Volunteers mark King birthday at service projects

January 19, 2009

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Monica Rodriguez, Staff Writer

Scores of volunteers on Monday fanned out across the Inland Valley to celebrate the birth of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by completing community-service projects.

About 500 volunteers signed up to help others through Hands On Inland Empire, a Inland Empire United Way program.

As part of the day of service, volunteers painted murals, repaired elderly residents' homes and set up a computer lab for children.

They also swept streets, cleaned alleys, spruced up an apartment's small courtyard and refurbished a safe haven for children at Karesh Avenue and Abbey Lane in eastern Pomona.

Although 120 volunteers signed up to help, "We've surpassed that number because residents have joined in," said Brandi Carter, director of Hands On.

Residents of the Abbey and Karesh area on Monday welcomed the chance to join the cleanup.

Noemi Macias said she and her neighbors spent the morning sweeping the street outside their apartment building, cleaning up a planter and putting flowers in small garden spaces around their building.

"We'd do it as many times as was done just to keep the neighborhood clean," Macias said.

Dionna Houston and her University of La Verne Phi Sigma Sigma sorority sisters concentrated on painting and decorating an apartment on Karesh that serves as a children's safe haven.

"It's a feeling you did some individual empowerment," Houston said. "Especially because they say at least 25 kids come here every day."

In Montclair, the Pomona Valley Workshop's cafeteria was the site of a different project.

Volunteers worked with a professional artist to create a mural depicting orange groves and mountains.

Valerie Copas, senior job coach at Pomona Valley Workshop, woke up her five children Monday and took them to work on the mural.

"Just to see (the clients) happy, makes us happy," said Raylene Atilano, Copas' daughter.

Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino contributed to this report.

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