Lindsey

This Sunday evening, June 26, the Mar-Saline Branch of the NAACP will hold its annual Freedom Fund Banquet at the R. Wilson Brown Room in Missouri Valley College's Ferguson Center, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a guest of honor reception. The theme for this year's banquet is, "For Such a Time as This: There is Still Work to Do!"

The annual event supports the scholarship fund of the local branch and in recent years thousands of dollars in scholarships have been awarded to Saline County high school seniors. This year's scholarship recipient is Ashley Hayes, a graduate of Marshall High School and the daughter of David and Susan Hayes.

Shalia M. Lindsey, NAACP Midwestern Region youth and college field director, will be the keynote speaker for the event. In her role with the NAACP, Lindsey is charged with the development of intelligent and militant youth leadership within a 10-state region. The Midwestern Region she serves encompasses Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Another highlight of the event will be the presentation of awards to Saline Countians. Several influential Marshallites will receive awards, including Marie Benham, Robert Gordon, Vallory Combs, Landon Alexander and Michael Williams.

Also in attendance at the banquet will be Mary Ratliff, national board member of the NAACP and state legislators.

Mar-Saline Branch President Clyde Williams invited all residents to attend. "On behalf of the Mar-Saline Branch of the NAACP, we are grateful for the tremendous support you have given us for the issues we have fought for over the years," he said. "I want to invite anyone that is interested to come out and celebrate the achievements of these wonderful people that we interact with on a daily basis. We want to underscore that America's twin towers of freedom and justice must always stand together."

Contact Eric Coley at

marshallfaith@socket.net