Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, Coles County Peace and Justice Fund provide $3,500 grant to support event, outcomes
CHARLESTON, IL (12/22/2025) Eastern Illinois University invites community leaders, students, faculty, and staff to attend the second annual EIU Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast on Monday, January 19, 2026. This free community event offers an opportunity to gather in honor of Dr. King’s enduring legacy and to reflect on how campus and community partners can work together to foster connection, growth, and shared opportunity. This year’s breakfast theme is “Voices of Hope, Hands of Action” and will feature a student panel highlighting future leaders from EIU focused on enhancing their counties, states, and countries.
This year’s breakfast will welcome approximately 225 attendees. Doors will open at 8:15 a.m. The breakfast will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union, located at 1720 7th Street, on EIU’s main campus in Charleston. The panel discussion will follow from 9 to 10 a.m. Following the breakfast and discussion, EIU’s Office of Leadership & Engagement will host two separate volunteer sessions at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., offering participants a chance to support community service projects benefiting Coles County.
“We look forward to the campus and community joining together for this meaningful celebration of Dr. King’s work, his continued impact on our communities, and-in the true spirit of togetherness-the collective good we can accomplish,” said John Blue, Executive Director of EIU’s Office of Belonging, Access & Engagement.
For the second year in a row, EIU has been awarded funding from the Coles County Peace and Justice Fund through the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation to assist in hosting the event. The 2025 grant, totaling $3,500, will help offset event expenses for this year’s breakfast. The Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, based in Effingham, connects individuals, families and organizations with charitable investment opportunities in their communities across southeastern Illinois. The Coles County Peace and Justice Fund is managed by the foundation and supports initiatives that build mutual trust and promote cross-cultural understanding across Coles County.
Finally, as an additional component of the event, EIU’s Dr. MLK essay competition will give a senior-level student from both Charleston and Mattoon High Schools an opportunity to earn a $1,000 EIU scholarship to attend EIU.
The event is free to attend, but an RSVP is required. Additional event information and RSVP details for EIU students, faculty and staff are available at go.eiu.edu/mlkeiu. Members of the community are invited to register at go.eiu.edu/mlkeiupublic. For questions, contact John Blue at jwblue@eiu.edu.
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EIU prepares students to accomplish their life goals through a combination of quality academics, personal relationships, and both on-campus and online learning opportunities. For more information about Eastern Illinois University, including its broad array of academic and career readiness programs, or any of EIU’s other community-based services and opportunities, visit eiu.edu or call EIU’s public information office at (217) 581-7400.
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