HOW ARE THE CHILDREN?
COMMITTEE FOR KING AWARDS BANQUET
PROGRAM BEGINS AT 6:30 PM
Opening Remarks and Introduction of Mistress of Ceremony…..............................Carmen Gary
Chair, Committee for King
Mistress of Ceremony.................................................................................................................................Tabitha McRunnels
Kendall Shoemaker
Invocation .......................................................................................................................................................................... Larry Harmon
National Black Anthem
Greetings from the City of Tupelo
Occasion……………………………………………………….….....................................................................................................Charles Penson
Dinner
Video Presentation of Sponsors and Advertisements
Musical Entertainment
Introduction of Guest Speaker………………….............................................……………………………Kendall Shoemaker
Guest Speaker........................................................................................................................................................................Jarvis Jones
Introduction of Community Service Award Recipient .........................................Hannah Maharrey
Drum Major Award Recipient…………………………….............................................................................………Virginia Toliver
Introduction of Image Award Recipient ........................................................................................Shawn Brevard
Image Award Recipient ..........................................................................................................Gum Tree Museum of Art
Introduction of Drum Major Award Recipient ..................................................................Leticia Gassaway
Community Service Award Recipient ......................................................................................................Carla Falkner
Remarks/Acknowledgments/Closing Prayer ............................................................................ Cliff Campbell
JARVIS JONES
GUEST SPEAKER
AUTHOR, THERAPIST, AND SPEAKER.
Jarvis Jones is an author, therapist, and speaker that has a passion for helping youth understand that mental health is just as important as physical health. He attended Hinds Community College where he received his Associates of Arts. He later transferred to THEE Jackson State University where he received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and is currently working on his Masters. Through his own struggles he realized that some of life’s earlier lessons affected him more mentally than physically. As a result, he did not understand how to process what was going on, so he silently suffered and started to self-destruct. With the culmination of his life experiences and clinical training now he travels the country teaching students how to take charge of their mental health, so they no longer must suffer in silence.
DRUM MAJOR AWARD
VIRGINIA TOLIVER
Virginia Toliver returned home (Palmetto community) after a stellar career and immediately immersed herself into various projects, movements, and organizations to support her community. She may have retired from her career in library sciences, but she picked up another career in public service. She hit the ground running by actively participating in service projects with her sorority, her church community, Lee County Federation of Democratic Women, Tupelo Reads, Indivisible of Northeast Mississippi, and Northeast Mississippi Coalition Against COVID-19 (of which she treats as a full-time job). Virginia Dowsing-Toliver has blazed trails throughout her life and continues to be committed to serving her community for the betterment of mankind.
COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
CARLA FALKNER
Carla Falkner grew up in Texas and graduated from Lewisville High School before earning her Bachelor of Arts at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas and Master of Arts at the University of Mississippi. After teaching high school for nine years, she joined the faculty of Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) in 1989 as a history instructor, where she taught for the next 30 years. Among other roles, she served as an advisor for the community college honors society Phi Theta Kappa and Academic Head for the Division of Social, Behavioral, and Applied Sciences. She was a member of the Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC) board from 2001-2010.
As a history instructor, she valued an honest examination of our past. Through her role on the Northeast Cultural Arts Committee, she planned multiple programs focusing on racial reconciliation. In 2017, she and Jeffrey Powell, NEMCC Instruction Technology Specialist, partnered with the college and the National Park Service to create augmented reality for the Corinth Contraband Camp, work she continued after retiring from Northeast in 2019.
In 2021, she accepted a position with the Mississippi Humanities Council as a Project Coordinator to coordinate community colleges teaching for-credit humanities courses in prisons. She also oversees 11 MHC book clubs in seven prisons.
Carla and her husband Patrick moved to Tupelo in 1998 where she teaches English as a Second Language, periodically offers U.S. Citizenship classes, volunteers for Saints Brew, and serves on the boards of the Oren Dunn Museum, El Centro, and the United Way Community Impact Task Force. She is a member of Calvary Baptist Church.
Carla and Patrick have two daughters: Rebekah who is married to Nate Ezell and lives in Austin, Texas, and Anna who is married to Austin Walton and lives in Memphis with Carla’s grandchildren, Atticus and Lillian.
IMAGE AWARD
GUMTREE MUSEUM OF ART
The GumTree Museum of Art, situated in the heart of Downtown Tupelo, radiates a vitality and excitement that reflects the “Tupelo Spirit,”- the insistence on doing whatever it takes to be the best community possible. Established as a non-profit organization in 1985, the Museum provides a variety of interesting exhibits. From thirteen free-standing exhibits to performance art to traditional artists, GMA showcases a diverse cultural environment. Museum offerings include quarterly “Lunch and learn” activities, art competitions, and educational programs for the community. All exhibits are free to the public and supported by memberships, grants, two fundraisers per year, 2 endowment funds, a guild of 75 members, and sponsorships.
