Paige Vigneron of the Marblehead Veterans Middle School will join over 250 eighth-graders representing the state’s 351 cities and towns this Saturday, Jan. 14 for a second annual day of service.
These student “ambassadors” from across Massachusetts will meet to volunteer and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. as part of Project 351. Launched during Gov. Deval Patrick’s inaugural in 2010, Project 351 is dedicated to celebrating youth leadership and inspiring the ethic of service.
Patrick will again host a Youth Town Meeting this year before the young people fan out to service sites across Boston, including Cradles to Crayons, the Greater Boston Food Bank, the Dorchester Boys and Girls Club and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Towers. The day will conclude at the State House, where the ambassadors and the governor will reflect on the day and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King.
The young people participating were all nominated by education leaders in their hometowns, based on their exemplary service ethic and spirit of generosity.
Jan. 14 will also serve as the launch of Project 351, a new, independent non-profit dedicated to continuing youth leadership in the state through dedication to service of an annual class of ambassadors. Patrick will serve as Project 351’s honorary chairman.
“Project 351 will support and create opportunities for the eighth-grade ambassadors’ continued service, by providing tools, enrichment and connection to a community of their peers,” said Carolyn Casey, executive director of Project 351. “We will work to ensure that young leaders from across the Commonwealth have the greatest potential to make a difference in their communities.”
Last year’s day of service impacted over 10,000 children facing economic challenges in the areas of nutrition, early childhood health and development and education and motivated the ambassadors who took part.
Margaret Livingstone, an eighth-grade teacher at Pioneer Valley Regional School, noted the continuing value of the project.
“Each of the four students I escorted last January continue to be actively involved in community service projects in their schools and hometowns,” she said. “Knowing their increased service is the result of that one day shows the true worth of the Project 351 experience.”