Welcome to the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church's Annual Community Breakfast honoring the legacy of Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr..

Introductions:

Victoria Mares-Hershey, Development Director of Portland West and a columnist for the Portland Press Herald, addressed the fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast at 8:30 a.m., Monday, January 16th, in the UU parish hall. Also on the program were the Gospel singers "Rock My Soul."

Guest Speaker:

Portland West, started in 1967 as a grassroots neighborhood advocacy movement, is now a social service agency, serving people throughout greater Portland. Ms. Hershey is also a founder and director of the Institute for Practical Democracy, a youth leadership development program now in its eighth year. A graduate of Michigan State University, Ms. Hershey studied electronic journalism at Columbia University and the Vietnamese Culture and Language at the Institute for Cross-Culture Communications in Portland, Oregon. Ms. Hershey, a former Dean of Students at Colby College, is an artist and a writer. She currently serves on the Maine Arts Commission as commissioner.

Rock My Soul Singers:

Rock My Soul, under the musical guidance of Sheryl Stromski, presented a unique brand of rousing gospel music ranging from the Negro spirituals of the 1700s to the contemporary gospel of Ruthie Foster and the timeless soulfulness of the Staples Singers. Rock My Soul has perperformed in Boston's Prudential Center and the Childres's Museum as well as to packed houses in Maine and New Hampshire

Breakfast:

The sit-down breakfast included sausage, egg casserole, home fries, biscuits and coffee.Proceeds from this event are split between Crelink to develop a Multicultural Festival for Preschoolers and First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church.

Carelink Resource Development Center is a non-profit state contracted agency that provides assistance to York County families by offering a childcare expense voucher subsidy program, a childcare referral program, and childcare provider training along with educational and other resources that benefit the community.