Students Mark MLK Day with a Day of Service in Scranton

Scranton, Lackawanna County - People across the country and here in northeastern Pennsylvania paused to remember slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday.

Many events were held Monday morning and continued throughout the day.

Students in Scranton engaged in a service project at Marywood University to make the day.

They made cards for nursing home residents and nourishment bags for the homeless.

Maya Reynolds, who is just 17-years-old, said the event really hit home for her. She used to be homeless.

"I was once in that place and so I know how it feels to be like that, in that position," Reynolds said. "It's a hard thing to go through and for me, I feel like I'm reaching out to what was once me."

The students also heard stories of the slain civil rights leader. They say Dr. King still serves as an inspiration for them.

"He's very inspiring in everything I go through," Camiela Brent of Scranton said. "I think back to him and what would he do. He dealt with some of the toughest stuff anyone could ever go through and he still managed to come out on top."

The students also signed a banner with one of Dr. King's messages about service.

Morgan Palmiter takes that message to heart. She has volunteered at this Dr. King event for the last three years.

Coming from a diverse family, it's really important for me to promote diversity and volunteering and service for other people because that's really what Martin Luther King rallied for," Palmiter said.

Organizers say the event is important because it helps to keep Dr. King's dream alive locally.

"We're really trying to help the children come to an understanding of what Martin Luther King was all about and how service was such a great part of his life, doing for others, being for others," Sister Ann Walsh with Friends of the Poor said.