MLK march and service day for kids planned
In the same way that Martin Luther King Jr. influenced legions of Americans by organizing marches through city streets to fight for the civil rights of African-americans, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias has planned a small-scale but symbolic march for local kids to participate in on Monday, Jan. 15.
In the same way that Martin Luther King Jr. influenced legions of Americans by organizing marches through city streets to fight for the civil rights of African-americans, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias has planned a small-scale but symbolic march for local kids to participate in on Monday, Jan. 15.
Kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs in Visalia, Ivanhoe, Tulare, Strathmore, Exeter and Farmersville will gather at 10 a.m. at the Visalia Gindick location at 215 W. Tulare Avenue to kick off the march and enjoy the day-long celebration. They will march and chant, hold banners, and work their way down the sidewalks along Tulare Avenue, Watson Street, then onto Main Street and over to the Garden Street Plaza where speakers and performers await their arrival.
“Dr. King lived by example, and it was important to him to accelerate the progress of Africanamericans using peaceful methods, including marches, and that’s what we want children to remember about him,” said Mat Keel, Area Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias. “By participating in this march, we hope kids will begin to appreciate the ongoing fight for equality.”
At 11 a.m. the program at the Garden Street Plaza will begin with speaker Ronald Smith, a Boys & Girls Clubs board member, opening the program. There will be musical performances by the kids, plus a reading of parts of the “I Have a Dream” speech, among other presentations.
The day also includes a variety of service projects that kids will complete that afternoon in their communities, including:
An environmental service project at a Tulare city park
A painting project in Strathmore to cover tagging
Bagging groceries for customers at the Winco grocery store in Visalia
Kids from the Farmersville club have an on-site service project at their club to complete, and the residents of Ivanhoe and Exeter will be visited by kids from their clubs who will hand out “goodie bags” with positive messages crafted by the kids themselves.
“We hope the community can come out and cheer on our kids as they march in Visalia to keep the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. alive,” Keel said.
Area clubs involved in service day:
Visalia — 215 W. Tulare Ave., Visalia, 625-4422
Exeter — 360 E. Pine St., Exeter, 592-2711
Tulare — 948 North H St., Tulare, 688-7424
Farmersville — 623 N. Avery, Farmersville, 594-1977
Ivanhoe — 15892 Azalea Ave., Ivanhoe, 7980624
Strathmore — 23059 Avenue 198, Strathmore, 793-2511