Worcester News

QCC to host 38th Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Breakfast

  • Posted by Worcester News January 8, 2023 - Filed in News - #Quinsigamond Community College  - 1,725 views

    Quinsigamond Community College to host 38th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Breakfast

    WORCESTER — Quinsigamond Community College will host the 38th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Breakfast on Monday, January 16, 2023. This year’s theme for recognizing Dr. King is “A Day of Service.”

    The public is welcome to attend the breakfast by purchasing tickets at www.QCC.edu/mlkbreakfast by Monday, January 9, 2023. After this deadline, please contact June Geary at jgeary@qcc.mass.edu for tickets. Doors will open at 7:00 a.m. with the program starting at 8:00 a.m.

    This year’s keynote speaker will be United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachael S. Rollins. After being nominated by President Biden as the Chief Federal Officer for Massachusetts, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December of 2021. Ms. Rollins is the first Black woman to hold this position. Prior to this, she was the first woman and the first woman of color elected as Suffolk County District Attorney in Massachusetts.

    Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion at UMass Chan Medical School, Dr. Marlina Duncan, will serve as the master of ceremonies. Prior to arriving at UMass Chan in December 2020, she served as the assistant vice president of academic diversity and associate dean of diversity initiatives in the Graduate School at Brown University.

    “QCC is honored to once again be hosting this important community event that highlights the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said QCC President Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D. “We must continue to work every day to embody Dr. King’s message of love, inclusion and peace.”

    Co-Chair of the Committee Nellie Toney said, “Happy New Year Worcester County! We the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee wish you and yours a healthy New Year. It’s 2023 and we are back as an in-person community event. Thank you again for supporting our efforts in keeping Dr King’s legacy and dream alive.”

    Several students will be awarded MLK Scholarships, funded through the MLK Committee’s scholarship subcommittee and yearly golf tournament, and one scholarship that is funded through Quinsigamond Community College.

    Quinsigamond Community College

    In addition to the scholarships, the annual Eleanor T. Hawley Community Service Award will be presented to Dr. George Storms Smith and Gordon Hargrove. One of the founders of the MLK, Jr. Community Breakfast, Smith had a decades-long career in education and civil rights activism. Hargrove was a staff member and executive director of the board of directors for The Friendly House.

    Worcester Police Officers Captain Kenneth Davenport and Officer David Rutherford will also be receiving awards for their community involvement.

    Highlights of the morning’s musical selections will be musical duo David Allen on guitar and Noah Allen on saxophone, a Gospel Jazz Combo featuring Mechanics Hall Education and Community Program Coordinator, Christon Carney, and a traditional folk song with audience participation led by Leslie Clark.

    Those attending the Breakfast are asked to bring a new, age-appropriate book (related to MLK or diversity) for second and third grade students. These will be distributed in Worcester and Fitchburg public schools for students to take home. Worcester bookstores Tidepool Bookshop and Root & Press are offering discounts for this event.

    The Worcester Area Mission Society and United Congregational Church (WAMS) are coordinating the book drive and can purchase a book for anyone who prefers to give a cash donation through the WAMS website https://wamsworks.org/donate.

    Community based organizations will also be in attendance at the Breakfast to offer information about their work and solicit volunteers.

    This year’s event sponsors include Quinsigamond Community College, National Grid, UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Medical Center.

    To learn more about the event or to make a donation to the Scholarship Fund, visit www.QCC.edu/mlkbreakfast.

    Additionally, the YMCA and MLK Community Breakfast Committee are looking for volunteers to assemble kits for foster children on Monday, January 16, 2023, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. at YMCA’s Greendale Family Branch or Central Community Branch. Kits will include pajamas, a toothbrush, and a message from the Community. For more information about this volunteer opportunity, please contact Christina Puleo at cpuleo@ymcaofcm.org. 

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