Politics & Government

Martin Luther King Day Events to Kick Off Friday

The county will hold its celebration in Atlantic City Friday morning. Stockton's Day of Service is Monday.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is officially celebrated on Monday, Jan. 16., but Atlantic County is getting a head start on its celebration this Friday, Jan. 13, with award presentations to two lifelong county residents.

John McLernon, a licensed clinical social worker and director of community relations and social services since 2001, and Kaleem Shabazz, a community leader and president of Shabazz Associates, will be recognized at the county’s 25th annual celebration on Friday, Jan. 13, at 11 a.m. at the County Office Building, 1333 Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City.

On Monday, third-grade teacher and will be the keynote speaker at the MLK Day of Service, in which Stockton will send groups of volunteers to more than a dozen local organizations. There will also be events on campus, and it is open to the public.

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McLernon, a former Press of Atlantic City reporter, resides in Northfield and joined Atlantic County government as an Office of Aging coordinator in 1986. He has also served as a supervisor in the Adult Protective Services Unit and coordinator of the Atlantic County Human Services Advisory Council.

"John embodies the principles upheld by Martin Luther King,” Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said in a release announcing the event. “He continually provides an outstretched hand to lift people up, to encourage them to help themselves, and to embrace a better life. He is one of the most caring and compassionate people with whom I have had the pleasure to know and work. He has never turned his back on anyone.”

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Shabazz is a lifelong Atlantic City resident who has taken part in multiple professional and civic organizations. In addition to his role as president of Shabazz Associates, Shabazz serves as a board member for the American Conference on Diversity and as vice president of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Holocaust Memorial organization, according to the county.

He has also served as the South Jersey Director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, a member of the Martin Luther King Commission, a board member and executive director of the Atlantic City Art Center, and was a co-founder of the local African-American Male Conference.

"Kaleem is synonymous with Atlantic City,” Levinson said. “There are very few Atlantic City initiatives that he has not been involved in, especially those that promote education and acceptance of cultural and ethnic diversity. He is well respected and truly dedicated to making a difference in his community and beyond.”

The Rev. Milton Hendricks, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Pleasantville and a past MLK award recipient, will be the ceremony’s keynote speaker.

Stockton’s celebration will be its eighth annual celebration, and it will come with a day of community service, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“The Day of Service is something we started shortly after I began at the College and it has grown each year, both in participation and the number of agencies we help,” Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp said. ”We are encouraging people to take a day on rather than a day off to honor Dr. King on his national holiday.”

The program begins at 9 a.m. with Dougherty, who earned a $10,000 grant for the Galloway Township School District earlier this year when she won the Great American Teach-Off. She also won a trip to the during Christmas time. She earned the recognition due to her work with children who move frequently because their parents serve in the military.

There will be entertainment and musical selections, and several Community Engagement Awards will be presented to staff and faculty members, a student and student organizations.

“MLK Day of Service gives our students the opportunity to start off the New Year and the new semester by giving back to the community,” Saatkamp said. “It has been very rewarding to watch the program succeed and attract more and more students each year. This year, we are expecting more than 250 students to participate.”

To register for the event, visit stockton.edu and click on the MLK Day of Service icon.

Breakfast and sign-in for pre-registered volunteers will take place beginning 8 a.m. in the College’s Sports Center, Big Blue.


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