On the 25th anniversary of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, students from Urbana High School and Urbana Middle School (UHS and UMS) gathered together for the sixth annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “A Day of Service to Our Community” Program.

The theme “Remembering the Dreamer” was created by the students of the Urbana Interact Club who helped plan and run the event.

“In most cases Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is just a day off for students, but this program is really important to me because it keeps the young people in tune with Dr. King and his contributions,” said Grace Mitchell, secondary alternative education director at Urbana High School.

Mitchell, who is retiring this year, has worked with the Urbana Interact Club for all six years to help put on the program. The UHS Honors Choir dedicated a song in her honor at the end of the event.

“I hope to leave a lasting impression with the children when I’m gone, and to help them understand something that their generation never went through,” Mitchell said.

The event featured selections from the UHS Honors Choir, a dance presentation by the UMS Dance Team and a film presentation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech about “The Other Face of America.”

Gabby Parsons, a senior at UHS, has contributed to the event for four years and was the Program Master of Ceremonies this year.

“It’s one day out the year to remember that we weren’t always so lucky as we are today, and that we should remember our past,” Parsons said.

The event continued all day as students split up into different groups into the community to participate in various service projects. Students worked with agencies such as the American Red Cross, Books 2 Prisoners, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club, Vineyard Food Pantry and more.

“With so many things going on in the community this is a great way to for students to show, on their day off, how they can impact and change the community,” Mitchell said.

The Urbana Rotary Club has sponsored the program every year and various members of the club were present at the event including Alvin Griggs, a retiree from the public school system. Griggs said the event and day holds a special place in his heart because he was present at the height of Dr. King Jr. and went to high school in a segregated Montgomery, Alabama.

“We can’t let the memory die. Hearing him still gives me goosebumps, and we need to keep Dr. King in the forefront and commemorate him so we don’t take any steps back,” Griggs said. “It’s good to see the young people appreciate the holiday and he deserves every bit of recognition he gets.”