"."-aI-a r -21-' 2. 09. MyP-s FSU Athlete Chooses Oxford Over NFL Career Jan. 15 Celebration Service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., 7 p.m., First New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 4835 Soutel Drive. (904) 765-3111. Jan. 17 Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, 8 a.m., Philippian Multi- Purpose Center, 7540 New Kings Road. $25. (904) 765-3111. Volunteer Opportunities Fire safety information, 9 a.m.-noon, meet at St. Clair Evans Academy, 5443 Moncrief Road, Jacksonville. Volunteers will distribute information throughout disaster-prone neighborhoods in a celebration of the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. They will canvas door to door, talk with residents and leave door hangers with fire safety information about smoke alarms, creating a household fire escape plan and tips for cooking and heating a home safely this winter. Volunteers preregister at (904) 292- 2535. Peace Tiles event A day of celebration and service in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 32208 zip code. HandsOn Jacksonville is hosting the Global Peace Tiles Project. Volunteers are needed for set-up and break down of project area, to assist children in creating Peace Tiles artwork and to engage community members and parents in the day of celebration. A large scale event with many activities the peace tiles project is just one part. Lunch is provided, to volunteer or for more information, con- tact Jessica Smith at 332-6767or 904-874-3905. Jan. 18 The Dream Lives, a Salute to Dr. King, 7-9 p.m., Florida Theatre, 128 E. Forsyth St. Features rhythm and blues/soul musician Phil Perry and pianist/composer Alex Bugnon. (904) 355-2787. Jan. 19 Martin Luther King Day Parade and Celebration, 10 a.m., Federal Reserve Bank, Water Street, to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium; MLK Celebration 2009, noon-5 p.m., Metropolitan Park. Celebration includes a Battle of the Bands, a Gospel Fest, poetry, live entertainment, health screenings/counseling and speakers. (904) 807-8358 or www.mlkfdn.com. Museum of Science and History, 10 a.m. noon, 1025 Museum Circle. Activities for elementary school-aged children include creating a dream quilt and developing a timeline of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. Admission: $9 adults, $7.50 seniors/military, $7 children 3-12. (904) 396-6674. Celebration at Kids Kampus, 1410 Gator Bowl Blvd. (904) 630-5437 (630-KIDS).10 a.m. 2 p.m. Old Timers Cookout Reunion The Annual Old Timers Cook Out and reunion will take place from 8 a.m. 8 p.m. on Monday, January 19th at Lonnie Miller Park. Bring your own food and grills with music by DJ Roach. This event is sponsored by Ronald "Track" Elps and friends. Jan. 29th Willie Gary Classic 6th Annual Martin Luther King Luncheon will be held on Thursday January 29, 2009 at 12 noon at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. The keynote speaker will be The Honorable Congressman John Lewis of Georgia. Congressman Lewis was one of Dr. King's foot soldiers in the Civil Rights movement. At the event, the win- ners of the district- wide essay contest will present their essays and will be awarded with a trip to the King Center in Atlanta, Ga. For more information visit www.williegaryfootballclassic.com. Florida State safety and New Jersey native Myron Rolle will study at Oxford instead of entering this year's NFL draft. "I'm very excited to go," said Rolle. The second-leading tackler at FSU this season, he was a third- team All-American. Rolle won a Rhodes scholarship in November and plans to seek a one-year master's degree in medical anthropology. Projected to be an early round pick, he said he plans to enter the 2010 NFL draft. A native of New Jersey, got his undergraduate degree in pre-med after two and a half years, and has been taking graduate courses at Florida State this year. After his NFL career, Rolle has said he plans to attend medical school and then open a clinic for the needy in the Bahamas. Caring for the Caregiver Workshop Do you know someone caring ing assisted living or long term for an aging loved one or perhaps care for Alzheimer's patients, hos- someone with Alzheimers? pice care for Alzheimer's patients, On Saturday January 31st, from challenging behaviors and more. 8:30 a.m. 2 p.m., there will be a The Keynote speaker will be ,- -1 1, 4Z_-0-_ 1 -4'- free worKsnop for caregivers with care provided for their loved one. Caregiving can be an often lonely, exhausting and frustrating role but Florida State safety Myron Rolle holds up the trophy after defeat- ing Wisconsin 42-13 in the Champs Sports Bowl NCAA col- lege football game in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008. Aw ~j~2 also can be filled with delight and satisfaction. The trick, according to experts, is to find the balance. This workshop has been designed to give caregivers the practical information they need to help take care of themselves and their loved ones. Concurrent sessions will cover preservation of assets, physical aspects of caregiving, compassion fatigue, advance directives, choos- Carol u ell, author of "Mothering Mother," a daugh- ter's memoir about caring for her aging mother. The workshop is free and open to the public but reservations are required. Home care is also available for loved ones. To register for the workshop and to arrange for home care please call Nikki Tubig at 807-1225 by Monday, January 19th. Complimentary lunch will also be provided. It will be held at the Mary L. Singleton Center, 150 E. First Street, Jacksonville, FL 3229. Burris to be Seated in U.S. Senate Roland Burris U.S. Senate leaders have finally approved former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the Senate seat vacated by President- elect Barack Obama. The decision came Monday after- noon after meetings between Burris lawyers and Senate leaders came to a resolution at the behest of Obama, who had ask that officials solve the controversy. Burris will be seated this week. Senate leaders had said the appointment