It may be cold and wintry right now, but the warmth and satisfaction of doing for others through the concept of community service will be satisfied when various activities of that nature are performed and celebrated as part the of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Week, January 19 to 24.

Beloved Community Council in partnership with STEP, Inc., AmeriCorps, Lycoming College and Penn College, welcomes the whole community to participate in the 11th annual MLK Dream Week events. This year the theme is “Awakening To Social Change – #Get Woke.” This Dr. King quote inspired the title:

“One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and face the challenge of change.”

Dream Week begins on Saturday, January 19, at 10 a.m. with the annual Peace Walk. The location is First United Methodist Church, 604 Market St. and people can gather at the fountain by Bennett St. to walk an approximate one-mile loop. Refreshments and social time will follow the walk inside the church. Beginning at 10:45 a.m. in the church sanctuary, there will be a musical celebration, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” in honor of the Beloved Community member, the late Richard C. James. The program will include a short video in honor of Dr. King that Richard made last year for the 50th anniversary since King’s assassination, with a few local choirs, and guest speaker Rev. Raphael Mnkandhla.

On Sunday, January 20, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., there will be an “Alternatives To Violence Project” workshop at Christ Episcopal Church, 426 Mulberry St. hosted by Tony White.

Monday, January 21, 9 a.m. to noon is the MLK Day of Service Project, “More Than A Meal,” located in the Lycoming College Recreation Center. In partnership with the Central PA Food Bank, volunteers will be packaging meal kits to benefit our community members in need. Refreshments and child care will be provided.

Tuesday, January 22, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., is the annual round table discussion at City Alliance Church, 420 Elmira St., with the theme, “Trust Across Generations,” discussing ways generations can work together for social justice. Refreshments will be served.

Thursday, January 24, 7 p.m., at Lycoming College Clarke Chapel, 700 College Place will present, “An Evening With Damon Young.” The guest speaker has been described, “With work that vacillates from anthropological satire and absurdist racial insights to razor-sharp cultural critique and unflinching indictments of privilege and bias, Damon Young engages audiences in thoughtful contemplation of modern society.”

The community is invited to attend any or all of these activities in solidarity with the timeless principles of Martin Luther King Jr. and participate in creating the mutually beneficial social changes he envisioned in the beloved community. Dr. King’s words of wisdom inspire all of us to our highest potential as he said, “We have before us the glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of love into the veins of our civilization.”

All events are free and open to the public.