The state’s annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. featured four students who won recognition for speeches they wrote praising King’s work. The students shared their essays from the pulpit of Trinity Episcopal Church on Capitol Square in Columbus. Here are Columbus third grader Elena Earley, Columbus fifth grader Mackenzie Lewis, Columbus freshman Playon Patrick and sophomore Ivy Holley of Lima.
Lewis was also honored for a service project she organized last year for people she didn’t even know. She saw news coverage of the water crisis in Flint, Mich. and launched a challenge among Columbus churches to donate water. And then at a festival called Kids Helping Kids, she collected more water, paper products and cleaning supplies.
“We took all that stuff to Flint, Mich. And I felt so bad for this one man because he didn’t want cases. He wanted gallons just so he could take a little bath.”
Three-hundred-and twenty gallons and more than 1,300 cases of water were delivered to Flint. For that, the Columbus third grader earned a humanitarian award from Gov. John Kasich.
