The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of education as the key to a life of respect for human and civil rights.

Volunteers from NYSUT's Retiree Council 7 recently made sure King's message touched the lives of Syracuse school children — with an unexpected gift of school supplies.

For the fifth year in a row, RC 7 was on the forefront of a citywide effort to distribute bags of free school supplies to children in a downtown Syracuse neighborhood in honor of King and his belief in the power of education.

The annual giveaway of pens, notebooks and other supplies is organized by the South Side Newsstand, where RC 7 member Bob Gardino, a retired Syracuse teacher, equips and sends forth a small army of volunteers who stand on street corners and give small bags of the supplies to children on their way home from school.

"The supplies are just a few things they can use, but the real value is the symbol of their education," Gardino said.

During the year, volunteer colleagues from RC 7 gather or purchase school supplies to donate to the one-day distribution effort.

The council has participated because King "recognized that education made a difference," said RC 7 President Margo Buckingham.