On Friday, January 6, 2012 at 2:00PM in the Hall of Flags in the State Capitol building in Hartford, the Connecticut Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission will announce its 2012 honorees. Every year on the Martin Luther King holiday, the Commission honors four distinguished citizens with a special award.
· Leadership: Michael Buscetto lll, Councilman New London
· Community Service: Tom Ficklin, FICKLIN MEDIA GROUP New Haven
· Humanitarian: Principle Edward Robbs, Broadview M.S., Danbury
· Chairman’s Award: President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D, Naugatuck Valley Community College-Waterbury
The 2012 honorees will be present at Friday’s press announcement.
On Monday, January 16, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Connecticut Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission will hold the state’s official ceremony in the rotunda of the Capitol to commemorate the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As in years past, the Governor, Legislators and all Constitutional Officers will be in attendance at this annual event honoring Dr. King.
The ceremony will open with a Flag Ceremony by the Connecticut Valley Girl Scouts with the invocation being offered by the Reverend Bradford Howard Jr. The acclaimed Beulah Heights Praise Choir of New Haven will present gospel musical selections. The celebration is free to the public and will include a variety of presentations and the ringing of the state’s replica of the Liberty Bell.
Connecticut Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission to announce a new partnership to help Connecticut charities:
At the Friday, January 6th press conference, the Connecticut Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission, along with Congressman Chris Murphy and Connecticut House Speaker Chris Donovan will also announce a major new partnership designed to provide valuable support to Connecticut charities.
Because there are many worthwhile organizations across the state that embodies the spirit and vision of Dr. King, the Martin Luther King Commission will select and partner with a different Connecticut charity each year.
Together the Commission and the chosen organization will co-host an annual MLK black tie awards gala so that funds raised by the MLK Awards Gala can be directed to the designated organization to help it carry out its work.
This joint event combines the MLK Award presentations from the official ceremony at the Capitol with the Connecticut charity’s annual fundraising initiative into a single gala event:
• Raise the profile of the partner organization
• Create an on-going fundraising vehicle for programs that support the vision of Dr. King
• Enables the Commission to host the event at various locations across the state
THE HORD FOUNDATION
The Commission has chosen to partner with The Hord Foundation for the 2012 event. The Hord Foundation is an organization of great purpose and extraordinary accomplishment and will be an ideal partner for the Commission.
Since 1993, The Hord Foundation has awarded more than $3.3million in college scholarships to minority students in Connecticut
• As a result of the work of The Hord Foundation over the past two decades, Danbury High School has the highest African American graduation rate in the state
• It also has the highest rate in the state for African American students attending college
• The great majority of Hord students go on to attend college in Connecticut
On February 25, 2012 Connecticut’s Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission and The Hord Foundation will co-host a fundraising gala dinner for this important Connecticut charity. The evening will feature a cocktail reception, dinner, a keynote address and awards and recognition honoring the distinguished individuals who have long been “Dream Makers” in their own right.
The Connecticut Martin Luther King Holiday Commission was established to ensure that the holiday commemoration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the state is meaningful and reflective of the spirit with which he lived and the struggles for which he died.
