This Monday, January 19th, celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of a world in which every child has the chance to realize his or her full potential. Here are a couple of great local events where you can support young children in Durham!
NC MomsRising.org‘s annual MLK Birthday Party is on Monday, January 19th. This free family-friendly event will take place from 10:30am – 12:30pm at the Center Court at Northgate Mall (1058 West Club Boulevard) and will feature English/Spanish story times, songs, crafts, activities, performances, and birthday cake as people celebrate Dr. King’s life and legacy in a way that children can understand. In continuing Dr. King’s commitment to service, participants are asked to donate nonperishable food (especially peanut butter, canned meat, and pasta), new packaged toiletries (soap, toothbrushes, diapers, etc.), or new underwear/ socks for children and adults for local families in need served by Urban Ministries of Durham.
At noon, attendees will sing Happy Birthday to Dr. King, learn freedom songs, share cake, and enjoy music and dance performances by special guests.
Book Harvest, a nonprofit which provides books to low-income children, will host the Dream Big Book Drive at the Carolina Theatre of Durham (309 West Morgan Street) on the afternoon of MLK Day, January 19th. From 1:00 to 4:00 that day, community members are invited to bring their book donations to the Carolina Theatre and to celebrate Dr. King’s 86th birthday by joining in service with Book Harvest’s volunteers and more than three dozen members of the North Carolina Literacy Corps.
Master of Ceremonies Tisha Powell of WTVD/ABC-11 will kick off the festivities at 1:00 pm. The event will also feature comments from Durham Mayor Bill Bell and other special guests, live music, food trucks, the Scrap Exchange, a photo booth, and a chance to tour the “Confronting Change” exhibit on the third floor of the Carolina Theatre. Last year’s Dream Big Book Drive resulted in 33,677 donated books, and they hope to collect even more this year to spread the gift of literacy to children in Durham.
Make this day off a day on by giving back and supporting these great organizations in our community!
