By Neal Reid
Auburn University
An eight-day donation drive to benefit nursing homes in the community will kick off this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week activities at Auburn University.
The annual celebration week Jan. 18-22 will be preceded by a nursing home drive co-sponsored by Auburn’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity (OID) and the Auburn Student Nurses Association. The drive is Jan. 12-20 and organizers are asking for donations of travel-size toiletries for area nursing home residents.
Acceptable items include hand sanitizer, soap and body wash, toothpaste, lotion, deodorant, flushable wipes, floss, shampoo, conditioner and lip balm. Items will be collected at the Cross Cultural Center for Excellence in Suite 2104 of the Melton Student Center. On Friday, Jan. 22, volunteers wearing masks and practicing social distancing can participate in the Nursing Home Drive Packing Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Suite 2104. Anyone interested can register via this link.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 18, OID, University Outreach and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators will host the MLK Scholarship Breakfast, a 7:30-9:30 a.m. virtual gathering themed “Honoring the Dream: Exploring 21st Century Civic Engagement and Advocacy,” featuring Auburn alumnus chef Justin Robinson and Lee County leaders and organizers. “Chef JRob” will kick off the event with a cooking class. Participants have the option to purchase breakfast from Lucy’s or Jahvon’s for pickup to enjoy as they join the online panel discussion and scholarship awards ceremony.
The first 30 registrants for the breakfast will receive a free copy of Robinson’s new cookbook, “Justin Time,” and participants may become event sponsors with donations that support Lee County high school students.
Celebration Week festivities continue Wednesday, Jan. 20, in a self-care session with Blaze Wellness. Auburn alumna Noelle Lucas will lead up to 50 participants in a safe, at-home essential oils workshop that will offer an opportunity to explore the impact of racial battle fatigue on physical, mental and emotional well-being; examine the concept of weathering and how it affects quality of life; unpack ally-ship and its connection to racial battle fatigue; and identify opportunities for cultivating spaces for rest. Anyone interested in participating can register here.
For more information about Auburn’s MLK Celebration Week events, go to: http://ocm.auburn.edu/mlkweek/.
This story originally appeared on Auburn University’s website.
