By Nicole Guanlao and Nicole Tahan
NEW YORK — "I'm here to help out," said 9-year-old Aja Ellis as she arranged colorful fabric cut-outs on a long piece of felt. "I'm making scarves for people who are homeless and in shelters. I want them to be warm for the winter."
On Monday — Martin Luther King Day — there were many children like Aja sitting in circles and making scarves or bracelets in the gymnasium of Martin Luther King Jr. High School in New York. These kids weren't just sitting around playing arts and crafts: They were helping the needy and fulfilling part of Dr. King's dream.
As we made our way into the gymnasium, thousands of young volunteers were hard at work. Some were running rampant with streamers, while others were bouncing around to the music from the live band. From birthday cards to knitted blankets, children and teenagers, along with their mentors, were embracing Dr. King's statement: "Everyone can be great because everyone can serve."
Children and parents weren't the only ones who took part in the day's festivities. As part of MTV and ServiceNation's "Be the Change" endeavor, 100 employees from MTV Networks decided to "work" for a great cause on their day off. MTV partnered with Children for Children to make this community service project happen. MTV staffers painted side-by-side with kids to create survival kits, scarves, blankets and other knits for the sick and homeless.
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"The purpose of this New York service project is to work with children and show them that service doesn't necessarily mean serving your country in a military capacity," said Reynaldo Casas, public affairs manager for MTV Tr3s, who helped coordinate this event. "It can be working with your community. Children for Children emphasizes that anyone of any age can help the country by volunteering."
There were sections of the school filled with beautifully painted pictures and murals of MLK and his "I Have a Dream" speech. Scott Novick of VH1 sat with fellow employees and some of the cutest children we have ever seen to work on a mural honoring Dr. King.
"Right here, we're all different people, working together to make a difference," said Scott.
We were fascinated by how the children interacted with each other and us — one even talked about the economy and the stock market! These children were so knowledgeable about Dr. King's impact on society and the significance of tomorrow's inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.
When asked why tomorrow is such an important day, Aja replied, "Because Barack Obama is our first African-American president!"
Annika Page, 10, even had a very special message for the late Martin Luther King Jr. and the 44th president of the United States.
"First, I would tell Barack Obama that he's like another Martin Luther King because he has made history again," she said. "And if I was speaking to Martin Luther King, I'd tell him that he's influenced a lot of people in the world, and that he's also influenced Barack Obama."
A notion to take to heart on Martin Luther King Day ...
"Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" will air live on MTV on Tuesday, January 20, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. MTV News will have wall-to-wall coverage of the event and of the scenes in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Kenya in the days leading up to the event and in the days that follow.