MidCity Excellence to celebrate legacy and alumni in 12th annual MLK Jr. ‘Solutions Summit’ on Jan. 19
Patrick Holleron
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A longstanding youth learning center will celebrate 25 years of community impact while honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a powerful look at alumni now thriving in the workforce.
MidCity Excellence is a long-serving learning and performing arts center providing academic enrichment, mentorship, workforce readiness, opioid prevention education and youth entrepreneurship opportunities to students in more than a dozen schools in Buchanan County in preschool through 12th grade.
As they look ahead and celebrate 25 years of service to the community, MCE announced the 12th annual MLK Jr. Solutions Summit will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, at Word of Life Church, a gathering filled with music, food and impactful discussions about the importance of investing in youth.
Students with MidCity Excellence run through a practice TV broadcast with a cellphone during an afternoon youth program in September.
The free community event will feature performances from the St. Joe Stixx Drumline, YouthCity Gospel Choir and the MidCity Trash Can Band, including discussions from former MCE alumni now thriving in various careers, from the Armed Forces to performing arts.
“We have alumni coming back that are now doing positive things in the world,” said Kimberly Warren, founder and CEO of MidCity Excellence. “We’re going to highlight them and for the first time ever, we have youth guest speakers and I think that’s powerful, especially with schools trying to bring the attention back on kids and their performance.”
MLK Jr. Solutions Summit speakers include:
Tyrese Huskey: An electrician and 8-year U.S. Army veteran with deployments to Kuwait. Huskey is also a member of the National Guard.
Kaliana Ginn: A Lafayette High School graduate now attending MoWest on a full nursing scholarship. Ginn is currently ranked 6th in her class.
Jordan “Mama J” Alford: A nonprofit program director, entrepreneur, former founder of the Missouri Western Dance Company and class president at Central High School.
One of the many goals of the event is to bring the community together to shine a light on how positive and productive development at an early age can eventually help stabilize families, grow the local economy and strengthen the workforce.
“Our best use of resources should be focused on inspiring the lives of our children. These young people have so many opportunities,” Warren said.
Doors for the event will open at 10:30 a.m., with the program being held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Word of Life Church – MYC Fellowship Hall located on 3902 NE Riverside Road.
The event is organized with help from sponsors like the National Endowment for the Arts and the Missouri Arts Council.
Big Daddy’s BBQ will be on hand to cater its trademark cherry and hickory-smoked BBQ to those who RSVP by Jan. 14.
To RSVP, please call 816-273-5450. Facebook RSVPs will not be counted.