Date: January 3, 2011
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Hosts Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Activities

WESTVILLE – Purdue University North Central will be the site of the 16 th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 a.m. in the PNC Library-Student-Faculty Building cafeteria. The event, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration Committee and hosted by Purdue North Central, is free and open to the public. The event's theme is “Preserving the Fruits of Justice: Where do You Stand?"

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a formal welcome from PNC Chancellor Dr. James B. Dworkin. The featured keynote speaker is Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins, superintendent of Michigan City Area Schools. Gerry Jones, executive director of Stepping Stone Shelter for Women will serve as the mistress of ceremonies. The entertainment for the event includes a steel drum performance by Kent Arnsbarger and a musical tribute by vocal soloist Dr. Sharron Jenkins, PNC associate professor of Chemistry.

Breakfast participants are asked to bring a children's or young adult book to be donated to the annual Bring a Book to Breakfast program, sponsored by the PNC Student Education Association. All books will be donated to the Literacy Council for Healthy Communities of LaPorte County.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Dr. Mary Jane Eisenhauer, assistant professor of early childhood education, Debra Pratt, continuing lecturer of education and students in the PNC Department of Education organizations Purdue Learning About Young Children in Education (PLAYCE) and Kappa Delta Pi, the education honor society, will travel to the Michigan City Public Library to lead a series of activities for children.

All children are welcome to attend, but activities are intended for individuals ages two to 12. Hands-on activities will focus on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Further information about the event at the Michigan City Public Library may be obtained by contacting Pratt, at djpratt@pnc.edu ,or 785-5200, ext. 5486.

Also from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., PNC students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to join a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Service Project at the LaPorte Family YMCA. Community members wishing to volunteer for this event should register by contacting Laura Weaver, PNC service learning coordinator at laweaver@pnc.edu , or at 785-5200, ext. 5742.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Committee is comprised of representatives from eight area organizations including Horizon Bank, Michigan City Housing Authority, Michigan City Human Rights Commission, Michigan City Public Library, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Northwestern Indiana Ministers Conference, Purdue University North Central and Swanson Center. Any community members wishing to serve on the 2012 committee should contact Laura Odom, PNC assistant director of EEO and training at odoml@pnc.edu or 785-5200, ext. 5545.

Information about the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration may be obtained by contacting Weaver at laweaver@pnc.edu or 785-5200, ext. 5742 .  Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Odom at odoml@pnc.edu or 785-5200, ext. 5545.

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