BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Volunteers at a Bed-Stuy non-profit are putting in the time to pay homage to Martin Luther King Jr.
500 Men Making a Difference is hosting its fifth annual MLK “shut-in,” working 72 straight hours to restore the historical Magnolia Tree Earth Center.
Starting midnight Friday, more than 75 participants painted, restored and cleared debris from the center, made of three brownstones on Lafayette Avenue which house a community environmental organization.
Volunteers will complete their work Monday evening.
The organization sought to refurbish the buildings to provide improved space for the center’s workers and area non-profits, said project leader Bryant McInnis.
Community activist Hattie Carthan founded the Magnolia Tree Earth Center after she saved its century-old namesake and the surrounding buildings.
“This is a building that serves to help the community, which was the vision of Ms. Carthan and Dr. King,” McInnis said.
“We wanted to keep the tradition going of serving and helping others, not for people to just listen to Dr. King’s speeches all day, but to do something and really have an impact.”
Locals and students plastered walls and helped to rebuild the center’s kitchen until 1 a.m. Monday, McInnis added.
The group took a break for the organization’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Men’s Breakfast at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, during which they honored the civic leader and residents working to better Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Representatives from the non-profit said they hope such service projects will inspire youth to get involved and remind people to take action in their communities.
“We’re trying to push ourselves and push those around us to say don’t just take the weekend off, don’t just sleep in,” said Fernando Lorence, the organization’s vice chairman of board of directors.
“Find some time in your community to push yourself to do better, to be better, and to symbolize something to these young folks around us to say, ‘I care about this block.’”
