For many, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day free of social obligations. Others see the holiday as an opportunity to aid their communities.

On Thursday, Jan. 12, for the seventh year, Oakland University participated, in the United Way’s National Day of Service to commemorate Dr. King’s legacy, for the seventh year.

The Day of Service began at 8 a.m. at Pontiac High School.

OU, along with Wayne State University, Madonna University, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Oakland Community College and Henry Ford Community College, scheduled several volunteer efforts.

Ambriah Brown, OU’s AmeriCorps VISTA representative, coordinates student community outreach efforts at the university.

“I’m not so much a mentor as I make a mentor of students,” Brown said. “The OU Student Congress was instrumental in recruiting students for the Day of Service.”

Lisa Vecchio, the  OUSC Administrative Assistant, is a site coordinator at Pontiac High School.

“Collaborative work like the Day of Service represents Dr. King’s dream of a united compassionate world,” Vecchio said. “I felt like it was something I should be a part of.”

Vecchio assisted varied Oakland County community assets, such as The Baldwin Center,  a faith-based Pontiac charitable organization and Arts & Scraps  of Detroit, which utilizes recycled industrial materials for children’s art projects.

According to Brown, the dispersed efforts are intentional.

“What can we do in one day that will create the most benefit?” she said.

The MLK Day of Service is one of many outreach efforts Brown coordinates as AmeriCorps VISTA at OU.

According to Brown, fewer people devote themselves to the Day of Service than other volunteer initiatives.

The OU Center for Student Activities and the OUSC are appealing to students to become involved in their communities with opportunities like the Day of Service.

Volunteers must register at the website for the outreach day, www.oakland.edu/MLKDayofService

Registered participants in the free occasion, in addition to helping the Oakland County community, will receive breakfast, lunch and a T-shirt commemorating their service.

To get involved with this and other outreach programs, visit www.oakland.edu/volunteer, or contact Ambriah Brown by phone, 248-370-4338, or e-mail, [email protected].

Contact senior reporter Ray Andre via e-mail at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @RAndre_87