Connie Lumpkin feels Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a man who inspires people to move. Residents, educators and students from the tri-county area came together Jan. 10 to reflect on the slain civil rights leader’s legacy and to celebrate scholarship recipients during the 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Committee (MLKCC) Scholarship Awards Breakfast held at the Savannah Center.
The event traditionally takes place one week before Martin Luther King Jr. Day — a federal holiday passed by Congress in 1983 to commemorate King’s birthday.
Lumpkin, president of the nonprofit organization and a Village of Hadley resident, said the breakfast gives the community a chance to recognize future leaders who reflect the values of King — a third-generation Christian minister who fought for equality, inspiring the nation to
follow suit.
“The mission of the committee is to commemorate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his life and what he gave to the world,” Lumpkin said. “He was an educator, so we honor him by sponsoring scholarships to deserving high school graduates at six of the local high schools.
“These high school students are our future leaders and it’s incumbent upon us to pass the baton to help those students realize their dreams and make a difference in the future to bring about a better world,” she said.
Over the past 23 years, MLKCC has presented more than $650,000 in scholarships to 175 students from The Villages Charter, Leesburg, Belleview, Tavares, Lake Weir and Wildwood Middle High School.
The committee awarded 15 students with $4,000 scholarships in 2025 and 2026 — the most awarded scholarships at one time compared to previous years when they award six students each year.
The students who received scholarships this year: Kennedy James and Matthew Ngo (The Villages), Jenalys Otero, Oscar Rubio-Flores and Emily Ruiz (Wildwood), Kylie Dexter-Ward, Jonah Emerson and Logan Miller (Belleview), Katiana Delien, Belinda de la Caridad Palacios and Guadalupe Torres (Lake Weir), Ella Prater and Janyce Wagner (Leesburg) and Taylor Ogg and Beckman Peters (Tavares).Prater also received The Gracia Luoma “Above and Beyond” Certificate of Appreciation, for completing more than 1,500 hours of community service in the tri-county area. The certificate was named in memory of Gracia Luoma, a former MLKCC member and Villages resident, who died last year.
The day’s event included live music performed by Michael Bullard, also known as michaelB, who played “The Lord’s Prayer” before breakfast was served by Bridget’s Classic Catering of Leesburg.
A quote from King — “Our lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter.” — was shared repeatedly during the event to emphasize the importance of using your voice to peacefully stand up to injustice.
It is a lesson that has stuck with Delien, a graduating senior at Lake Weir High School. One of three student speakers during the event, Delien shared how King’s influence inspired her to use her voice and the scholarship will help her pursue her dream to become a physical or occupational therapist.
“Silence doesn’t protect us, it limits us,” Delien said. “The scholarship tells us students that our growth matters and our voices deserve to be heard. I turned my silence into purpose and my struggles into my strengths. I can use my voice to help heal others in our community.”
Diagnosed with a voice box abnormality called laryngomalacia as a baby, Wagner said she understands her voice, and her life, is a gift.
Standing before the audience, Wagner explained how her early childhood was plagued by breathing issues and how her parents “simply prayed for her next breath.”
She said the MLKCC scholarship was the best gift to receive on her 18th birthday, the same day as the breakfast, and the scholarship is part of the foundation to her future plan and passion to help families during medical crises — just as someone once was for her family.
Lumpkin said supporting local youth is what motivates her and her husband — committee vice-president of fundraising Harry Lumpkin — to remain involved in the organization since moving to The Villages in 2008.
After breakfast, the couple spoke about King’s life and accomplishments — including King becoming a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the first Greek-letter fraternity for Black men and one of nine Black sororities and fraternities known as The Divine Nine.
Harry, who also is a member of the fraternity, shared how he assisted through financial donations when Alpha Phi Alpha organized a 28-year nationwide movement to honor King’s contributions.
That movement inspired President Ronald Reagan to sign the King Holiday Bill in 1983. It also played a major role in the country building the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial — the first memorial recognizing a Black American on the National Mall — from 2009 to 2011, and the National Park Foundation to purchase King’s family home in 2019.
Bill Holliday also made donations to the movement as a lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha. He said helping preserve King’s legacy ensures history remains visible for those who need to stand on its shoulders.
“Our past allows us to help people in the future,” the Village of Pine Hills resident said. “I was raised to believe if I can’t make my children have a better life, then I’m a failure. If I can’t make sure their children have a better life than they had, then it stops.”
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com
