In conjunction with John Marshall's Multicultural Celebration this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day, College Now's AmeriCorps hosted an event designed to emulate Martin Luther King's idea of the Beloved Community by having a community engagement event where students, faculty, staff and parents could attend workshops to discuss what thwarts the idea of the Beloved Community and ways that we as a community can continue Martin Luther King's principles. These workshops were led by community members and representatives from AIDS United, The Bellaire-Puritas CDC, Cuyahoga County Councilman Dale Miller, The Ohio Students Association and the 1st District Police.

 

As part of the event, College Now's AmeriCorps members collaborated with students from John Marshall's School of Civic and Business Leadership to develop seven one-word touchstones - each of which is a way in which the community can continue to further Martin Luther King's principles. These touchstones are: Kindness, Responsibility, Stewardship, Integrity, Inquiry, Reflection and Social Impact.

 

These touchstones were then painted onto the school's walls and under each touchstone is a quote from Martin Luther King Many thanks to Sherwin-Williams, who generously donated 40 gallons of paint and additional supplies in support of this initiative. 

 

During the luncheon, over 400 mentors, mentees and community guests came together to honor the commitment of the program's outstanding volunteer mentors. At the beginning of the event, mentors and mentees had the chance to catch up with one another before guest speaker, Alex Sheen, took the stage. Alex, founder of the local organization because I said I would, spoke about the importance of making and keeping transformational promises. 

 

At the close of the luncheon, students, accompanied by their mentors, attended the College Now career fair. There, they had the opportunity to meet with 46 local employers to discuss internship and job opportunities. With a record-breaking number of companies in attendance, and wide variety of career fields represented, this year's fair was the most successful to date!

 

The Mentoring Program staff would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our mentors, and to all who were able to attend the Mentor Appreciation Luncheon & Career Fair - mentors and mentees, community supporters and local organizations. We'd also like to recognize College Now staff who helped before, during and after the event. It would not be possible to do any of this without your support and commitment!