DuPage AME Church Daisies Honor MLK Day Through Veterans Service Project
by Stacey Montgomery, Leader, Troop 56689
On January 15th, five Daisies from Girl Scout Troop 56689 participated in the My Super Powers Foundation’s (MSPF) 4th Annual Valentine’s Day Gifts for Veterans Service Project. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the National Day of Service, this initiative drew nearly 40 young volunteers, including Girl Scouts from DuPage AME Church in Lisle, Illinois.
Despite the sub-zero temperatures, the young volunteers made 120 Valentine’s Day cards and enough crafts for the 80+ Illinois Veterans’ Home residents at LaSalle. The young volunteers had fun while diligently working throughout the event.
As the Daisy Troop’s leader and the MSPF’s founder, I was proud of the daisies’ hard work. They made several Valentine’s Day cards and crafts that we gave to LaSalle’s Illinois Veterans’ Home residents.
I was particularly proud of 5-year-old Daisy Ka’Liyah Kay. As the event was ending and I was making my final remarks, Ka’Liyah approached me and told me that she had something that she wanted to say to everyone. A little suspicious, I asked her what she had to say. She told me that it was about Martin Luther King. I gave her the floor.
Ka’Liyah reminded everyone that not only was that event about supporting veterans but that the day was also about honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of kindness and community. Her sister, Ka’Lani, shared additional facts about Dr. King.
Ka’Liyah’s brief address added depth to the day’s activities, underscoring the broader context of service and community values associated with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Participating in service projects is a way to support important causes, and it is a way of embodying Dr. King’s vision of a united and compassionate society.
Shortly after the Valentine’s Day Gifts for Veterans Service Project, the MSPF’s board reflected on the event. We agreed that in the future, we needed to do a better job of emphasizing the significance of holding that service project on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Ka’Liyah exemplified the motto of the MSPF- youth can and do make a difference.
