PA Cyber Led Statewide MLK Day of Service Project

January 15, 2024

A day off school was an opportunity for students to give back to their communities.

PA Cyber students, family members, and staff supported their communities on Monday through a united statewide effort to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. They donated household goods and their time to various organizations, including Emmaus Soup Kitchen, Binky Patrol, Project Linus, and Sweet Cases.

“PA Cyber staff and students were excited for the opportunity to give back and make a small difference in the lives of others through our MLK Day of Service project,” said Howard Hiester, representative of the Harrisburg office.

The cyber charter school hosted the following events throughout the state today:

• Altoona participants cleaned at the Quaint Corner Children's Museum to prepare it for the 2024 season. They also led a craft project for museum visitors.
• Students met at the Erie Regional Office to prepare 200 PB&J sandwiches for the Emmaus Soup Kitchen.
• At the Greensburg Regional Office, students made blankets for foster children in collaboration with the local Binky Patrol chapter.
• Students and staff made no-sew blankets at the Harrisburg Regional Office. Donations will be delivered to Community Cares, a homeless shelter in Carlisle.
• Philadelphia-area students and families made no-sew blankets for the Linus Project, which serves children who are ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.
• Families and staff at the Pittsburgh-Warrendale office decorated and filled duffle bags called sweet cases for foster children. Participants filled the sweet cases with blankets, teddy bears, toothpaste, and other personal items. Sweet cases ensure foster children do not have to carry their possessions in a trash bag to a new home.
• Wilkes-Barre participants partnered with Abide Coffeehouse to provide scarves and coffee for the homeless. PA Cyber staff and families made scarves, and Abide Coffeehouse provided coffee.
• The Pittsburgh-South Side office collected donations for the Ronald McDonald House. Staff will deliver the donations later this week.

PA Cyber staff in Allentown will volunteer for Habitat for Humanity on Thursday at one of Habitat’s Restores, which are non-profit home improvement stores and donation centers.

“MLK Day is a time to serve our communities and help others,” said Laurie Richards, representative of PA Cyber’s Greensburg regional office. “Dr. King encouraged people to do what is right by helping others. He once said, ‘Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. … You only need a heart full of grace.’”

View photos from the event here.

MEDIA CONTACT

Jennie Harris / jennie.harris@pacyber.org

ABOUT PA CYBER

Serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade, the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber) is one of the largest, most experienced, and most successful online public schools in the nation. PA Cyber's online learning environments, personalized instruction methods, and choices of curricula connect Pennsylvania students and their families with state-certified and highly-qualified teachers and rich academic content that is aligned to state standards. Founded in 2000, PA Cyber is headquartered in Midland (Beaver County) and maintains a network of support offices throughout the state. As a public school, PA Cyber is open for enrollment by any school-age child residing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and does not charge tuition to students or families.