January 11, 2017 The Skanner Page 15
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Portland-Area MLK Celebrations, Days of Service
United Way Celebrates 10
Years of Volunteer Service
on the King Holiday
More than 2,000 volunteers will
fan out this long weekend across the
greater Portland metro area in service
to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
during the United Way’s 10th annual
weekend of service. Working with lo-
cal non-profits and schools, volunteers
will help out more than 70 communi-
ty-based projects, lending nearly 6,000
hours of service and saving area non-
profits over $136,000 in staff time.
The MLK Weekend of Service, held
Jan. 13 – 16, is an event of the United
Way of the Columbia-Willamette and
organized by the nonprofit’s volunteer
program, Hands On Greater Portland.
The weekend is presented by Regence
BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and
supported by Bank of America, The
Boeing Company, Daimler Trucks
North America, The Standard, Umpqua
Bank, Portland General Electric and
the Portland Trail Blazers.
The majority of these projects sup-
port United Way’s agenda to invest in
our region’s kids so they are free from
poverty and free to reach their poten-
tial. Volunteer projects include re-
storing and refurbishing classrooms,
gardens and play spaces at schools and
community centers, sorting food and
clothing, and doing home repairs.
For a full list of volunteer activi-
ties, visit: www.unitedway-pdx.org/
mlk-weekend-service-2017
Vancouver Ave First
Baptist Church to Host
10th Annual Drum Major
Celebration
On Jan. 14 and 15, Portland’s histor-
ic Vancouver Avenue First Baptist
Church and its community will host the
10th annual Drum Major Celebration.
This two-day commemoration con-
sists of an awards program, the Salute
to Greatness scholarship luncheon,
held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday,
and an ecumenical service, titled
“Where do We Go From Here: Conver-
sations to Solutions” held from 2 to 4:15
p.m. Sunday.
Both events will be held at the Van-
couver Avenue First Baptist Church —
one of Portland’s historic venues, and
the church where Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. addressed the community in
November of 1961. The church is locat-
ed at 3138 North Vancouver Avenue,
Portland, Oregon 97227. Both Drum
Major Celebration events are open to
the public, and will take place in the
church’s Dr. & Mrs. O.B. Williams Fel-
lowship Hall and Sanctuary respective-
ly.
The term “drum major” comes from a
sermon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave
on February 4th, 1968 at the Ebenezer
Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In
his address, given two months before
his assassination, Dr. King prophetical-
ly spoke of his own eulogy, asking that
he be remembered “as a drum-major
for justice, peace, and righteousness.”
Honored at the Salute to Greatness
luncheon from 12 to 2 p.m. Jan. 14, re-
cipients of this year’s Drum Major
awards will include Wajdi Said and
the Muslim Educational Trust; JoAnn
Hardesty and the NAACP Portland
Branch 1120; Julianne Johnson-Weiss
and Stumptown Stages; Kay D. Toran
and Volunteers of America Oregon;
Jan Elfers and Ecumenical Ministries
of Oregon; as well as Lou Radja and
EduCongo. As part of the ceremony,
six microscholarships will be awarded
to local high-school students who have
demonstrated a noteworthy commit-
ment to their academic endeavors.
From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 15, the 2017
Drum Major Celebration concludes
with Where do We Go From Here: Con-
versations to Solutions — an ecumen-
ical service dedicated to empowering
the community while strengthening
multi-cultural ties. The event will show-
case a panel moderated by communica-
tions leader and broadcast-journalism
veteran Bill Deiz. Panelists include
Rabbi Michael Cahana, Congregation
Beth Israel; Atty. Nkenge Harmon John-
son, Urban League President; Atty. Bil-
ly J. Williams, U.S. Attorney District of
Oregon; Police Chief Mike Marshman,
Portland Police Bureau; Jan Elfers, Ex-
ecutive Director, Ecumenical Minis-
tries of Oregon; Wajdi Said, Director,
Muslim Educational Trust; Atty. Rod
Underhill, Multnomah County District
Attorney; Nathaniel Williams, Unify
Portland; Greg McElvey, Portland’s
Resistance; Kim Dixon, Enough is
Enough; Presiding Multnomah County
Judge Nan G. Waller; and Judge Adri-
enne Nelson. The program will feature
greetings from Governor Kate Brown
and Mayor Ted Wheeler. Entertain-
ment will be provided by the renowned
Pacific Youth Choir. The panel’s dis-
cussion will explore how we can trans-
form ideas into actions that manifest
positive change in troubling times.
Both the luncheon and service are
free and open to the public. However, a
seat-reservation is recommended and
can be acquired by calling the church
office, at (503) 282-9496. Donations
are strongly encouraged, and will be
applied to future Drum Major micro-
scholarships. Donations can be made
directly to Vancouver Avenue First
Baptist Church: Drum Major Scholar-
ship Fund.
To learn more, visit Vancouver Av-
enue First Baptist Church online at
http://vafbcpdx.org/, or the church’s
Facebook Events Page at http://
ow.ly/5dWO307z3rJ.
Mayor Wheeler Will speak
at MLK Commemoration
Jan. 15
Mayor Ted Wheeler will be the fea-
tured speaker at the annual Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. observance at 4
p.m. Jan. 15 at Maranatha Church, 4222
NE 12th Ave. His theme, “Now More
than Ever” addresses the recognition
that the “end” of the Civil Rights era
did not end the need to speak out and
witness for equality for all people. The
“Black Lives Matter” movement, and
demonstrations of Native American
See MLK BRIEFS on page 16