by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich would not be respected. The governor had been arrested on charges that he tried to sell the seat. Last week, he was impeached by the Illinois Legislature. Meanwhile, the Congressional Black Caucus weighed in, calling for Senate Democratic leaders to allow Burris to be seated. "Today, we met as members of the Congressional Black Caucus and voted unanimously that Roland Burris should be seated by the Senate," said a Jan. 7 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from all members of the CBC, chaired by U. S. Rep. Barbara Lee. The legal struggle over the seat started after Blagojevich was arrest- ed on federal corruption charges alleging that Blagojevich attempted Executives Working to Create Black-Owned Holding Company Three African American execu- tives are trying to raise $50 million to create a black-owned bank hold- ing company with some help from the federal government. The entity, MBF LP, would be designed to make capital invest- ments in and own parts of new and existing black-owned U.S. banks, said William Michael Cunningham, senior investment adviser at Creative Investment Research Inc., a Washington D.C. firm specializ- ing in minority banking. Cunningham, MBF general part- ner, said the company would be an equity fund based in Washington. The company has applied for bank holding company status and is seek- ing capital from the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program. Cunningham said MBF partners and management team members would include Elrick Williams, chairman and CEO of Allston Trading L.L.C., a firm specializing in electronic trading of stocks, bonds and other securities, and Glenn Harvey, former president and CEO at Broadway Federal Bank. Cunningham said the MBF is needed because black-owned banks have few sources for investment capital. A typical investment in a black-owned bank might total $5 million to boost the bank's capital base, allowing it to leverage that money to make new loans of up to $50 million, he added. "We will provide capital on better terms than those provided by the few limited sources currently avail- able," he said. to "sell" Obama's Senate seat to "the highest bidder." Pressure had mounted for the gov- ernor to step down. But, he has not yet been convicted of a crime. Tape recordings indicating his intention of receiving something in exchange for the seat were widely broadcast- ed on national media. Despite the controversy surround- ing Blagojevich, those who know Burris say Burris is a man of integrity. With Burris, the 100-member Senate, will still have only one African-American. "I've known him for about 30 years. He's a man of integrity and honor," says U. S. Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.). "He was the attorney general and I don't know why he had to be tainted with the scent of the governor. But, the gov- ernor had not been proven guilty yet." Minority Internship Programs Seek Candidates For 2009 Several minority internship programs targeting African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans are now welcoming applica- tions for 2009. The internships will take place in various cities across the country during the spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons. The programs are being administered by a combination of major cor- porations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. Many of the opportunities offer compensation for students, and some will even pay for a student's travel needs. Applicable majors include business, computer science, engineering, psychology, communications, market- ing, advertising, and many more. Students are encouraged to apply right away, as many of the programs have early deadlines. Here are just a few of the opportunities that are available: AAAS Minority Science Writers Internship; IBM Minority Research Internship; Louis Carr Internship; Google Diversity Internship; NASCAR Diversity Internship; Nationwide/Tom Joyner Foundation Internship Program; Minority Access Internship Program; American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Minority Internship and INROADS Internship For the complete list and for more details on how to apply for the opportunities, visit: www.FindInternships.com. Who Should Make Our Choices? Recently, some self-appointed activists have proposed a legislative ban on menthol ciga- rettes in a misguided effort to force people to quit smoking by limiting their choices. So far, wiser heads have prevailed and the ban on menthol has not passed. It could come up again. It shouldn't. When government "reforms" intrude into our lives to the point of restricting freedom of individual choices on what we can enjoy, our basic concept of liberty is threatened. that menthol cigarettes increase the known risks from smoking.The effort to ban menthol is just another in a long series of attempts by the politically correct crowd to force Americans to give up their freedom to choose to smoke a cigarette. "Informed grown- Shouldn't People Keep ups who decide to smoke should have the freedom to choose menthol cigarettes" Fighting ForThe Freedom Of Choice? The history of African Americans in this country has been one of fighting against paternalistic limitations and for freedoms. We all agree that children should not smoke, but grown-ups who How Should Our Choices Be Made? In the American tradition, laws restricting freedom of choice must be based on sound reasoning, rational public policy and verifi- able data while allowing for a minimum of governmental intrusion. Menthol is a matter of taste and preference. The body of scientific evidence does not support the conclusion can and should assess the risks of smoking should have the freedom to choose whether to smoke or not. If they choose to smoke, they should have the freedom to choose to smoke regular or menthol cigarettes. Please visit www.mentholchoice.com and learn more about how you can help prevent this ban on menthol from being considered. www.mentholchoice.com Ms. Perry's Free Press Page 5 Januarv 15-21. 2009 4e2zez %%,..,/TOBACCO COMPANY