Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance and Volunteer Fair

The Interfaith Outreach Committee sponsors the Coalition’s Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance and Volunteer Fair, held at a different house of worship in either Maplewood or South Orange. For the past nine years, the Coalition has brought powerful speakers to the community in honor of Dr. King. Past speakers have included Marc Morial, leader of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans, Reverend Raquel A. St. Clair, Ph.D., the first woman to serve as an Executive Minister to the 5600 members of the historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Newark, NJ, Wahy ud-Deen Shareef a Senior Advisor to Newark Mayor, Cory Booker and Imam at Masjid Waarith ud Deen in Irvington, NJ, Hendricks Davis, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Newark, Inc.; Dr. Clement Price, a professor of history and chairman of the Department of African-American Studies at Rutgers University.

Following the Observance, the Coalition sponsors a Volunteer Fair each year to give all our local volunteer and service organizations an outreach opportunity to our residents. For locals looking for volunteer service, this fair is a great chance to see what is available right here in our towns.

In 2010, we invited the community to offer service projects, donation opportunities, and events that reflect Dr. King’s call to serve throughout the weekend. Various groups offered events such as a blood drive, food collections, clothing donations, and stories and crafts for to teach kids about Martin Luther King. Our goal is to strengthen the community by empowering individuals through service.