Local school districts to come together to serve community on MLK Day

OAKLAND COUNTY — School districts in Berkley, Clawson and Royal Oak will be coming together to honor Martin Luther King Jr. with their annual “A Day On, Not a Day Off” event.

The day of service will be held beginning at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 15, at the Royal Oak Middle School auditorium, 709 N. Washington Ave.

From 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., participants will be able to make signage for the Freedom Walk and participate in volunteer services and hands-on activities. There also will be breakfast available.

At 9:30 a.m., people will be invited to watch a “student-produced video featuring all three schools focused on what service and community mean to them, and hear a welcome from the Berkley, Clawson and Royal Oak superintendents,” a press release states.

The Freedom Walk around the middle school’s neighborhood will commence at 10 a.m. The first 300 guests will receive a commemorative event button. All ages and members of the community are invited to attend.

After the walk, attendees will be able to participate in service projects at Royal Oak Middle School and several community locations to do donation sorting, making blankets and card-making for educators. Donations will support Redford Brightmoor Initiative, Cass Community Social Services, Judson Center, Royal Oak First United Methodist Church and Royal Oak Schools Teen Clean Closet.

Royal Oak Schools communications specialist Amy Murphy explained in an email that the event will include a program led by the superintendents of the three districts and music from the Clawson Public Schools orchestra.

Murphy said that, in the past, the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration has drawn around 300 people.

Royal Oak Schools Superintendent Mary Beth Fitzpatrick believes that this event is a great benefit to the school districts.

“It’s an opportunity for education about the Civil Rights Movement, a way to promote volunteerism, and a way for our communities of Royal Oak, Berkeley and now Clawson Schools to come together for a day of service and reflection,” she said.

Berkley School District Superintendent Scott Francis stated in an email that “A Day On, Not a Day Off” is a small way for the districts to come together and honor King’s work.

“We are all committed to keeping diversity, equity and inclusion at the forefront of our schools to create an environment where all staff, students and community members feel a sense of belonging,” he said. “The greater community can all honor Dr. King by joining us and doing the same.”

This is the seventh year for “A Day On, Not a Day Off” from Berkley and Royal Oak, and the first to include Clawson, which previously held its own event to honor King.

Clawson Public Schools Superintendent Billy Shellenbarger said Martin Luther King Jr. Day is about serving others, and the event is an opportunity to take initiative and serve others.

“The opportunity to join forces with two other great districts with great staffs and fantastic leadership, that just will make it even stronger and send an even stronger, more impactful message in southeast Oakland County,” he said.

For more information on the event, visit royaloakschools.org/whats_new/a_day_of_service_2024.