Hundreds turn out for annual Martin Luther King Jr. Walk and Festival

Jill Holloway, Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Ga.
·3 min read

Jan. 15—THOMASVILLE- Hundreds of participants braved the cold on Saturday morning for Restoration Tabernacle's annual Martin Luther King Jr. walk and festival, uniting the most individuals since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The morning began with a grocery giveaway in partnership with Hands on Thomas County and premier sponsor Food Lion.

Organizer Geneva Scott-King said the grocery giveaway served approximately 200 people, who were able to drive and pick up their food boxes in a line. The giveaway included a combination of collard greens, strawberries, chicken, macaroni and cheese, and spaghetti.

Following the giveaway, the activities headed downtown to Restoration Tabernacle Ministries, where the walk took place.

Scott-King was thrilled with the number of participants, stating nearly 300 people took part in the walk, which was up from the numbers last year.

"This is the best turnout since the pandemic," she said. "Our numbers last year went down with the walker part because it was very cold, but this is getting back to the numbers we had pre-pandemic. It was just a great turnout."

At the conclusion of the walk, participants were invited to the campus of the old Southwestern State Hospital, where Grammy Award-winning performer LeAndra Johnson took the stage.

Having Johnson perform was a huge feat for Scott-King.

"Her managers told us she had another place she was offered to play, but chose us after researching our event and seeing how worthwhile it was," Scott-King said. "She is so well-known, so this is huge. We've had people from as far as Waycross calling, planning to come and see her."

While the entertainment provided something for everyone, students attending the festival also had the opportunity to win a scholarship based on a competition held earlier in the month. The younger kids' coloring contest winners were additionally announced.

Scott-King explained the coloring competition was something new the organization added this year to get more children involved.

K-2nd grade students at Jerger Elementary and Scott Elementary were instructed to draw a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and tell of a time they had to do the right thing.

Seeing the school's involvement added to the community's investment in the annual event made Scott-King emotional.

"I want people to see that you can have a peaceful event and come together," she said. "We had so many people reach out and ask what they can do and I really like that. These community sponsors came together to make this event happen."

The community continued to come together after the conclusion of Saturday's event, joining forces on Monday to show love to seniors and the homeless population through visits and prayer.

"These are the concepts Martin Luther King stood for," Scott-King reminded.

Scott-King concluded by thanking everyone who turned out for the day of activities and reminding those in attendance that the virtual forum held on Thursday in regard to voting will be accessible on CNSNext. There, they will be able to hear from Election Supervisor Frank Scoggins and get up-to-date information on voting deadlines, voting precincts, and how to vote.