WASHINGTON — Throughout the weekend and on Monday, volunteers in the D.C. area are doing different things to honor civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday is a national holiday.
Some people are helping the homeless. Others are cleaning up Rock Creek.
“[The] MLK weekend of service is great because people feel compelled to come out and do something,” says John Burwell, stream team leader for the Pinehurst section of Rock Creek Park.
On Saturday, Burwell directed a group of volunteers who trimmed invasive plants along the tributary in the Barnaby Woods/Chevy Chase area of Northwest. “We’re removing ‘invasives’ that inhibit the native plants from growing,” he says.
“You can see the improvement,” says volunteer Charles Fishman, who lives nearby. “This is a beautiful spot.”
Heleny Cook enjoys this type of volunteer work. “I feel like this is my backyard,” she says, “and I like working in my backyard.”
The Rock Creek Conservancy will mark the Martin Luther King, Jr. national day of service with volunteer opportunities in Rock Creek through Monday.
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