City Year Student Success Coaches, alumni and other community partners will beautify Woodland Acres Elementary School on January 15, 2024
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – December 20, 2023 – City Year Jacksonville, with the support of community stakeholders including CSX, RF-SMART, THE PLAYERS Championship, and more, will celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a day of service at Woodland Acres Elementary School on Monday, January 15, 2024.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. This is the 10th year City Year Jacksonville has served on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in response to one of what he once described as one of life’s most urgent questions, “What are you doing for others?”
The 2024 program will focus on beautification of both indoor and outdoor areas of the Woodland Acres Elementary School campus, which was founded in 1956. Representatives from Duval County Public Schools, families of students who attend City Year partner schools, City Year staff, and various community partners will join City Year’s Student Success Coaches on this wonderful day of service. In addition, City Year Jacksonville will be walking in the City of Jacksonville’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade on January 15, 2024.
“City Year began partnering with Woodland Acres Elementary for the first time this school year, and it has been a game changer for our students and staff. City Year Student Success Coaches bring so much energy to our hallways and classrooms,” said Shawn Platts, Principal of Woodland Acres Elementary School. “We are grateful to be the beneficiary of City Year’s MLK Day Jr. Day beautification project and to all the community partners for their support in reinvigorating our campus."
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service not only honors the legacy of Dr. King but it is also the kickoff of City Year Jacksonville’s Mid-Year Summit which will take place on Tuesday, January 16 and Wednesday, January 17. This two-day event brings together City Year Student Success Coaches and staff in a moment of restorative community, marking the halfway point of the school year. The organization’s Mid-Year Summit will be an opportunity for regeneration and learning opportunities for the young adults who serve as Student Success Coaches, and to also celebrate the profound impact they are making on the lives of children in Northeast Florida in preparation for the second half of the school year.
“This MLK Day of Service marks our 10th year showing up in community alongside many of our partners. This one not only honors the memory of Dr. King but uplifts the beauty of the Arlington community through it’s Woodland Acres Elementary School campus. This is one of my favorite days of the year because through showing up and hands on service, it reminds us that Dr. King's commitment to equality and justice still serves as a guiding light,” said Allishia Bauman, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Jacksonville. “On this day and everyday, we ground ourselves with the belief in the words of Dr. King that, ‘Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.’”
City Year Jacksonville is a nonprofit, in-classroom organization that works in Duval County Public Schools from before school starts to after school ends every day throughout the school year, providing students in 10 local schools with mentorship and support in order to help them fulfill their educational goals. The organization also supports 13 additional schools through their Network for School Improvement initiative, serving a total of 23 schools in Northeast Florida.
If you are interested in serving the community on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, City Year Jacksonville would love your assistance with our beautification project at Woodland Acres Elementary. Learn more and register at this link: https://support.cityyear.org/event/mlk-day-of-service-city-year-jacksonville/e539285.
City Year Jacksonville is actively recruiting idealistic young people between the ages of 18-25 to serve as Student Success Coaches in Duval County Public Schools starting in the fall of the 2024-2025 school year. As part of their year of service, Student Success Coaches receive a bi-weekly stipend, an education award, and free health benefits, as well as professional development training and post-service college and career opportunities. The next application deadline for enrollment is February 2, 2024. Learn more about this opportunity with City Year Jacksonville at www.cityyear.org/jacksonville.
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About City Year Jacksonville:
City Year helps students and schools succeed, while preparing the next generation of civically engaged leaders who can work across lines of difference. Diverse teams of City Year Student Success Coaches provide holistic support to students, classrooms and the whole school. A 2020 study shows that the more time students spend with Student Success Coaches, the more they improve on social, emotional and academic skills – skills that help students thrive in school and contribute to their community.
A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by AmeriCorps, local school districts and private philanthropy. City Year partners with public schools in 29 communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa. Learn more about City Year Jacksonville at https://www.cityyear.org/jacksonville.