The legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was that of promoting peace, reaching for understanding and fighting against the inequalities – for all – that exist in our nation.
Each year, teammates at Atrium Health help keep Dr. King’s legacy alive through participation in various events and initiatives. Like Dr. King, our teammates believe in celebrating and promoting the worth of all human beings in a spirit of love, empathy and service to each other.
Honoring Dr. King’s Life
The celebrations kicked off on Tuesday, January 15 with the Atrium Health Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service which included a wreath-laying ceremony at the foot of Dr. King’s memorial statue in Marshall Park in uptown Charlotte. The service, which was held on the 90th birthday of Dr. King, commemorated his life and death.
Celebrating Dr. King’s Vision
A Charlotte tradition since 1981, the 2019 Atrium Health Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade in Uptown Charlotte included more than 100 community organizations, marching bands, floats and dance performers.
In celebrating the city of Charlotte’s 250th birthday – CLT250 – we had 250 Atrium Health volunteers and their families walk in the parade.
The parade also featured the unveiling of Atrium Health and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s newest healthcare initiative – Wellness on Wheels (WOW). WOW will be serving the greater Charlotte area providing health screenings, nutrition education and lifestyle management to combat chronic illnesses and disproportionate healthcare access that plague rural and urban areas in Charlotte.
For more information on Wellness on Wheels services offered and schedule details, visit the Wellness on Wheels’ Facebook page and follow @WOWCLT on Twitter.
Keeping Dr. King’s Legacy
On January 21, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte held the 25th Annual MLK Holiday Breakfast at the Charlotte Convention Center, of which Atrium health was a sponsor.
Soledad O’Brien – the award-winning journalist, speaker and author – was the keynote speaker. And the former CNN anchor and media producer reminded us all what Dr. King stood for.
“Martin Luther King Day is not a one-day celebration, but a year-long commitment that must be reupped year after year after year," O'Brien said to the audience.
Atrium Health’s Carolinas College of Health Sciences also hosted its 14th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon featuring Toussaint Romain, a civil rights activist and community organizer in Charlotte, who challenged the audience to not only think but to act.
Serving Others in Dr. King’s Name
One of Dr. King’s lasting legacies will be his humility and service to others. As part of our organization’s values, Atrium Health teammates were honored to participate in several service projects around our communities during the month of January. These activities included:
- Creating baby blankets for Baby Bundles, an organization created to help provide blankets and other necessities to first-time mothers in need.
- Writing cards of love and encouragement to the most forgotten and isolated residents in our community as part of the Love in Action project.
- Packing comfort kits for the American Red Cross.
- Partnering with Second Harvest Foodbank of Metrolina to provide a mobile food pantry to the families of children at Battleground Elementary School in Lincolnton.
- Distributing hundreds of new and gently used hats, coats, scarves, blankets, gloves and socks to local nonprofits as part of the “Share the Warmth” initiative.
