Learning to serve

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Martin Luther King Junior

Wimberley ISD students got out in the community on Martin Luther King Junior Day to learn how to serve. WISD Board of Trustees member Rob Campbell was one of the founders of the “Big Serve” in 2008. Local churches postponed or shortened services on a particular Sunday and asked their congregations to use the time to serve the community.

“There are so many good examples of service in our community every day,” Allen Bruggman, Wimberley ISD Communications Officer, said. “…What better way to teach students how to do than to have them help their neighbor and learn what it is like to give back their time and energy? It is a lesson that people of all ages can take and be reminded of.”

The 2021 version of the Big Serve was transformed to allow for health and safety guidelines brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of churches allowing for time to give back, this time it was the school district that encouraged students to use their time off on Martin Luther King Junior Day to serve the community.

“Martin Luther King Junior’s legacy was part of the reason we chose that day,” Bruggman said. “He was a man of service. We asked the families and students to embrace his theme of a lifetime of service.

Embracing the legacy of Martin Luther King Junior, participants sought out their own service projects from neighbors or community businesses and organizations.

“We gave our students and their families the idea to go next door and ask your neighbor if they need help,” Bruggman said. “We had people send us photos of people picking up trash or raking leaves. Some were restocking the little community libraries or a fifth grade student helped organized the kitchen at the senior center. This was a great opportunity to have that lesson.”