This year, the campus partners included Concordia University, George Fox University, Lewis and Clark, Mt. Hood Community College, Portland Community College, Portland State University, Reed College, University of Portland, and Warner Pacific College.

The day opened with a rally in Roosevelt's gymnasium. Following the beat of the Northern Alliance Drum Corps, Charlene Williams, Roosevelt High School Principal, welcomed volunteers and shared the story of Roosevelt's rise, "whether you believe in miracles or not, there is one thing you can not deny, Roosevelt is on the rise!" Other speakers included the Superintendent of Portland Public Schools, Carole Smith, Multnomah County District Attorney and Roosevelt Alum, Mike Schrunk, Bill Deiz, Events and Corporate Relations at Volunteers of America and Roosevelt Alum, Secretary of State, Kate Brown, and Mayor Sam Adams. Between speakers, the rally was brought to their feet by a spoken word performance of Dr. King's "Dream" speech and by the Alpha Phi Alpha step team from Portland State University. After the rally, students were released from the gymnasium to their service projects located throughout Roosevelt. 

Volunteers worked on projects that explored education as a civil right. Collectively students donated 4,000 hours of service to the school and got big things done. They scrubbed the school from top to bottom, spruced the landscaping, cleared a handicap accessible path, painted rooms and fire boxes, created college-going signs, and folded and strung peace cranes supporting an anti-bullying campaign. The volunteers hope their service will inspire Roosevelt students to believe in themselves and to know that they are college material. 

Charlene Williams, Principal at Roosevelt High School, shared her enthusiasm “ to have so many college kids flood our campus continues to affirm our vision of creating the college-going culture, given Dr. King’s dream. He provides this beautiful context of why we are doing what we’re doing.” 

What makes this MLK Day event exciting is it’s an opportunity for students from different schools to serve with one another. One college student shared, “what brought me here was the gathering of people from different schools for a single purpose.” This sentiment was echoed throughout the day, and indeed reported in the evaluation where 84% of students said that they particularly enjoyed the opportunity to serve with students from campuses different than their own.

ORCC thanks its campus partners as well as community partners Hands on Greater Portland and United Way of the Columbia-Willamette for making this day possible.

Click here to see pictures from the day. Click here to see what events took place across the country.