PennWest Clarion will host the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast at 9 a.m. Jan. 16 in Eagle Commons. This year’s theme is The King Legacy: Creating Peace Through Art.

BreAnna Kirkland Liberto, owner of Clarion Center for the Arts, will be keynote speaker. Liberto grew up studying piano, dance and theater, and she knew that her life’s work would be within the world ofperforming arts. She opened Clarion Center for the Arts as a 19-year-old college sophomore studying small business management. Since its foundation, Clarion Center for the Arts has used dance, music, theater and circus to help kids become compassionate, confident, creative young leaders who are ready to change the world.

“If the arts aren’t being used to make a difference, then they’re being wasted,” Liberto said.

Liberto graduated from PennWest Clarion in 2014. When she’s not at the center, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their dogs, Plutarch and Effie.

The breakfast, provided by Aramark, begins at 9 a.m. Jim Geiger, PennWest senior vice president for Advancement, will welcome guests. Ariana Futch, a Pennwest student majoring in psychology/sociology, will present the student address. Fellow student Raquita Williams, a sociology/psychology major, will serve as mistress of ceremonies, and Pastor Jake Jacobson will lead opening and closing prayer. Clarion Mayor Jennifer Fulmer Vinson will share closing remarks. The event will include the traditional singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Cost of the breakfast is $8; PennWest Clarion students will be admitted free with university ID. Please RSVP to Amy Salsgiver at asalsgiver@pennwest.edu. Guests are encouraged to bring donations of nonperishable foods to support Clarion Community Food Bank.

 

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