More than 70 students, staff, alumni and family members from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee community brightened the halls of Rufus King International Middle School as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service project Jan. 16.
A couple staff members, 35 students and 36 alumni and friends took part in painting murals to brighten up the bare, undecorated walls of the school. Student volunteers were from the College of Nursing, the Muslim Student Association, UWM SHAC (Student Housing Administrative Council), Housing and the Black Cat Frisbee team.
Sabrina Waterfield, a junior in elementary special education, said the murals would help morale and school pride at Rufus King. This was her third year volunteering for the day of service.
“Imagine closing your locker Friday afternoon and walking down the plain hallways before leaving the building, only to come back Tuesday morning with colorful, inspiring images and quotes everywhere you look,” Waterfield said.
Tien Wong, a sophomore in microbiology who took part in the project, agreed.
“As an alumnus of an MPS school that looked like a prison when I went there, I cried tears of joy when I walked through the hallways, because if that was what I saw every day going to class I would have been way more successful and felt more inclined to believe in myself,” Wong said. “I hope the students look at it and see that they are believed in.
City Year, an AmeriCorps program, joined with UWM’s Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership and Research in coordinating and planning the event. This is the fifth year UWM has participated in the Day of Service.
UWM is challenging students, faculty, staff and alumni to complete 60,000 hours of community engagement during the 2016-2017 school year as part of the university’s 60th anniversary celebration.
