Jessa Carpenter sat in a small, white-walled room reading “The Little Soul and the Sun” to six adult males. Two of her listeners rocked back and forth as she spoke.
One frequently pierced the story with shrieks. A nurse standing nearby tried to calm him when he repeatedly slapped himself on the head.
Still, Carpenter read on: “You are a being of such utter perfection.”
Carpenter, a 26-year-old UF student personnel and higher education graduate student, was one of about 25 students who visited an adults-with-disabilities care center as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.
Throughout the city, hundreds of Gainesville residents and students celebrated the holiday by volunteering for local nonprofit organizations and participating in city-sponsored events.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Florida Inc. organized a series of events downtown, beginning with its annual hall of fame enshrinement in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Garden near City Hall.
UF’s Center for Leadership and Service, Gator Wesley Foundation and Santa Fe College planned 12 morning service destinations for student volunteers.
The service projects included taking care of dogs and cats at the humane society, revitalizing an on-campus reflection garden and assembling baskets of food for needy families at the Bread of the Mighty Food Bank.
Each of the about 275 students who registered to volunteer were randomly assigned to one of the nonprofits, where they worked for about two hours.
Carpenter carpooled along with other students to Tacachale Center, located at 1621 NE Waldo Road, to interact with some of the 35- to 85-year-old disabled adults who reside there.
Carpenter and Danielle Lespinasse, who both alternated reading sections in the book, weren’t phased by the tumultuous story time.
“It was a little challenging to read with the interruptions,” said Lespinasse, a 26-year-old UF clinical psychology graduate student. “You just had to push through the screaming and the hitting.”
Adam Gerstenfeld stood across the hallway in the music room, playing chords on an electric keyboard as an elderly resident swayed back and forth in his chair.
Gerstenfeld, an 18-year-old telecommunication freshman who plays clarinet in the UF Fightin’ Gator Marching Band, said he doesn’t know how to play the piano but was willing to tinker with the instrument to bring enjoyment to the residents.
“I like being around these people,” he said. “It’s relaxing.”
Holly Spence sat at a table in a next-door art room.
She helped a resident brush a white canvas cowboy hat with bright green paint.
“I love green,” the resident said, looking fondly at the hat. “I’m going to wear it when the paint dries.”
He abruptly stood up and began performing a rendition of a hula dance and transitioned into Michael Jackson’s Moonwalk.
“You know more dances than I do,” Spence, 20, exclaimed.
Willingness to reach out is the key to thriving in a volunteer situation like Tacachale, Gerstenfeld said.
“You kind of have to let your guard down and not be afraid to test your boundaries,” he said.
The celebration ended that afternoon after the King Celebration Annual Commemorative March with a gospel program at the MLK Multipurpose Recreation Center, located at 1028 NE 14th St.
Volunteering Monday gave students and residents a chance to break out of their comfort zones in the spirit of King.
Brittany Hronek, a UF health science sophomore, said people shouldn’t only volunteer on special occasions. But she said the holiday helped students get out and participate.
“I think it’s good to do community service in general,” the 19-year-old said. “I think it’s good to give back to the community, especially on a holiday when we don’t have school.”
Moises Reyes contributed to this report.
Jason Martin, 9, left, of William S. Talbot Elementary School, marches with his brother Jared Martin, 11, of Fort Clarke Middle School, in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade on Monday on West University Avenue.
