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| Africana
Studies Club
October 28-30: Missouri Statewide 2005 hosted by ABC Gospel Choir and Africana Studies Special
M.L. King Awards Presented At Annual Recognition Luncheon
(click here for a printable
version)
As part of Central Missouri State University’s annual celebration in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., community leaders and local organizations were honored at a special awards luncheon Wednesday, Jan. 14. This is the fifth year for the presentation of the awards and the second year they have been presented at the chamber’s monthly luncheon. The awards were initiated in 1999 to celebrate the King’s legacy and the principles for which he stood. The luncheon was served at the White Rose Pavilion in conjunction with the monthly luncheon sponsored by the Greater Warrensburg Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center. Walt Hicklin and Jessie Adolph received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award. The award is presented to an individual or organization that demonstrates good character, the ability to lead diverse ethnic groups toward common goals, and is a positive role model to others. Hicklin is the assistant vice president for student affairs and chief judicial officer at Central. Prior to his administrative career, he was head Mules football coach, and he currently is a professional football recruiter. Hicklin works with Central’s student retention program -- a program recognized as a national model of student effectiveness. He spends personal time with each student, working out an individual plan by which to raise grades. His concern for his students is reflected in the respect they afford him. Hicklin also is the coordinator of the American Legion Missouri Boys State hosted by Central each summer. He is a member of the Warrensburg Rotary Club and has served as a member and president of the Warrensburg R-VI School District. Jessie Adolph is a full-time Central student majoring in English with a minor in African Studies. He is a non-traditional student, husband and father to two children. Adolph, who is from St. Louis, is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Sigma Tau Delta English honor society. He works in the Office of Community Engagement, is an officer and founding member of the Africana Studies Club, and works on the Beyond Words and Unity Week Planning Committees. He was chosen to represent Central at the annual Governor’s Conference on Faith and Values and is a McNair Scholar. On his own initiative, Adolph planned and facilitated the “Rock the Vote” program at Central, during which 116 students registered to vote. He also hosted a public discussion on the topic “Both Sides of Black: Issue of Colorism.” Kristie Brinkley and Ralph Bardgett received the Robbie Robinson Service Award, which recognizes individuals or organizations that demonstrate enhancement of, understanding and appreciation for diversity, as well as work in group or individual activities that bring the Warrensburg and Central communities together. Brinkley is coordinator of volunteer services and non-traditional student services at Central. She works with Central students in identifying volunteer opportunities and placements in the localcommunity. She advises the Central Community Leaders, a student organization focused on service and volunteerism that works the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Scholarship Dinner coat check each year. Brinkley also advises Central’s Breakers organization, a group of students who spend spring break in another state working on a Habitat for Humanity building project. Out of her office at Central, she also organizes the annual Volunteer Fair and several blood drives on the Central campus. She is a member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Planning Committee and the Johnson County Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors. Ralph Bardgett, a retired member of Central’s Department of Communication faculty, is involved in the operation of the Warrensburg Food Center, the Community Clothes Closet, the Warrensburg Christian Social Concerns Commission, the local Christmas Store, and serves as the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Director of Lectors. Bardgett has provided consistent leadership for the Food Center board concerning the monthly allotments benefiting low-income and poverty level citizens of Johnson County. He also was a moving force in acceptance of financial responsibility for the Clothes Closet by the Food Center Board of Directors. The Rev. Jeff Arp and Survival Adult Abuse Center, Inc., received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Awards. Arp has been the pastor of the First Assembly of God Church in Warrensburg since 1997. He serves on the Warrensburg R-VI Board of Education and the Warrensburg Rotary Club Board of Directors, and is a member of the Warrensburg Lions Club, Bridge Builders, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Planning Committee and the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce. He serves as chaplain for the Warrensburg Fire and Police departments, after founding the program for both departments, as well as the Salvation Army. He is a past president of the Warrensburg Ministerial Alliance and is a coach with the Warrensburg Parks and Recreation Department. Arp also frequently works with programs for the campus and community on grief and loss and faith practice panels. Survival Adult Abuse Center, Inc., was established in Warrensburg in 1982 by a group of concerned Johnson County citizens. Initially, domestic violence victims were given shelter in the private homes of volunteers. The need for a shelter and attention to victims necessitated the purchase of a safe house in 1984 and the provision of additional services. Services provided to victims of domestic violence include 24-hour safe house and crisis hotline, crisis intervention, case management, support groups, court advocacy, children’s services and individual advocacy. The center operates with a staff of 10 who provide 24-hour assistance. |
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