PHOENIX (January 18, 2019)—Arizona OIC (AzOIC) announced today at the 33^rd Annual Arizona Martin Luther King Jr. Awards and Scholarship Breakfast the 2019 award recipients. Thelma Hall Williams was named the Community Service awardee; this year’s Living the Dream awardees include Audrey Bell-Jenkins, Kathryn Boris, Marlene Haller, Dr. Neal Lester, Benjamin Taylor II, Esq. and Janelle Wood; and Ron Williams received the 2019 Calvin C. Goode, Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award.

Each awardee was recognized for their contributions to the community and leadership in areas that represent the values of Martin Luther King, Jr. In addition, the Calvin C. Goode, Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes one individual who has made Phoenix a better place to live through a lifelong dedication of promoting social and economic justice, defending civil rights and enhancing the dignity of all people. The award’s namesake spent 22 years with the city of Phoenix, serving as councilman and working endlessly to ensure equal rights and quality for all people. His life exemplifies a powerful commitment to improving the quality of life in Phoenix, and each year the AzOIC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is someone who also exemplifies a lifelong commitment to these values.   

Approximately 1,000 attendees joined AzOIC and the Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee for the breakfast today, which also helped to raise funds for scholarship recipients. AzOIC has been the parent organization in the planning and presentation of this magnanimous event for the past 33 years. This year’s event was co-chaired by Ron Williams and Phoenix Councilwoman Laura Pastor. In an effort to fulfill Dr. King’s dream, AzOIC believes that Success is a gift available to all and is here to help make success a reality for anyone willing to work for it. Therefore, AzOIC will extend the benefits of this Celebration to include not only educational assistance, but to also enhance the many AzOIC programs designed to promote the quality of life for the unemployed, underemployed and homeless.

The Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee seeks to involve the total citizenry of Arizona in recognizing the contributions to the world by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his desire for equality for all people. Through cultural diversity, awareness and unity, the Committee seeks to make the state of Arizona a better place for all of its citizens.

About Arizona OIC

The mission of AzOIC, a 501(c)(3) organization, is to provide recruitment, training, job placement and employee services to unemployed, underemployed, unskilled youth and adults. Though we have been implementing our mission since 1967, the last four years have been the most critical – addressing a marked increase in employment needs of the most economically disadvantaged in the Phoenix Metropolitan Community, including ex-offenders and especially our veterans. Just as Dr. King joined forces with many others to accomplish his goals, we ask that you join forces with us to help eliminate the scourge of ignorance, helplessness and homelessness. For additional information about AzOIC, visit www.azoic.org.