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MLK Day of Service and 550 volunteers!
By Marlena Krcelich
March/April 2020
 Kids out of school for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday volunteered to help clean up Marston House plantings. Photo by Marlena Krcelich |
If you walked or drove past the Marston House on January 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, you would have noticed hundreds of people on the grounds, wielding garden tools and trash bags. Now in its twelfth year, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Interfaith Services brings people of all faiths together in one place to work towards a common goal: cleaning up and beautifying San Diego's treasured Balboa Park. The event drew nearly 550 volunteers, all brought to the park by their various local religious congregations, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Congregation Beth Israel, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, First United Methodist Church of San Diego, the Islamic Center of San Diego, Temple Emanu-El, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, and more.
In groups, volunteers tackled different tasks throughout the Marston House grounds and adjacent parkland. Some planted flowers and cleaned out garden beds, while others pulled large tree branches and palm fronds from the deep canyon. Rakes and shovels were in constant motion, with guidance given by Parks and Recreation staff and Balboa Park rangers. Everyone, no matter what age, faith, or association, could be seen working together and contributing to a common goal, a feat that echoes the teachings Dr. King himself.
It was inspiring to see multiple generations, with many young children, getting involved in the preservation and conservation of such an important historic structure and landscape. Attendees also learned more about the Marston House itself from SOHO staff and city employees. Many expressed their intentions to return for a tour of the inside.
SOHO is grateful to all of the staff and volunteers who participated. We know George Marston, a philanthropist and supporter of parks and landscape design, would be proud to see so many people working together to care for the land he loved.
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