MLK Breakfast Honors Students And Calls For Action
“Hope Through Action” Is The Answer For MLK Breakfast Panelists
Hope is not a mood. It is something people build through action, one choice at a time. That was the message behind “Hope Through Action,” the theme of Westerville’s Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast on Monday, where speakers urged residents to move past symbolic gestures and take practical steps that strengthen civic life and community support.
The panel featured Floyd Akins, vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement at Otterbein University. Jeremy Hollon, associate director of community partnerships for Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS). And Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio.
Miller said that action restores hope when people feel powerless.
“When we feel hopeless, it’s because we feel like we don’t have power,” she said. “But actually, all of us do.”
She urged the audience to focus on logistics that often keep people from participating, especially voting. Miller encouraged residents to check their voter registration, make a voting plan, and help younger voters navigate the process. She also called on employers and organizations to support election work, including encouraging employees to serve as poll workers.
“If you want to know how elections work, if you have any inclination to not trust elections, go be a poll worker,” she said.
Hollon said the day’s meaning requires follow-through.
“Today is a day to take action,” he said. “Tomorrow is also a day to take action.”
He described his work connecting refugee and immigrant families with the broader community in ways that avoid stereotypes and tokenizing. Support, he said, does not have to be large to matter. One hour a week volunteering, writing cards to students, donating winter items, mentoring, offering internships, or simply spending money at New American-owned restaurants can all help.
“What hurts me the most is when I get people saying, ‘I want to help a Somalian,’” Hollon said. “You need to know their names. You need to know their stories.”
Akins pointed to local change as proof that involvement matters. He described being asked to conduct a diversity workshop in Upper Arlington years ago and watching civic leadership evolve since then, including the rise of Mayor Yetemi Nwekasan Jeter. He also referenced efforts to elevate local history, including the story of Pleasant Litchford, a formerly enslaved man who owned land where Upper Arlington High School now sits.
Akins spoke about the role education plays in opportunity, and why he chose a career in fundraising and higher education. He shared a personal story about escorting Coretta Scott King during a campus visit as an undergraduate and recently recovered a photo of the moment.
“Dr. King could not have done what he did without her,” Akins said, crediting her leadership and support.
On advocacy, Miller offered a basic approach. Define the problem, identify who has the power to change it, build relationships with others who care, and show up. Call elected officials, testify at hearings, and speak from lived experience rather than waiting to become an expert.
“You are an expert on how government and policy impacts you and your family and your community,” she said.
Hollon urged residents to use whatever privilege or position they have to open doors and change systems, including hiring practices. Akins pointed to local change as proof that involvement works, describing civic efforts in Upper Arlington that helped broaden representation and elevate overlooked history.
Near the end, Akins led the audience in a call-and-response, which he said he heard at church growing up, a reminder that public values require private accountability.
“I must live with myself,” he said. “I don’t want to come to the setting sun hating myself for things I have or have not done.”
In closing remarks, the panelists returned to the theme. Miller urged people to organize, vote, mentor, and volunteer. Hollon repeated the simplest instruction of the morning.
“Just do something,” he said.
Akins ended with three values, he said, his mother left him. Love, humility, and forgiveness.
Fouse Award Winners Seek More Than Awards
Two Westerville City Schools seniors were honored Monday with the Fouse Awards during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast in Westerville.
The Fouse Award recognizes students who demonstrate leadership and a commitment to equity, diversity, liberty, and justice, values reflected in the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and William H. Fouse.
Simone Smith, a senior at Westerville Central High School, was named the first recipient. Smith serves as president of the National Honor Society, a Link Crew mentor, and a member of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. She is also part of Hope Squad, supporting peer mental health, and is active in athletics and school spirit efforts as a state champion track athlete and football team manager.
Smith has also contributed to community initiatives, including the We Are the Ville sportsmanship campaign and advocacy efforts during the district levy campaign.
“This really does mean a lot to me,” Smith said while accepting the award. “I’ll be carrying my leadership down to Ole Miss next year.”
The second Fouse Award was presented to Allison Valdez-Bonilla, a senior at Westerville North High School. Valdez-Bonilla founded the Hispanic Student Union and Spanish Club at her school, creating spaces for students to celebrate culture, build leadership skills, and connect with one another.
Through cultural events, murals, and community-building activities, her work helped foster a more inclusive school environment. Valdez-Bonilla, a first-generation college-bound student, thanked her teachers and family for their support during her remarks.
The awards were presented by Westerville City Schools Superintendent Angie Hamburg at the annual MLK Breakfast hosted by Leadership Westerville.
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