Rockville’s 47th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, is from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21 at Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive. It will include multicultural performances, awards and a keynote speech by Justin Hansford, the executive director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.
The program’s theme of “Enduring Hope, Enduring Progress” will reflect on how to keep hope alive while enduring tough times. The celebration is free and open to all ages. A reception will follow.
The ceremony will be bookended by community service activities as part of the national Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, before the program, from 9:30-11 a.m., and after the program, from 12:30-2 p.m. Attendees will be invited to donate blood, write cards of encouragement to survivors of domestic violence and visit with community organizations at information tables. Volunteers are also needed to serve as companions for a day, accompanying seniors to the program and conversing with them during the event. Seniors will be provided lunch and a bus ride from the Rockville Senior Center to and from the program. Another activity, to be held the same day at 4 p.m. at Lincoln Park Community Center, 357 Frederick Ave., will involve volunteers preparing emergency kits for homeless families.
To register to take part in the community service activities and to learn more about the celebration, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/mlk.
Organizers are also seeking volunteers to help with setup and cleanup on the day of the event. Student Service Learning credit is available. For more information, contact Janet Kelly at 240-314-8316 or jkelly@rockvillemd.gov. For information about accessibility, call the city’s Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator at 240-314-8108.