Warm Up, DC – MLK Day Volunteer Project – January 19, 2015

As a way to honor the legacy and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Meridian hosted our second annual Warm Up, DC to address Dr. King’s challenge, ʺWhat are you doing for others?ʺ On January 19, 2015, with generous support from our presenting sponsor, City First Bank, Meridian bridged the local and global work of our mission with a day of service that engaged both domestic and international communities. Our key partner and beneficiary for this year’s initiative was the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Silver Spring, which offers education, nutrition, and family support programs to newly arrived refugee families in the Washington, DC metro area. As part of this half-day event, there were collection sites for much needed items along the U Street corridor, and Meridian's campus was transformed into a ʺdream labʺ matching skilled volunteers to engage with members of the community.

The day opened at the civic-minded community institution, Busboys and Poets, with a kick-off celebration and ʺknit-inʺ featuring welcome remarks by Meridian’s President & CEO, Ambassador Stuart Holliday. We were thrilled that Busboys’ owner, Andy Shallal, stopped by to say hello and share a few stitches himself. Throughout the day, participating neighborhood businesses and organizations served as ʺdonation destinations,ʺ collecting items to prepare IRC’s clients for the winter weather.