Capacity Crowd Turns Out to Make Dr. King's Holiday a Day of Activism

Keynote Speaker Ned Lamont
Former Congressman Rob Simmons and Gary H. Collins
Gary Collins & Bridget Allison of Hartford Public
Capacity Crowd

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18 2010
Contact: (816) 316-7183

CROMWELL--A capacity crowd turned out at the Crowne Plaza - Cromwell, to make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s holiday a day of activism by helping a remarkable assembly of students from the Bridgeport, Hartford and Portland areas realize the dream of higher education.

Controller Nancy Wyman, Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, Former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy and Former Congressman Rob Simmons provided the crowd with inspiring words that reflected upon Dr. King's life, work and sacrifice in the area of civil and human rights. Afterwards, each of the Collins Foundation, Inc.'s Power of One 2009 and 2010 scholarship recipients (Anastasia Salvatore (Portland); Garth Brown (Hartford); Paige Lewis (Portland); Danny Contreras (Hartford); Na-Tasha Bryan (Hartford); Jenicebeth Santiago (Hartford) and Julie Anne Charleston (Bridgeport), pledged to honor Dr. King's legacy by dedicating themselves to always doing their best and to participate in some form of public service upon completing their college educations.

Entrepreneur and activist Ned Lamont 's inspiring keynote address focused on this year's theme, "From Dr. King to President Obama: How the Fight for Access to Public Education Paved the Way to the Oval Office." He underscored Dr. King’s keen awareness and commitment to ensuring that students of all backgrounds and genders have access to a quality public education and belief that such access would produce generation after generation of activist upon activist who, in turn, would change the country—and perhaps even the world.

Lamont's keynote address was followed by the presentation of the Foundation's Power of One Community Services Awards. This year's recipients, St. Vincent DePaul Place & the Amazing Grace Food Pantry, the Creative Arts for Developing Minds, and Dean of the Law & Government Academy at Hartford Public High School, Bridget Allison were all recognized for being inspiring agents of change in our community.

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