When Lockport’s Bobbie Johnson, 18, was asked how she and her fellow students could celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, she thought about a tradition she has had with her mother for 10 years.
Johnson, along with other students at the Joliet Job Corps, raised money to purchase, create and distribute care packages for the homeless.
“It’s a family tradition for me and my mother, so I decided to go along with it and do it at the Job Corps, as well,” Johnson said.
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Every season, her family would do something for the homeless, such as bring sandwiches and coffee in the winter or ice cream in the summer, she said. They’ve done it about four times a year since she was 8 years old, she said.
When she joined a committee of students at the Job Corps to honor King, she mentioned the homeless. She suggested care packages because they would be easier for the students to assemble, she said.
“Martin Luther King wanted all of us to come together” and preached equality, said Derek Peters, 22, of Chicago, who is studying building construction technology at the Job Corps. “We are all together. You all are not here by yourselves.”
The students raised about $500, including selling nachos to students in the school, Johnson said. With the money, they purchased personal items, including deodorant, lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste and wash cloths. From past experience, Johnson said she had a good understanding of what the people might be looking for. They made 50 care packages and delivered them Thursday to Daybreak Shelter, 611 Cass St., Joliet.
“I feel like everyone needs help, even if they do not say it,” Johnson said. “I feel that’s important to help others when they cannot help themselves.”
The students spent time talking with people at Daybreak and learning their individual stories. Not only did the students give, they also received.
“It gave me a different outlook on life and how to be more responsible and how to stay focused and not give up on my dreams,” said Johnson, who plans to be a nurse practitioner.
The Joliet Job Corps Center, 1101 Mills Road, Joliet, provides free vocational and education training for young people who want to join the workforce and have successful careers, according to a Job Corps statement. Students may study for their high school diploma or GED while learning one of eight trades, it said.
Johnson said that because the students are being helped by the Job Corps, they wanted to help others by giving to the homeless.
“It was a good experience to go out and help the homeless,” Peters said. “I learned that everyone needs a helping hand.”
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.