Some of the area events honoring Dr. King
HomeFront morphs into HopeFront this week
Local nonprofit kicks off it’s “Week of Hope” on Dr. Martin Luther King Day.
The local twenty-eightyear-old social service agency has become a national model for helping families who are experiencing homelessness become self-sufficient, HomeFront’s Week of Hope—which kicks off on Martin Luther runs through January 24th and offers a perfect opportunity for individuals and families to learn and get involved to better their community.
A HomeFront statement noted involvement as the perfect way to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. HomeFront’s Week of Hope events have been designed to give the public insight into issues related to poverty impacting their local area, the organization’s mission and programs, and a menu of gratifying volunteer opportunities for people of all ages and skills.
The line-up for the 2020 Week of Hope includes:
Monday, January 20— MLK Day of Service— is “Tour and Paint Day”: From 10 a.m.-noon community members can participate in a bus tour of the City of Trenton and hear about HomeFront’s impact in the community, or from 10:45-11:15 a.m., take tours of HomeFront’s nationally recognized Family Campus in Ewing (101 Celia Way), or its headquarters (1880 Princeton Ave., Lawrenceville). That afternoon, from 2-4pm, adults and kids are welcome for a memorable group mural painting experience in ArtSpace, HomeFront’s art therapy room at the Family Campus.
Tuesday, January 21 is “Spring Into Action Day”: From 10 a.m. to noon at the Lawrenceville headquarters, attend a Diaper Resource Center Interest Meeting, to learn how to become part of the volunteer team which will meet regularly to ensure diapers are given to families who need them throughout Mercer County. Wouldbe artists can visit the Family Campus that afternoon from 1:30-3:30pm for an art class led by one of HomeFront’s talented clients (a $5-$10 dollar donation for this event is encouraged). That night, from 6-7:30 p.m., share the delights of a storybook with children staying at the HomeFront Campus in Ewing, a temporary shelter for families experiencing homelessness.
Wednesday, January 22, is “Basic Needs Night”: From 6-7:30 p.m., volunteers age 11 and older, bring new basic household and cleaning items to the Lawrenceville headquarters and put together move-in kits for families who were formerly homeless and now moving into their new homes. We kindly request children be accompanied by an adult.
Thursday, January 23, is “Expand Your Knowledge Day”: Participants can attend an informational, interactive Open House at the Family Campus from 5:30-7:30 p.m. where they can learn about the 36 programs which make up HomeFront’s comprehensive services model by visiting different stations in the facility and speaking with staff and volunteers about how to get involved.
And finally, Friday morning, January 24th, is “Up Close and Personal Day”: From 10 a.m.-12 noon at the Family Campus, the public is invited to join HomeFront’s CEO, Connie Mercer and Chief Operating Officer, Sarah Steward, for an in-depth discussion and Q&A about HomeFront’s current strategic goals, exciting plans for the future, and how it will affect our community.
To learn more and register for any or all of these one-of-a-kind events, visit www.homefrontnj.org. HomeFront’s Family Campus is located at 101 Celia Way, Ewing Twp.; HomeFront’s headquarters address is 1880 Princeton Avenue, Lawrenceville.
For questions, contact HomeFront’s Family Campus Volunteer Coordinator at 609-883-7500 ext. 329 or email CatherineC@homefrontnj.org.
Arts Council of Princeton
Join the Arts Council of Princeton on Monday, January 20, from 9am-12pm to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with hands-on art and history activities, music, and discussions as they relate to Dr. King’s life, teachings, and civic engagement. The morning begins at 9 a.m. with a free community breakfast featuring speakers Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) and Ruha Benjamin, author and Associate Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University.
This community event is held in collaboration with Princeton University, the Paul Robeson House, jaZams, Princeton Family YMCA, the Historical Society of Princeton and the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice.
Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ. Parking is available in the Spring and Hulfish Street Garages and at metered parking spots along Witherspoon Street and Paul Robeson Place. For more information, please visit artscouncilofprinceton.org or call 609.924.8777.
Stand Up and Be Counted
The Ivy League Educational Foundation charitable arm of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Epsilon Upsilon Omega Chapter hosts the 39th Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Commemorative Scholarship Breakfast. Keynote speaker Rev. Buster Soaries covers the event’s theme of “Stand Up and Be Counted.”
The Breakfast will be held on Monday, January 20, 2020 at Hyatt Regency in Princeton, New Jersey. Doors and vendors will open at 8:00 a.m. and the Breakfast will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.
Tickets - $50.00
Trinity Cathedral
In worship and community events at Trinity Cathedral and around the diocese, Martin Luther King Day will be a day of service.
Dubbed “A Day On, Not Off,” the diocese honors the legacy of Dr. King through worship, learning, and service. The diocese is making a special liturgy available to be used in churches and at home. We’re working with local convocations and with Jubilee ministries around the state to present volunteer opportunities to help those in need.
The day begins with worship at the Cathedral (10 a.m.) and at churches around the diocese. The service will be live-streamed via Zoom and social media platforms.
At the cathedral, young people will read selections from King’s seminal work on the civil rights movement, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written after King was arrested in 1963 for protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham.
Lunch follows the morning service before attendees participate in myriad community service activities including making blankets and wrapping 500 utensil services while children create paintings destined for peers recovering in hospitals.
Aaron Greene, Associate Counsel at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. speaks during the MLK Liturgy. A rising star in the areas of law and civil rights, Greene ranks as the youngest facilitator selected to participate in the biannual
Southern Human Rights Organizers Conference. He has served as a coordinator for the Right2Vote Movement.
Greene will host a civics roundtable as youth discuss the potential impact they can make in their communities based on ideals established by Dr. King. For info call (609) 392-3805.
Mercer County Community College
Mercer County Community College (MCCC) will be honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through actions and deeds as event organizers invite the community to participate during a Day of Service at the college’s James Kerney Campus (JKC) in Trenton on Monday, Jan. 20.
Activities begin at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20 at JKC,
102 North Broad Street in Trenton, with registration and breakfast. Opening remarks will be delivered by the Rev. Dr. Alyn Waller of the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, who will focus on the theme “20/20 Vision: Destination vs. Reality.”
Last year, more than 150 community members signed up for the event. Volunteers will choose from
four service activities, including:
Preparing bag lunches for the Rescue Mission of Trenton;
A children’s book fair in conjunction with First Book;
A Trenton community cleanup project;
Sewing for Service, a project held in conjunction with MCCC’s Fashion Design program.
The day of service is sponsored by A Better Way, First Book, House of Blessings Church of God, New Jersey Youth Corps, the Children’s Home Society, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Trio/ Upward Bound, and MCCC. For more information or to volunteer, visit www.mccc. edu/mlk_dos.