MLK center to host service to honor its namesake 

The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center will host the 40th Annual Memorial Service and Awards Celebration next month in honor of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 

The event will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. The theme will be “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”

The Memorial Service will take place in the Ida Robinson Banquet Room, located inside the MLK center at 630 9th St., Rock Island. It also will be live-streamed via YouTube and Facebook and a recording of the event will be available afterwards.

KWQC-TV6 News Anchor Redrick Terry will emcee the annual event. The Rauch Family Foundation and the Quad Cities Community Foundation have donated funds to support the event.

The program will include a variety of performances and presentations in honor of Rev. King, including:

LaDrina Wilson
  • A keynote address by LaDrina Wilson, CEO of IMAN Consulting and Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. 
  • “I Have A Dream Award” presented to a Rock Island citizen for outstanding community service.
  • M.L. Lockhart Scholarship presentation. 
  • Black Hawk College Commitment to Diversity Scholarship presentation. 
  • Youth Expression Contest Awards.
  • Musical selections.

The Martin Luther King Center also is requesting nominations for the “I Have A Dream” Award, which is presented to a resident for exemplary community service and enormous contributions made to the community.

Nominations are due no later than Friday, Jan. 6. In addition, anyone interested in advertisements in the souvenir booklet should reserve ad space by Jan. 6.

Nomination forms and souvenir booklet ad pricing are available at mlkcenter.org/events. For more information, call (309) 732-2999.

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