Sarah Bertschmann has a new appreciation for the value of a pencil.
The Hopkinton Middle School eighth-grader took school supplies for granted until she spent yesterday afternoon assembling packages for children in need at Cradles to Crayons in Brighton.
“These kids don’t have them,” Bertschmann said. “It makes me appreciate what we have in Hopkinton more.”
Bertschmann and more than 250 other eighth-graders from throughout the Bay State started their Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend by giving back. The students participated in Project 351, an initiative Gov. Deval Patrick started during his 2010 inauguration to honor young leaders and encourage community service.
Wearing shirts with the Martin Luther King Jr. quote “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve,” students fanned out across Boston to perform a day of service at several locations including Cradles to Crayons, a Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester, the Greater Boston Food Bank and an elderly and disabled housing community in Roxbury.
The youth, chosen by their teachers and principals, began the day in the State House’s Great Hall, where Patrick addressed them beneath flags from the state’s 351 cities and towns.
Patrick explained how he grew up on the South Side of Chicago and attended overcrowded and under-funded schools.
“One thing we had was a sense of community,” Patrick said, telling the students that “each of us has a stake in (someone else’s) dreams and struggles as well as our own. You understand that.”
Patrick encouraged the students to bring the message of service back to their communities. He also asked them why they were participating.
“I’m here to help people and make a difference,” Framingham’s Abigail Murphy told the governor.
About 150 students went to Cradles to Crayons, where they sorted and inspected gently used and new books, clothes, toys and other items people have donated to the nonprofit organization. The students helped more than 1,000 children across the state, said Elizabeth Farley, the organization’s marketing and communications coordinator.
“This is great,” Marlborough’s Pedro DeMello said as he cleaned a plastic toy. “I feel much better about America (seeing so many people come together).”
At the Boys and Girls Club, students painted walls and banners and turned strips of cloth into scarves for children.
Vanessa Lauber of Medway, who volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club, said the event helped her understand the power of many people coming together for a single cause and the importance of an individual.
“Everyone has a voice,” the 13-year-old Lauber said. “One person can inspire a lot of other people to help out.”
Karina Ramos, 13, of Milford, said she was excited to meet her peers from throughout the state who enjoy community service as much as she does.
“It feels really good. I’ll go to sleep knowing I helped someone,” Ramos said. “This has really inspired me to do a lot more.”
Brian Benson can be reached at 508-634-7582 or bbenson@wickedlocal.com.