Eight Faculty, Staff to be Honored at Martin Luther King Jr. Event MLK's daughter to speak at awards ceremony The Hopkins Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Event will be held at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 23, in the Turner Auditorium on the East Baltimore campus. This year's featured speaker will be the Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the slain civil rights leader and the pastor of the Greater Rising Star Baptist Church in Atlanta. The Hopkins tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. was first organized by Levi Watkins, associate dean of the School of Medicine and professor of cardiac surgery. During the program, the Johns Hopkins Martin Luther King Jr. Awards will be presented to university faculty and staff. The award was created to recognize and make role models of Hopkins employees who perform volunteer work in the community. The following is a profile of the eight members of the university community who will be honored during this year's event: Teresa Tufano Psychiatric Therapist Outpatient Psychiatry The Johns Hopkins Hospital Teresa Tufano is the founder and director of the Latin American Folklore Group, which is committed to the performance of songs and dances from Latin American countries in order to allow American audiences to know the richness and diversity of Latin culture. Tufano is an active member of the Women of Color Task Force and has served on the Baltimore City Commission for Women. She has helped strengthen the provision of necessary psychiatric counseling for the Latino population. She has volunteered many hours of counseling to recently arrived immigrants of marginal economic means and has been instrumental in the ongoing effort to offer solace to those victims of torture and repression who have come from the Third World to this country. Nathaniel Grogan Security Officer Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Nathaniel Grogan spends 25 to 30 hours a week as one of the original members of the "Mighty Men of God" with Bethel AME Church to enhance the role of black men in family and community life. Nathaniel combines his sincere belief in the worth of his fellow man with his desire to be a positive image for today's youth, who often do not have male role models within their community. He has organized security patrols for Booker T. Washington School to ensure children's safety and is a mentor to three Walbrook High and Booker T. Washington students. In addition, he has collaborated on a soon-to-be-initiated prison ministry service to reach black men within the city detention system. Karen Schrader Research Associate Howard Hughes Medical Institute Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Karen Schrader is the founder/organizer of the Reading for Life Program, a program pairing students with reading partners from JHMI. Since its inception last summer over 45 children and parents from Tench Tilghman elementary school have joined this program. Schrader started a lending library to assist the students and has solicited donations of over 200 books. Students in this program have discovered that reading is fun and have developed valuable relationships with supportive role models from JHMI. Schrader has created this program including weekly snacks without any funding beyond contributions of materials. Marion D'Lugoff Assistant Professor Department of Community Health Nursing School of Nursing Marion D'Lugoff has worked for more than nine years to ensure the growth of the Transitional Housing Program, an organization that provides housing, training and support to homeless families. She provides health screens and education programs for adults and children, arranges for volunteer nursing students and Americorps volunteers, prepares grants and funding proposals, creates programs and staff development, and makes referrals for citywide services. D'Lugoff has also been instrumental in developing community partnerships with other agencies and services provided in the city. Through her involvement with THP, D'Lugoff reflects her steadfast commitment to helping homeless families rebuild their lives. Armenta M. Jones Administrative Assistant Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union School of Hygiene and Public Health Armenta M. Jones was fed up with all the news stories of children neglected by the system and their families, so two years ago she established a program to give children the attention that might change the direction of their futures. Through her church and with the help of teachers, psychologists and volunteers, Jones has established a Saturday Academy for children from Harlem Park Elementary School who have been identified by their schools as being at-risk. Today, despite challenges in procuring funding, approximately 12 children attend the program designed to provide them with lessons, songs, games, field trips and prayer. Vernon Rice Auto Mechanic Facilities Management Homewood Campus When Vernon Rice leaves campus at the end of his shift, his work is far from done. Each day, he stops by St. Anthony's Church to pick up anywhere between five and 15 messages from people in the community who need food, prescriptions filled, financial assistance to prevent evictions and utility shut-offs, or counseling. Last year alone, he responded to more than 1,900 calls for help and personally visited almost 700 families. Preferring modestly to "remain in the woodwork," Rice makes a visible difference to the people who face every day the challenges of poverty. Benedict A. Dorsey Associate Director Student Financial Services Homewood Student Affairs Benedict A. Dorsey shows he cares about his community in many ways. He runs a volunteer ministry in Charles Village that includes a food closet, clothes closet, a Biblical Institute to help children (ages 5-13) with communications skills through the study of the Bible and a Young Men's Rap Session (ages 12-25). He personally provides emergency financial assistance to the needy, and free bereavement counseling and funeral services to families of the victims of crime-related death. He visits the elderly and helps with their medical care. At Hopkins, he mentors and counsels students, directs two African American productions each year, serves as the unpaid adviser for the JHU Gospel Choir and assists with Black History Month activities. Michael Paradise Interventionist Program for Alcohol and Other Drug Dependencies The Johns Hopkins Hospital For the past two years, Michael Paradise has volunteered at the Baltimore American Indian Center. He provides substance abuse in-service training for center staff and leads the weekly substance abuse treatment/education group, which he established. Paradise volunteers at weekend pow-wows and health fairs, providing valuable outreach services to Native Americans in East Baltimore. As a non-Native American, Paradise has demonstrated acute cultural sensitivity and gained group acceptance, while striving to promote better health and increased services within this community.