Here is an article in today's Rio Rancho Journal section of the Albuquerque
Journal. I've included the text from the article below in case
it is too small to read :-)

GIVING BACK
Council honors three who have
helped the community and awards 19 scholarships
BY AMANDA STEVENS
Journal Staff Writer
Four decades
ago, a man had a dream — a dream of freedom, brotherhood and a united fight
against injustice.
Today, Martin Luther King Jr. is not forgotten.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Multicultural Council Inc. will hold its
18th annual celebration, “Keeping the Dream Alive” from 1-3 p.m. Monday at
Congregation Albert, 3800 Louisiana, in Albuquerque.
“(King’s) legacy has to do with justice and caring and freedom and support
and helping and unity,” council president Jewel L. Hall said. “Everybody can be
somebody. Everyone has potential. If we can get more people believing in doing
this, we’ll have less bloodshed and better education, which means better jobs
and better communities.”
The council will award 19 local students $1,000 scholarships as well as
present awards to three local residents who “have advanced the dream of Dr. King
through volunteer work or other activities of great benefit to others,” a
council news release says.
“The primary mission of this council is to promote, appreciate and practice
an awareness of cultural diversity and human rights through celebration of the
values by which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived,” the council Web site says.
Albuquerque residents Dr. Greg and Cheryl Jorgensen will be honored for
their community service and commitment to education.
Greg Jorgensen has an orthodontic practice in Rio Rancho and believes
students involved in sports are more likely to stay in school and stay out of
trouble.
He makes and donates mouth guards to every football player in Rio Rancho and
Cibola high schools. He also provides free orthodontic care to individuals in
need.
“It’s a huge honor and a surprise because we didn’t serve (the community) to
get any accolades,” Cheryl Jorgensen said. “A lot of time we don’t talk about
the things we do. A lot of times it’s anonymous. Just to have our names in the
same sentence with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is such an honor, it’s hard to
express.”
Cheryl Jorgensen, a stay-at- home mother, is a member of the Bubblegum
Brigade and walks the West Side streets with adults and children distributing
facts about school bond issues, the needs of the schools and reminding residents
to vote.
Among many other contributions, Cheryl has also made e-mail lists to help
increase communication between parents and school administration for Marie
Hughes Elementary, LBJ Middle School, Cibola High School, James Monroe Middle
School, Chamiza Elementary School, Chapparal Elementary School and Volcano Vista
High School.
“Both my husband and I feel that education is the greatest equalizer,” she
said. “If we can keep kids in school by having less crowded schools or having
them involved with sports, we will donate our time and skills.”
Albuquerque resident J. Harold Washington will also be honored with the
“Keeping the Dream Alive” award.
Washington, a retired Marine, is a regular volunteer at the University of
New Mexico Hospital. He is also the past president of the Service League, an
organization that runs the hospital gift shop, a bazaar and several fundraising
events to support staff with scholarships for continuing education in the
medical professions.
The students who will receive $1,000 scholarships had to write an essay
discussing how society can benefit from Martin Luther King Jr.’s example.
The winners of the scholarships are:
Farsai Anantachaisilp, West Mesa High School; Mayela A. Arrieta, Los Lunas
High School; Kathryn L. Demouy, Sandia High School; Kyus A. Evans, Matthew T.
Gaddy, and Rylee L. Hahn, all of Del Norte High School; Zachariah R. Harris,
home school; Anna V. Herrera, Temple Baptist Academy; Dana M. Howarth,
Bernalillo High School; Ashley M. Keeton, Highland High School; Fatimah Martin
and Sarah V. Tafoya, both of Albuquerque High School; Adriana Sofia Martinez,
Valley High School; Brittney Martinez, Antoinette Russell and Brandon M.
Simpson, all of Cibola High School; Jessica T. Merino and Victor Nevarez, both
of Belen High School; and Zeke Silva, Rio Grande High School.
New Mexico Court of Appeals Judge Jonathan B. Sutin will be the keynote
speaker at Monday’s event.
Sutin wrote and was president of the organization that obtained passage of
the New Mexico Human Rights Act.
“He is inspirational and will give the students, especially the young
students, the challenge and the legacy about what (King’s) dream is all about,”
Hall said.
Back to Jorgensenfamily.org
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