The University at Buffalo welcomed approximately 30 children from Journey's End Refugee Services Monday afternoon for the 2nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. This event, sponsored by the Center for Student Leadership and Community Engagement (CSLCE), was held at Buffalo ReUse last year.
"[Journey's End] brought a group of their students to campus so they can have an afternoon of fun and games. We hope that they're able to realize the legacy that MLK left," said Tim Leonard, a community engagement graduate assistant for CSLCE. "All around the country, people are doing service and volunteering their time, so this is our way at UB to realize that."
Journey's End is a Christian community-based organization that welcomes refugees regardless of ethnicity or creed and assists them in becoming independent, contributing members of the community. The organization offers resettlement, employment, immigration and interpreting services.
"For many of them, English isn't their first language," said Ashley Otto, an Americorps member and co-sponsor liaison for Journey's End. "We want to provide them with a warm environment for them to learn and have fun."
Most weekends, Journey's End offers a program called "Let's Go to the Library," which brings children of refugee clients to the Niagara Branch library, as well as to local community spots such as the Buffalo Historical Museum and Delaware Park. The MLK Day of Service was meant to be an extension of the program's usual activities.
"We want the kids to have some exposure to some place outside the library, the university, to work with other members of the community," Otto said.
A number of UB students were on hand at the event to work with the children. Dan Padgett, a senior math major, first became involved with Let's Go to the Library through the UB Circle K International (CKI) club. Padgett is president of the club, which works to build leadership and serve the community.
"The kids can have a chance to get together and hang out," Padgett said. "They definitely make friends and it's nice for them to have someone older to look up to."
To get involved with CKI, visit wings.buffalo.edu/sa/circlek to gain more information about this semester's meetings.
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