Princeton NJ Non-Profit Announcements

Ivy League Educational Foundation Announces 43rd Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship Breakfast

TRENTON, N.J. – The Ivy League Educational Foundation, Inc., in collaboration with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., will be hosting the 43rd Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.

More than 400 people are expected to attend, including many office holders in the city, county, state and federal governments, as well as other civic and religious leaders.

The Reverend Danté R. Quick, Ph.D., senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG), will give the keynote speech. He was elected to serve as the fourth senior pastor of the church in Somerset, New Jersey, on May 22, 2021. The Rev. Dr. Quick previously served as pastor of  Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, California, for more than 10 years. He is a graduate of Morehouse College, Princeton Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union, University of California at Berkeley.

The breakfast will be held at 9 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Princeton at 102 Carnegie Center, (off Route #1 north) Princeton, New Jersey. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. Tickets are $65 and will be available at bit.ly/mlkbreakfast24 until Jan. 12.

All proceeds support The Ivy League Educational Foundation, Inc., an I.R.C. Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization, to provide scholarships and book awards for area high school students who are pursuing higher education.

Our theme for the 2024 celebration is “Shine a Light on Him- Make Room and Let’s Work.”

Kelli S. Wiggins, president of the Ivy League Foundation, said, “We gather on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day not only to raise scholarship funds for deserving students, but to shine a light on those whose life and work inspires student achievement and parallels our cause. We observe this day ‘as a day on, not a day off,’ as well as a day of service.”

Sponsors of the breakfast this year are Wells Fargo, the African American Chamber of Commerce New Jersey, NJM Insurance Group, Cross Community, Mercer County Community College, the Smith Family Foundation Inc., Barbara P. Brown Family and Friends and Growth Potential Consulting.

The breakfast has been the premiere event for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day  for the Trenton-area community for more than four decades. This event allows the foundation to raise money for scholarships for outstanding local high school graduates, honor nonprofit organizations doing important work, and showcase the talent of people in our community as we reflect on Dr. King’s legacy in the quest for justice and equality.

At the breakfast, the foundation will present awards to two community organizations:

Trenton Museum Society and the Mitchell A Davis American Legion Post 182.

Founded in 1973, the Trenton Museum Society oversees the only museum devoted to New Jersey’s capital city. The Museum Society is a 501(c)3 non­profit corporation that supports and showcases the work of contemporary visual artists and musicians from the greater Trenton area. It uses its collections and resources to foster an understanding of Trenton history and instill a growing interest in the creative arts among Trenton’s students.

The Mitchell A. Davis American Legion Post 182. is an organization for veterans of the U.S. armed forces. The association organizes events and commemorative celebrations. The organization is also lobbying for the welfare and interest of the veterans, including pensions and health programs.

Entertainment at the breakfast will be provided by the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Upsilon Omega Chapter’s Pearl Ensemble  and the Higher Ground Interdenominational Church (HGIC) Praise Dancers.

To promote small local businesses, the breakfast organizers also provide space near the ballroom for vendors during and after the breakfast. Eight entrepreneurs will participate, marketing goods ranging from jewelry and hats to boutique fashions, as well as items with the insignia of Greek-letter organizations. Sorority members who have businesses will also share an information table.

Chairperson: Adrienne King. Co-chairs: Dionne Hallback, Alicia Malone, Helen Walker and Lauren Washington.

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Note:  Kelli S. Wiggins will be available for interviews to discuss the breakfast and  the foundation’s work.

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Keynote Speaker Bio

Reverend Danté R. Quick, Ph.D.

The Reverend Danté R. Quick, Ph.D., was elected to serve as the fourth senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey on May 22, 2021.

Prior to joining FBCLG, Pastor Quick served Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, California, for more than 10 years.

Pastor Quick was born and reared in Washington, D.C. He attended Morehouse College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a concentration in pre-law. While at Morehouse, he was one of the first recipients of the William H. Cosby Grant for Landmark College’s gifted-dyslexic student program.

Quick accepted his call to ministry under the pastorate of the Reverend Dr. Aaron L. Parker of the Zion Hill Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Pastor Quick received a Master of Divinity with a concentration in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. He was the recipient of the Jean Anne Swope and James L. Mechem Prize in Christian Ethics. He served as the president of the Association of Black Seminarians, an organization that represents all Princeton seminarians of the African Diaspora. Pastor Quick also served as a graduate chaplain for the African American students at Princeton University.

In 2006 he was called to serve New Liberation Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. In addition, Pastor Quick served as a policy analyst for ITC/Faith factor, a presidential Initiative of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta.

Pastor Quick has served in the offices of Mayor Marion Barry in Washington, D.C.,  the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis and Governor Zell Miller of Georgia. He also served as the legislative representative for the Atlanta Board of Education. He also served as the Special Programs Administrator for the Fulton County District Attorney in Atlanta.

In 2017, Pastor Quick was conferred with his Ph.D. in philosophical and systematic theology with a focus on African American Studies from the Graduate Theological Union, University of California at Berkeley.