Project 127 challenges FAMUans and service groups around the
nation to complete at least 127 community service projects in their area.
According to organizers, the goal to complete 127 projects
was set to honor FAMU’s upcoming 127th anniversary and its legacy of
“Excellence With Caring” by completing one project for every year FAMU has been
in existence.
The challenge kicks off on Jan. 20, the national observance
of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Individuals and organizations from Alabama, California,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey,
North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. are
also slated to participate.
Participating service groups include: Feeding America Tampa
Bay, Fla., Atlanta’s HELP ORG, Inc., the American Red Cross – Fort Worth, Texas
and Urban Neighborhood Renewal Services in Philadelphia.
Participants have agreed to provide service in areas such as
beautification and trash pickup, feeding the homeless and assisting the
elderly.
For those who are unable to physically participate in a
service project due to work schedules or other circumstances, Project 127
organizers are encouraging participants to call and visit the “sick and
shut-in” in their communities.
According to participant Rondrea Mathis, Project 127 strives
to keep the spirit of both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta
Scott King, alive by promoting community involvement and service to others.
“On this day of service, commemorating the birth of the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., FAMU's young alumni from across the nation pause to
conduct meaningful service in the communities, enclaves and neighborhoods in
which we live,” said Mathis, vice-president of the Tampa Chapter of the FAMU
National Alumni Association.
Additionally, participants are encouraged to complete 127
minutes or more of service (at least two hours) and are invited to post photos
of their projects on the Falling Black in Love Facebook and Twitter pages.
“Project 127 exemplifies the power we have to better our
community and it’s a great way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said
Shanice Hunter, a participant and public relations student at FAMU.
According to Eric Wright, Project 127 was created to
encourage young people, particularly African-American men and women, to live
out the legacy of King by becoming actively involved in community service.
“I am really, more than anything, asking people to get out
and serve. It doesn’t matter what you do, or how you do it – just do it,” said
Wright, a FAMU alumnus and co-organizer for Falling Black in Love. “More
importantly, I want other people to be inspired to go out and do something.
Next year, I challenge other HBCUs to take the lead in leading the nation in
serving on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.”