COLUMBIA, S.C. — For Derenzo Thomas, Saturday was a day to serve and look back on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. - and he's far from alone in that sentiment.
Thomas is the assistant director of Community Engagement for the Leadership and Service Center at the University of South Carolina. This office organizes the university's Service Saturday.
"The legacy of Doctor King really was rooted in the meaning of service behind it," he said.
Hundreds of students showed up on campus Saturday morning to volunteer their time helping the community. Emily Boardman is a graduate assistant for USC's community engagement.
"We have a team of about 15 site leaders that run the sites, they bring students, they bring students there, they do a short little intro about why we're doing this, why we're honoring MLK for service," she said. "Then they [read] A poem about building bridges and setting up a better society for others even if it doesn't impact ourselves directly."
In total, over 160 students registered to volunteer at six different locations in Columbia. One of the locations was right on campus at the Russell House building, where volunteers made sandwiches to donate to the Transitions Homeless Shelter.
Back outside, students hosted a litter clean-up along Fort Jackson Boulevard in connection with the Gills Creek Watershed Association. Lanaih Thomas helped pick up trash.
"We're just going around this area right here, picking up trash and anything else to just clean up the community," she said. "Coming together for a good cause, and helping the community and helping the people around us just have a better environment."
Over at the Alala Cancer Society, volunteers helped organize donations and clean up the facility. Ashna Desai was the site leader there.
"During the end of the year, New Year's, everyone donates, and they had huge piles of stuff that needed sorting out, and so we help out with that. It's great learning," she said. "This is a great way of reminding ourselves of what is really important."
Volunteers also took time to help with weeding and mulching at the W. Gordon Belser Arboretum in Columbia. Chance Rivers was a site leader at that location.
"Just because it Martin Luther King. People want to come out here and help and serve the community like he did in such a big way, so it's a great time for us to be out here," Rivers said.
The students were at the different locations for several hours, wrapping up around noon on Saturday. Visit the USC Community Engagement website for more information.