Martin Luther King Jr. Day isn’t officially observed until January 19, but in Sullivan County, the work of honoring Dr. King’s legacy is already underway.
Later this week, high school students from across the county will come together for the fifth annual MLK Day of Service Youth Summit, an event rooted in Dr. King’s call to service, leadership, and community — and intentionally held ahead of the official holiday.
Hosted on the campus of SUNY Sullivan, the summit brings together 11th and 12th graders for a full day of reflection, workshops, and connection designed to help young people see themselves as leaders and changemakers.
“This is crazy to me — preparing for the fifth MLK Day of Service Youth Summit,” said Amanda Langseder of Sullivan 180, one of the event’s organizers. “It really just doesn’t seem possible.”
A response to disconnected youth
The summit grew out of a conversation nearly six years ago among youth-serving organizations and county departments alarmed by what Langseder called a “startling statistic” — Sullivan County’s high rate of disconnected youth.
“Those of us that work with youth became upset,” she said. “How can this be? How can youth not feel like they have a sense of community, and organizations and people that care about them?”
That concern sparked a collaborative effort involving groups ranging from the Youth Bureau and Cornell Cooperative Extension to the Boys & Girls Club and workforce development agencies.
“We asked, ‘What is it that we can do to change this situation?’” Langseder said. “How could we give young people — just preparing for takeoff in life — a community hug, a community embrace?” From the beginning, the effort was tied explicitly to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. “How do we connect young people to their community and to the idea of community service in the name of Martin Luther King Jr.?” she said.
Five years in, the impact is visible
Now marking its fifth year, Langseder says the summit’s impact shows up in unexpected places — even the grocery store.
“Sometimes I’m walking in the grocery store in my MLK sweatshirt and somebody will come up to me and go, ‘Hey, did you go to that thing?’” she said. “And they’ll say, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to go back to that summit.’ That makes me feel like a ball of fire.”
For Langseder, that reaction reflects the power of collective effort. “No one of our organizations could have possibly pulled off, for five years strong, a Martin Luther King Day of Service Youth Summit,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about — the collective impact.”
A day that feels different from school
Unlike a typical school day or assembly, students are treated as young adults the moment they arrive on the SUNY Sullivan campus. “You arrive at the Youth Summit and instantly you’re elevated,” Langseder said. “You’re treated like the young adult that you are.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. John Gaines, whose message centers on finding one’s “sense of somebodiness,” a phrase often used by Dr. King.
Students then break into workshops led by community organizations, all centered on Dr. King’s words.
She pointed to one line that resonates strongly with students:
“If you can’t fly, then run.
If you can’t run, then walk.
If you can’t walk, then crawl.
But whatever you do, you just keep moving.”
“Those words stick with somebody,” she said, “especially when they’re feeling like all they can do is barely crawl.”
One of the most powerful moments of the day comes when students watch Dr. King’s “Blueprint for Life” speech.
“Not a pin drop,” Langseder said. “You can’t hear anything but silence. That grainy black-and-white footage — his words are riveting, and they still ring true today.”
Why the Center for Discovery keeps showing up
The Center for Discovery is the presenting sponsor of the summit, and representatives Kammi Walter and Amanda Ward say their involvement goes far beyond financial support.“When you have such a unique community like ours, when more people are involved, your impact is stronger,” Ward said.
As the largest employer in Sullivan County, with about 1,800 staff, the Center sees the summit as a chance to walk alongside students. “Many of these students’ parents work for us, or they’re looking for internships with us,” Ward said. “We’re learning from them, giving them a voice, and hoping to inspire them so they realize how many opportunities are out there.”
More than a day off
Langseder hopes students leave with a clear understanding that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is “a day of service — not just a day off.”
“We want them to walk away with a seed of an idea,” she said — whether that’s starting or expanding a school food pantry, organizing a cleanup, or launching another service project.
This year, organizers plan to follow up more intentionally with schools after the summit to support those projects. For the Center for Discovery, the momentum doesn’t end Friday. The organization will host a recruitment open house on January 14, inviting students and teachers to continue exploring opportunities.
“That through line is important,” Walter said. “Showing students there are opportunities right here.”
As Langseder sees it, the message is simple.
“We rally around our youth here in Sullivan County,” she said. “We bring them whatever we can to make sure they have what they need.”
Image: Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, speaks to thousands during his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Aug. 28, 1963, in Washington. (AP Photo/File)