EVENT ALERTs: MLK Events In The SBC

On Monday the nation will take a day to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Kids are out of school ... no mail will be delivered and no trash will be picked up ... many businesses are closed, and of course, many events are planned for the special holiday.


With all that going on, you know I have to give you the rundown on the big celebration ... so here goes:

• Trash pickup in Shreveport-Bossier City will be affected. Collections normally made Monday will be made Tuesday, and Tuesday's routes will be run Wednesday.

• Thursday and Friday trash pickup will not change. And Woolworth Road Regional Solid Waste Facility will be open.
  

For a complete list of local holiday business closures, go HERE.






In EVENT NEWS:



Here are some local events planned for the MLK Holiday (from shreveporttimes.com):



ALL DAY EVENT: "A Day On, Not a Day Off" events will occur throughout Shreveport in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Partnering with Shreveport Green, AmeriCORPS and numerous organizations, as many as 100 local projects are planned for the King Day of Service.


ALL DAY EVENT: LifeShare Blood Centers will give people donating blood a certificate commemorating their participation in recognizing the King Day of Service. Donors also will receive points redeemable in the LifeShare Donor Club online.



8 AM: The Krewe of Harambee will start it's MLK Day events with the annual Hopes and Dreams Breakfast at the University Club, 401 Market St. in Shreveport, with the Rev. Maurice White as guest speaker. Tickets cost $10 per person and are available through Derrick L. Henderson at (318) 572-6337 and Beverly Paige at (318) 470-9843. Part of the event's proceeds support the Northwest Louisiana Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation.




10 AM: The ARC of Caddo-Bossier will hold a community conversation in its board room, 351 Jordan St. in Shreveport, about the more than 10,000 people with disabilities in Louisiana awaiting services. Space is limited, so reservations are required by calling (318) 425-8978.




12 PM: Project NeighborHealth, a community service of Willis-Knighton Health System, will present "Celebrating the Dream" at noon at WK Community Health and Education Center, 4700 Hilry Huckaby III Drive in Shreveport. The free event will feature essays by area fifth-graders on the theme "I Have a Dream, Too." Guest speaker will be Shreveport Councilman Calvin Lester, a local attorney.




2 PM: The Krewe of Harambee will hold its fourth annual Mardi Gras/Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade at 2 p.m., beginning in front of the former Pete Harris Café on Milam Street and winding through downtown Shreveport. The parade will feature local personalities, civic and social organizations and several area marching bands and drill teams.




6 PM: North Caddo African-American Heritage Association will stage its Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and Unity Award presentation at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of Vivian Middle School, 100 W. Kentucky Ave. in Vivian. Call the Rev. Eddie Howard at (318) 375-2914, Helen Godfrey-Smith at (318) 465-4373 or (318) 795-2720 or Robbie Grundy at (318) 375-2479 to learn more.




ALL WEEK LONG: The Caddo Council on Aging's Foster Grandparent Volunteer Program will collect canned goods and donate them to the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana. The group has set a goal of 5,000 cans. Visit the Caddo Council on Aging at 4015 Greenwood Road in Shreveport or call (318) 632-2090 to help.





And CENTENARY COLLEGE has a week of AMAZING events planned to celebrate Dr. King and bring the community together to foster his "dream" ...

• Get a list of MLK WEEK events HERE. (and stay tuned to this blog for more on Centenary's MLK Week).

Some special events spearheaded by the Obama Campaign/Administration will be taking place all day long as well.


The MLK Day of Service (which I blogged about last week), is a nationwide effort to bring about change one community at a time. This event hopes to bring together all Amercians to make changes in their communities by donating time, food, clothing, money -- ANYTHING -- to help their fellow man ... in honor of Dr. King's legacy.

• Click HERE for some Service Day events planned in Shreveport.

CELEBRATE THE DREAM PEOPLE! ... Change comes Tuesday :)