USNA News Article

MAG Encourages Community Service for All Citizens

Jan 20, 2012

By Jessica Clark, U.S. Naval Academy Public Affairs

The Naval Academy's Midshipman Action Group and Black Studies Club helped encourage local volunteerism during the National Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis Jan. 16.

More than 300 Anne Arundel County residents interested in volunteering attended the event during which local nonprofit organizations such as the Chesapeake Children's Museum, Bello Machre, and Creating Communities set up displays and sponsored activities promoting community service.

The event, sponsored by the Volunteer Center for Anne Arundel County, honored the life and words of Martin Luther King Jr. by encouraging community service.

“This event gave midshipmen the opportunity to give back to the community of Annapolis and the larger community of Anne Arundel County,” said Midshipman 3rd Class Margaret Gilroy, who organized Midshipman participation in the event. “The Midshipman Action Group's volunteers arrived at the museum with the goal of using their enthusiasm for national service to generate energy for local service among members of the community.”

Midshipmen helped set up the event and move people through each information station. Activities included creating Valentine's Day cards for veterans and troops overseas and constructing a community mural of dreams, in honor of King's “I Have a Dream” speech.

“We worked in partnership with the museum to engage people of all ages in service projects,” said Fay R. Mauro, executive director of the Volunteer Center for Anne Arundel County. “Volunteers from diverse backgrounds were inspired to come together and take action to make their community better.”

The Banneker-Douglass Museum, dedicated Feb. 24, 1984, is named for Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass, two prominent figures in African American history. Its mission is to preserve Maryland's African American heritage. The museum serves as the state's official repository of African American material culture.

For more information about the Midshipman Action Group, please visit the MAG web site.