“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” The wisdom and insight of Martin Luther King Jr. have been transformational for decades, and his legacy of justice continues to this day. To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and his impact, S.E.E.D. (Servants Endeavoring to Empower and Develop) has announced its 13th annual Commemorative MLK Breakfast.
The theme of this year’s gathering is The Power of the Dream: Justice for All. The event will be held on January 14th, 2023 from 10 am to 1 pm at the Princeton Hyatt Regency (102 Carnegie Center, Princeton, NJ). Tickets are $65 per person and all proceeds will benefit the S.E.E.D. and Heal the City initiatives. The keynote speaker for this year’s breakfast is Reverend Charles F. Boyer, the pastor of Greater Mt. Zion A.M.E. in Trenton as well as the founder of Salvation and Social Justice, a non-profit organization advocating on behalf of the Black faith community. The Drum Major for Service Awards will include Joy Bethea, Danielle Miller Winrow, Brother Jean Bouie, and Pastor John Taylor. The Harriet Tubman Award will be presented to Jacqueline-Tolbert Beverly.
S.E.E.D. is a male mentoring group based in Trenton, NJ, whose mission is to provide role models and mentors to prepare youth for greatness. To help overcome the stigma which can sometimes be associated with young men in urban settings, youth are taught to be active in their communities and make changes in their environment through self-awareness, social etiquette, and individuality. The organization helps youth to identify negative mindsets in their lives and overcome them to introduce positivity to their lives. Throughout the year, S.E.E.D. participants engage in service-learning including work with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Habit for Humanity, and a variety of other community service projects throughout the year. The youth who enter this program walk out men of character, empowered to impact and improve the world around them.
The Commemorative MLK Breakfast will also benefit the Heal the City initiative. Heal the City is a collaborative effort to bring inspirational events and programming to the Trenton region. As with S.E.E.D., the primary focus of these efforts is engaging the youth. Through the program, students have attended a variety of events including an off-Broadway play at the War Memorial Patriots Theater, saw a presentation of Black Angels over Tuskegee, and more. Their most initiative has been a billboard campaign that highlights uplifting images and messages to inspire youth and their families. To help negate some of the negative stigma associated with young people, images of inspirational figures and positive outcomes are presented to provide alternative views of our youth.
If you or your organization want to help support this wonderful initiative, one of the ways you can do so is by placing an ad in the program for the event. If you’re interested in doing so, the deadline for submissions is December 30th. The following tiers are available:
- Inside Front Cover: $350
- Inside Back Cover: $350
- Full Page: $150
- Half Page: $100
- Quarter Page: $65
When submitting your ad, please be sure to submit your name, address, phone number, and the size of your ad. Checks can be made payable to S.E.E.D. Male Mentoring Program. All ads must be print-ready. Once your ad is ready, please contact seed.mentoringmlk@gmail.com and the S.E.E.D. team will guide you from there.
The Commemorative MLK Breakfast provides the opportunity to both honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as empower the next generation of Trenton youth. If you wish to attend this wonderful event, payments for tickets can sent on CashApp to $SEEDPROGRAM or online here: S.E.E.D. – Home. Questions may be directed to Stacy Heading at (267) 528-5781. Beyond a wonderful event, your support will be an investment in Trenton’s most valuable asset – our youth.
