Virginia Tech has planned its annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration for Jan. 3-31.

The events scheduled for the celebration are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

On Monday, Jan. 3-31 Martin Luther King Jr. poster contest winning posters will be on display downtown Blacksburg locations.

On Sunday, Jan. 16 at 3 p.m. the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Community Celebration honoring the life of Martin Luther King Jr., featuring Pastor Nathaniel Spencer from Asbury United Methodist Church will be held at the Schaeffer Memorial Baptist Church. For more information contact Debbie Travis or (540) 382-6751.

On Monday, Jan. 17 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast will be held at the Commonwealth Ballroom in Squires Student Center. This event is free, but registration is required. For more information contact the Office for Diversity and Inclusion or (540) 231-1403.

There will also be a Martin Luther King Jr. Food Drive Event to benefit local food pantries that will take place Monday, Jan. 17 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Food collection sites include Kroger, Walmart, and Food Lion locations in the New River Valley. For more information or to register contact Phil Courey or (540) 231-0691.

The Martin Luther King Jr. keynote address featuring Johnnetta Cole will take place on Monday, Jan. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Burruss Hall Auditorium on Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus. Tickets are available Nov. 29 through Jan. 14.

Saturday, Jan. 22, 10 a.m. the Martin Luther King Jr. Daycare Facelift Project will take place. Project leaders and teams will meet at Litton-Reaves Hall then head to the project sites. Registration is required. For more information or to register contact Phil Courey or (540) 231-0691.

Saturday, Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. there will be a Community Meal at Fieldstone United Methodist Church in Christiansburg. For more information or to register contact Phil Courey or (540) 231-0691.

The celebration is supported by several campus and community organizations including Virginia Tech's Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Pamplin College of Business, Vice President of Administrative Services, Vice President and Dean for Graduate Education, Vice President of Finance, Dean of Students, Vice President for Research, Vice President for Student Affairs, Vice President for Undergraduate Education, Vice President for Development and University Relations, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Women in Leadership and Philanthropy Lecture Fund, Multicultural Programs and Services, the Montgomery County-Radford City-Floyd County Chapter of the NAACP, Black Student Alliance, Black Organizations Council, Alpha Phi Alpha Inc., and The Center of Dance Academy.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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