Skip to Content

Student Affairs and Academic Support

Honoring MLK Day with Breakfast and Service Across the Midlands

 Nearly 200 University of South Carolina students and community members joined together to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a day of service on Jan. 18, 2025. The event was part of USC’s Service Saturday program through the Leadership and Service Center, and featured volunteers at eight sites throughout the Columbia area, creating an economic impact for the city of roughly $20,000.

students volunteering for MLK day

On campus, volunteers competed in a peanut butter and jelly making contest with all sandwiches donated to assist those facing hunger in the community. Together, participants made a total of more than 2,000 sandwiches, which were all donated to The Arc of South Carolina. Student volunteers in the Russell House also created cards for patients undergoing treatment at the Prisma Health Children's Hospital.

Students and community members also lent a helping hand in the Sustainable Carolina Garden, starting by weeding the garden and picking up litter. They then applied a layer of compost and mulch and planted new seedlings to help grow the garden.

Off-campus, volunteers worked with the Alala Cancer Society and Game Changers to organize and clean up multiple sites in the area.

The University of South Carolina celebrated the holiday with its annual MLK Commemorative Breakfast on January 17. The event was highlighted by speeches from bestselling author Dr. Clint Smith and President Michael Amiridis as well as a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by Touch of Faith, Student Gospel Ensemble.

The university bestowed its 2025 Social Justice Awards during the breakfast, including honorees Althea Counts, Norah Dixon, Christina Plakas and Dr. Devin Randolph, as well as awards for USC’s Unsung Heroes, Distinguished Alumni and Community Partner.


Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

©