MLK Day of Service: 'It's just a good feeling'

EUGENE, Ore. - Martin Luther King Jr. Day wasn't just a day off from school and work for many around Eugene. Instead, it was a day to give back.

"It just makes people feel good I guess. It's good for the community, good for yourself and for the community," said volunteer Jimmy Coachman.

Armed with paint brushes and scrapers, volunteers like Coachman, spent the day revamping the Youth M.O.V.E Center in downtown Eugene as part of the national MLK Day of Service.

"I'm really involved with the teen center," said Coachman. "I have been for a couple of months now, and I don't know, it just makes me feel good to help out."

The day was made possible by the Lane County Department of Children and Families and AmeriCorps, who helped bring the project to life.

Across town at Strike City Lanes, University of Oregon students spent their MLK Jr. Day in a different way.

For them, it was spending a little quality time bowling with youth from the Emerald Valley Down Syndrome Network.

"I did this last year as well, and I just really, really like giving back to the community," said volunteer Dulce Castro.

The students were just a handful of 500 that took part in the U of Os 20 different MLK Jr. Day service projects, which included a clean-up of Buford Park and a cleaning and painting project at the Emerald Valley Boys and Girls Club.

Volunteer Andrew Moss says events like this, are what Martin Luther King Jr. was all about.

"I feel like it's a good day to volunteer 'cause he just, he was a very proactive person, he broke down so many boundaries, and the ability to go out and do something good for other people is just, it's a nice thing to do."

Some volunteers even said they this day is just a jumping off point to give back all year long.

"It's too bad it's only one day of the year," said volunteer Patrick Compton. "It should be a once a week type of deal, like every Saturday, go out and do something good for your community."