College of DuPage, Benedictine University to host 23rd annual MLK Breakfast Jan. 15
College of DuPage and Benedictine University will co-host the 23rd annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast at 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, at the Krasa Center on the Benedictine campus, 5700 College Road in Lisle.
The event, which honors the civil rights leader and celebrates diversity, will feature keynote speaker Dalitso Samson Sulamoyo, Ph.D.
As chief executive officer of the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, Sulamoyo oversees a multi-faceted government agency with more than 100 different federal, state and local grants and contracts. Prior to his work with the commission, he spent 16 years as president/CEO of the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies and is past president of the Illinois Community Action Development Corporation. He currently sits on several local, state and regional boards and has been widely recognized for his contributions toward social and economic justice for Illinois residents.
Sulamoyo has been recognized by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce as the Not-for-Profit Business Person of the Year and by the Illinois General Assembly for his leadership and commitment to fight against poverty in Illinois with House Resolution 544.
In 2009, he was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award by the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies and in 2010, he was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award from the Illinois Head Start Association.
In 2017, he was the inaugural inductee of the Community Action Hall Fame in Illinois.
Sulamoyo earned a B.A. in political science and international relations from Illinois College, received a graduate certificate in public sector labor relations and completed two master's degrees in political studies and public administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield. He also holds a Ph.D. in Organization Development from Benedictine University.
During the breakfast, College of DuPage and Benedictine will announce winners of the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarships. Two students from each school earn $1,000 based on an essay they submit detailing how the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has impacted their lives and how his teachings have changed the way they treat others.
Tickets for this event are $30.
To purchase tickets, visit the McAninch Arts Center website, www.athemac.org, or call (630) 942-4000.
A portion of the proceeds of this event benefits the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Fund.
For more information, visit www.cod.edu/MLK.