A day of service in Lake County to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

They could have gone sledding or hung out playing video games on their day off from school.

But 17 junior and senior high school students spent hours scrubbing, sorting and serving in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Kids and leaders from St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church in Park Ridge came to work at Lambs Farm in Green Oaks as part of the annual "A Day On Not a Day Off" event sponsored by the Waukegan-based Youth Conservation Corps.

"Martin Luther King Jr. was a true servant," said St. Paul youth leader Valerie Halston. "We couldn't think of a better way to honor his memory than to spend the day helping others," she said.

The work at Lambs Farm was just one of 14 YCC projects happening across Lake County on Monday. Other groups were serving at food banks, senior homes, shelters and day-care facilities. The event has grown over the years.

"This is our fifth year honoring Dr. King's legacy," said YCC Executive Director Bob McCammon. "The first year we did this, we had 50 volunteers. This year we are close to 300," he said.

The kids from St. Paul's donned rubber gloves and worked to scrub down areas in the kitchen of the Lambs Farm Country Inn Restaurant. They also sorted and categorized merchandise, cleaned and polished the wood surfaces and did general cleaning.

"This is really fun," said Danielle Friel. The 16-year-old junior from Maine South High School said serving and helping others comes naturally to her and the other members of her youth group. "It really makes you feel good about yourself."