Baker College of Flint Offers Activities for MLK Day

FLINT, Mich. – Baker College of Flint will commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 20, with seven hours of community service projects in which the public is invited to participate.

Activities will be ongoing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Baker College Student Center.

The main project is making no-sew, fleece blankets for the Flushing (Mich.) Chapter of Project Linus, a not-for-profit organization, to distribute to children in Genesee County. It is supported by a $500 grant from the Michigan Nonprofit Association of Lansing.

"One in four children in Genesee County lives in poverty,” said Maureen Miller, director of health & fitness and student clubs coordinator at Baker College of Flint. “These blankets will be distributed where they are most needed—to children in homeless shelters, children’s centers, hospitals or programs for low-income families.”

Miller said that the blanket project is organized by the College Town Collaborative, a group dedicated to community service and engaging students from the five colleges and universities in Flint, of which Baker College of Flint is one. All College Town Collaborative members will have blanket construction events on their campuses Jan. 20.

Other activities at Baker College of Flint are:

•     Making toys for the Humane Society of Genesee County: braiding fleece for dog pull-toys and making cat-nip toys for cats

•     Clipping and sorting collected coupons for Support Our Troops Troopons, an organization that distributes food, non-food, baby and pet manufacturer coupons to military families so their hard-earned dollars go further

•     Rolling donated change that has been collected since November for “A Mile of Change” to be donated to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and North End Soup Kitchen

Since passage of federal legislation in 1994 that designated a national Martin Luther King Day of Service, the holiday has been transformed into a day of citizen action volunteer service in honor of Dr. King.

For more information about the MLK Day of Service activities at Baker College of Flint, contact the admissions office at 810.766.4000 or jodi.cuneaz@baker.edu.

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. It is a nonprofit higher education institution, serving more than 35,000 students on 12 campuses and in three satellite locations. Baker grants certificates and associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, health sciences, education and human services, and various technical fields, as well as a doctorate of business administration. As a career college, the Baker College system is pleased to report that 97 percent of its available graduates are employed. For more information about Baker College, please check out our website at www.baker.edu.