St. Joseph Mercy Oakland (SJMO) welcomes the public to its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 14, in the hospital chapel. SJMO is located at 44405 Woodward Ave., Pontiac.
Theme for the day is “The Power of One: You Can Make a Difference.”
Keynote speaker will be Heaster L. Wheeler, Executive Director of the Detroit Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He will speak on “Making a Difference in Business.” He will be introduced by Dr. Eugene Rogers, President, Oakland County Branch NAACP.
A longtime activist in the political, civil rights and social justice arenas, Wheeler began his career in public service in the Detroit Fire Department and later served as a legislative assistant to former Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.
Wheeler was Manager of State Government Affairs for Ameritech, a lobbyist for the Detroit Public Schools-Office of Government Relations, Deputy Director of Communications for Michigan House Speaker Curtis Hertel and a co-convener of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus Summit. He was appointed Executive Director of the Detroit Branch NAACP in October 1999.
Wheeler received the Men of Excellence Award from the Michigan Chronicle and the UAW Pioneer Award. He also serves on many boards and committees in the city of Detroit.
The program includes:
- The singing of “The Power of One”
- Welcome by SJMO Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer M. Toni Flowers
- A reading featuring SJMO associates titled “The Power of One”
- Invocation by Father George Berendt
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant Report by Flowers and Joy Calloway, SJMO Director of Community Programs
- Choral presentation by the Pontiac High School Choir
- A reading of an excerpt of Dr. King’s speech by Jeffrey Hill, SJMO Manager, Supply Chain Systems.
SJMO Chaplain Rev. Frederick Moore will deliver closing remarks. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free for this annual celebration of Dr. King’s life.
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