BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield residents, assisted by those from surrounding communities, paid homage on Saturday morning, Jan. 13, to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by taking part in the fourth annual MLK/Bloomfield Day of Service.
The event was an opportunity for volunteers to make a difference by improving the township infrastructure.
In the past, volunteers enlivened Bloomfield Middle and Berkeley Elementary schools by painting hallways and staircases with portraits of black achievers and strategically placed inspirational quotes. Berkeley Elementary was even given arithmetic problems on stairway risers to keep young minds active while trudging from floor to floor.
At the Bloomfield Public Library two years ago, book racks were removed and an area for teens was established on the second level.
This year, the middle school was again targeted for improvement along with Demarest Elementary. At Demarest, the cafeteria was repainted and designs were painted on the hallway wall opposite the front entrance. At BMS, sections of the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms got a coat of paint. A girls’ bathroom wall was also given a self-affirming quote to serve as an emotional pick-me-up.
According to Jody Polidoro, a volunteer working at the middle school this past weekend, a school bathroom is usually the place where a student, when confronted with a troubling situation, goes to collect their thoughts and to talk things over with a friend. Polidoro said a boys’ bathroom would also be given a self-affirming quote.
The Day of Service event was established January 2015 by Bloomfield Councilwoman Wartyna Davis during her first year as an elected official.
Speaking at Demarest this past Saturday, Davis said altogether about 100 volunteers were working at the two schools. The township, she said, provided transportation between the two venues. Other organizations that chipped in to make the event a success were a Bloomfield paint store that provided the paint and brushes; the local police union that provided a breakfast of bagels, coffee and orange juice; and the local fire department union which provided pizza for lunch.
Davis said the response by the volunteers “speaks of the desire to do community work and to extend the legacy of Dr. King.”
Among the volunteers were about 20 women from the youth group of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Montclair chapter, where Davis is a sorority sister.
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