Florida Tech to Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Recognize Those Who Live His Dream Jan. 14

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology will celebrate the life and achievements of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. Hosted by Florida Tech’s Office of Alumni Affairs and the Arts and Communication Department, the event will be held in the John and Martha Hartley Room in the Denius Student Center on campus.

The evening begins with a welcome by Bino Campanini, vice president of the Florida Tech Alumni Association. Humanities Professor and University Historian Gordon Patterson will provide an introduction and concluding words, and President and CEO Anthony J. Catanese will offer remarks.

The keynote speaker will be Senior Pastor Jarvis Wash, founder of The R.E.A.L. Church in Melbourne. A community activist, Wash has formed partnerships with local doctors and local HIV and AIDS testing centers and has hosted numerous HIV and AIDS seminars. Collaborating with O.U.R. Community Health Services, he has also sponsored the Guard Your Heart seminar. He sits on various boards such as the Brevard Juvenile Re-entry and Youth Promise and is the founder of the S.P.O.T. (A Special Place for Our Teens), a summer and after school program that educates teens by providing life skills and helps to deter criminal activities, alcohol and drug use, gang violence and teen pregnancy. He also headed the Stop the Killing and Start Living movement in Rockledge and Cocoa. Jarvis is a certified chaplain with the Department of Juvenile Justice.

A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the annual Julius Montgomery Award. Montgomery was one of Florida Tech’s first African-American students. Also to be presented will be the Dr. Harvey L. Riley Bridge Builder Award for community activism and improvement.

Orator Leonard Ross will perform King’s legendary I Have a Dream speech. In addition, there will be live musical entertainment courtesy of the Florida Tech choir, performing “Lift Every Heart and Sing” and “Every Time I Feel the Spirit.”

For more information contact Bino Campanini at (321) 674-8434, or send email to bcampanini@fit.edu.