On Jan. 18 Bluffton University students, faculty and staff gathered to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day by participating in the National Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

The Day of Service was recognized by Congress in 1994 as a way of honoring the work of Dr. King. This day allows Dr. King's message of service, social justice and non-violence to continue to be spread throughout communities. This was the first time that Bluffton University took part in the Day of Service.

The day kicked off with two off-campus volunteer activities. Both sessions took place at The City Mission in Findlay. In the first session a group of 12 Bluffton students helped to wash the walls of the Mission, clean the dining area, and wash the appliances in the kitchen.

In the second session, a group of 15 students helped to prepare food and organize donation boxes. Later in the evening, students sorted clothes donated in Ropp Residence Hall and Ramseyer Residence Hall.

A total of 15 boxes of clothing, which will be donated to a local mission or to the earthquake relief in Haiti, were collected.