SOMERS, Wis. — Volunteers met at UW-Parkside on Monday to serve the community and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The 2023 Community Day event was hosted at Parkside's Student Center by Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago.
Goodwill, in partnership with Northwestern Mutual, hosted a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program. They also held a panel discussion on The Loyola Project, a 2022 documentary on the 1963 Loyola Rambler's basketball team and its impact on breaking racial barriers.
"Our theme is see the film, start the conversation. We believe change starts with a conversation, and that's what we want to spark," said Ron Adams, vice president of field diversity and inclusion at Northwestern Mutual.
Around 200 volunteers, many of who were Goodwill employees off of work for the holiday, packed 1,500 wellness and flu-fighting kits for donation.
"It starts with hearts and minds, which is what King talked about. Changing hearts and minds and making sure that we all understand we're interconnected," said Angela Adams, Goodwill's chief communications and diversity officer.
Special guests throughout the event included Donald Driver, former Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer; Patrick Creadon, director of The Loyola Project; and Dr. Robert Smith, Director of the Center for Urban Research, Teaching and Outreach at Marquette University.
Matthew Ellis, who works in asset protection at Goodwill, said it's important that companies follow through on their promises to serve the community, just like Dr. King.
"It makes me feel great, coming from the inner city of Chicago, to be here in this room, with this group of people that's making a change, making an impact on the community, you could never have told me that, growing up," said Ellis.
