Volunteers gather to plant trees in San Jose for MLK Day of Service

Commemorating MLK Day through service in the South Bay

The Bay Area celebrated civil-rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. in the South Bay this year. More than 100 volunteers gathered in at San Jose's rainbow park for a day of service.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, volunteers gather in San Jose to plant trees. But now, this act of service has a new sense of urgency.

Volunteering in politically divided times

"At times like this, when there is a lot of uncertainty and sometimes a lot of lack of hope, the best way to find hope is doing what you can within your power to make a change and to have a positive impact on others," says Mateo Coulson a student at Santa Clara University.

The event, organized by Our City Forest, brought nearly 200 people to Rainbow Park. They say in an era of political division, coming together seems more important than ever.

"My grandparents really raised me with this idea that you live in a community, that you belong to a community, and you need to give back to that community," says Jennifer Chauvaux of San Jose.

And the community showed up: from college students to scouts to politicians. They planted 25 trees in total, as well as doing mulching, weeding and trash pickup.

"Not all of us can change the big structural issues facing our society: high cost of living and healthcare access, those big issues. But just about anybody can help with planting a tree," says San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

Dr. King's legacy

They say this is what King stood for: love, service and action. Volunteers were given quotes of his to carry in their pockets.

"It says no person has the right to rain on your dreams, which I think is beautiful," says Jessica Sell, a scout with Troop 2233. She adds, "I think that applies to a lot of things scouts teaches us. You know it teaches us to be resilient and have courage, so I think it's great."

This year, federal funding cuts are putting a strain on Our City Forest. And they expect next year's belt tightening to be even worse. But they say events like this and ideals like Martin Luther King's, are what they're fighting for.

"To come together and build community, to be touched by others and inspired by others is really the most important thing we can do right now," says Rhonda Berry of Our City Forest.

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