the World Arts Foundation, Inc., this event featured speakers and performers from various civic and social community organizations.
• The Annual MLK Remembrance and Work Day for the Northeast Portland Backpack Lunch Program, which provides lunches for children at Woodlawn, King and Harvey Scott schools.
Portland, September 20th. At a special Literary Arts presentation, during the celebration of Oregon’s bounty, Portland Feast, Mark Bittman spoke passionately about what’s wrong with what we eat. Bittman is fiercely political when it comes to food. He links the high consumption of meat to global warming and criticizes the typical American diet. Bittman covers food policy, cooking, and eating as an opinion columnist for the New York Times, where he is also the New York Times Magazine’s lead food writer.
Mary Bishop, Ed Jensen, Libby McCaslin, Lee Ragen, Gaye Richardson, Betsy Amster and President Barry Glassner.
Michael Powell, the architect behind Powell’s City of Books, and Lewis & Clark Trustee Libby McCaslin
The Lewis & Clark reception was at the Heathman Hotel.
During his recent appearance on OPB’s Think Out Loud which was taped in front of a studio audience at Literary Arts, Bittman explained, “Many of the things we eat do not promote good condition and they are not nourishing. Therefore they are not defined as food.”
Mark Bittman at Literary Arts recording a program for OPB. (Literary Arts Photo credit)
For to learn more about Mark Bittman’s concept of eating ethically, here’s a link to his website: http://markbittman.com/
From Literary Arts:
Literary Arts is a community-based nonprofit literary center located in downtown Portland, with a 28-year history of serving Oregon’s readers and writers. Our programs include Portland Arts & Lectures, one of the country’s largest lecture series; Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships, which celebrates Oregon’s writers and independent publishers; and Writers in the Schools, which hires professional writers to teach semester-long creative writing workshops in Portland’s public high schools. We also host guided discussion groups around great works of literature through a program called Delve.
Our Mission
To engage readers, support writers, and inspire the next generation with great literature.
Our Programs
Portland Arts & Lectures brings the world’s most celebrated writers, artists and thinkers to our community. In addition to live events that are broadcast statewide on OPB radio, the program connects readers and writers of all ages with classroom visits and workshops.
Writers in the Schools hires professional writers to teach in Portland’s public high schools for semester-long residencies that span the curriculum, reaching 2,600 students each year. Students share their work at community readings across the city, online and in print anthologies.
Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships celebrates Oregon’s writers. The program promotes Oregon’s literature and provides financial support to writers and independent publishers. The Oregon Book Awards Author Tour connects writers and readers throughout the state with readings, workshops and school visits.
Delve: Readers’ Seminars offers the opportunity to explore great books with an experienced guide in the company of other dedicated readers. Seminars are lively, in-depth discussions led by local scholars.
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