Sunup Initiative hosts Corbin Clean Up

About 15 individuals showed up for a Corbin Trash Clean Up hosted by the Sunup Initiative in Corbin in honor of the National Day of Service on Monday.

Individuals picked up trash around downtown from 1 to 3 p.m. starting and ending at Sanders Park.

Last year, Sunup sponsored a brunch on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but because of COVID-19, the group elected to do the clean-up instead.

“This year, with COVID, it is not practical or safe to offer a free breakfast brunch kind of thing, so in the spirit of National Day of Service, we thought it would be a good idea to do something that helps support Corbin and the City of Corbin’s mission of being welcoming and inclusive for all people that join our community, whether it’s a tourist, a new citizen or somebody coming home for the holidays,” said Lisa Garrison, a member of the leadership team for the Sunup Initiative.

The National Day of Service corresponds to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service, according to the AmeriCorps website. AmeriCorps has been charged with leading the efforts of encouraging people to volunteer and improve their communities for the past quarter century.

The Sunup Initiative’s event is registered with AmeriCorps, but it is not sponsored by AmeriCorps.

Various members of the Sunup Initiative participated in the event including Stanley Clapp and Theresa Hopper.

“It’s Martin Luther King Day of Service,” said Hopper. “We came to support that.”