MLK Dream Weekend Reflects on 5th Year Anniversary
About 45 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King stood before our nation and declared his dream. Because of that day, because of that moment, because of his determination, his focus, his fight and his dream, millions of people of all races, ethnicities and orientations have been able to realize their dreams.
MLK Dream Weekend is proud of the accomplishments over the past five years and in this fifth year intends to celebrate many milestones that have helped to shape this effort into what it is today. But we could not have done it without the support of the Greenville community, our sponsors, partners and volunteers.
- Over $20,000 in scholarships have been awarded to several students.
- Approximately 4500 people have been inspired by attending the MLK Dream Weekend Diversity Banquets, giving Greenville the opportunity to host individuals such as Dr. King’s daughter, Dr. Bernice King and Dr. King’s son, Martin Luther King III, and Mr. Terrence Roberts of Little Rock Nine.
- We’ve administered health awareness education to hundreds along with our presenting partner, Greenville Hospital System.
- We’ve helped increase the local blood supply through sponsored blood drives working in conjunction with The Blood Connection.
- We’ve given hundreds the opportunity to volunteer giving back to the communities we serve, an extremely important value Dr. King taught us.
- We’ve awarded $5,000 to local dreamers to help them pursue their dreams and make our community a better place.
- We have contributed to organizations such as Phillis Wheatley and the Lupus Foundation.
- We’ve impacted hundreds through our Day of Dreams workshops for personal growth and development that span across topics such as financial planning, keys to achieving your dreams, living a healthy lifestyle and more.
The list of accomplishments goes on, but the biggest success is that we have ignited dreams – an important value that each of us can gravitate to no matter the age, race or gender. In this fifth year, we celebrate the realization of those dreams by the millions of people who have advanced their lives and our society through their dreams come true.
Tonight, we celebrate how far we have come, how much we have achieved and how promising the future is for ourselves and our children.
And tonight, we also challenge ourselves. We challenge the barriers, and the lack of passion and drive that has prevented many of us from realizing our dream.
Dr. King’s dream was meant to inspire, to instill in people of all races and creeds a belief that if something is good, is right, and is beneficial…it can be accomplished.
And though it’s true that accomplishments and achievements are individual acts, they are also community acts. In order to achieve meaningful progress we need each other, we need community spirit, community support and community sustenance. And how fortunate we are that the community of Greenville has stepped up in its efforts to expand the possibilities and potential for people of all races. How fortunate we are that Greenville is now firmly planted on the side of progress, on the side of justice and on the side of advancement for all people who desire to contribute.
So tonight we invite more dreams. Tonight we invite big dreams and little dreams, individual dreams and communal dreams, career dreams and and spiritual dreams Tonight, we encourage reverence for the mission of Dr. King by arousing in you and yours the good fire. Not the fire that burns things down but the fire that warms things up, the fire that burns in us all to do good, to achieve great things, to make a positive difference, to change our lives, our communities, our nation and our world for the better.
We all don’t need to attempt the impossible to make our mark. We all just need to become engaged and care about out how our lives impact others.
Have a dream. And have a way to make it come true. Thanks to Dr. King, the odds are no longer impossible. And the potential is infinite.
Thank you.
MLK Dream Weekend