Martin Luther King Jr. is an important figure in the city of Baton Rouge and the community came together to honor his name.
Despite the freezing weather, hundreds of volunteers still came out to celebrate Dr.King with three days of community services.
From cleaning up community gardens, to painting elderly homes and designing murals around Baton Rouge, Senior Program Director from the Walls Project, Ashlyn Harrison, was warmed by the support of the community.
“This makes me feel like we have some hope left in our society,” Harrison said. “For this many people to come together and be a part of revitalizing this community was such an impact, so just making sure we continue this work and we continue doing all these things.”
With about nine hundred volunteers from all over the parish, and sponsors like Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, the City of Baton Rouge, ExxonMobil, the Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation, and many others, the goal of the Walls Project was to bring the community together to give our services and resources to those who are in need.
“We have painted elderly homes, we have also gone out and supported local communities, like businesses that are not currently being serviced, and closed down,” Harrison said. “We are tyring to bring those back to life.”
The MLK Fest was not only to serve the community, but it was also a way to see the unison and love the people of Baton Rouge have for their home.
“Today meant a lot to me, I felt like it meant a lot for the community as well,” said volunteer Brittany Hankton. “Just to see the things we can accomplish if we work together, just do everything we can, and put it back into where we stay and where we live, this is a lot for us.”
Starting the year strong, the Walls Project plans to continue their services throughout the year with the help of other organizations.
For more information on future events and volunteering services, you can visit the Walls project website, thewallsproject.org, or follow them on instagram, wallsproject