2026 MLK Day celebration schedule

Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 to Friday, Jan. 23, 2026
Various locations

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service, we invite the Augustana community to participate in our campus-wide MLK Community Food Drive, supporting individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in the Quad Cities. This initiative is part of the 2026 MLK Week programming and reflects this year’s theme: “The Fierce Urgency of Now: Compassion in Action.”

Throughout the drive, students, faculty, and staff  are encouraged to donate non-perishable food and essential items to help meet immediate needs in our region. All donations will support the Augustana Campus Cupboard and Sacred Heart Food Pantry.

Drop-off locations:

• Office of International Student and Scholar Services (Gerber Center 402)
• Office of Student Cultural Connection (Gerber Center 420)
• Evald Hall, Outside of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (1st floor)
• Sorensen Hall, Outside the Business Office (2nd floor)
• Office of the Vice President for Culture and Connection (Bahls CLC 101)

Most needed donation items

We encourage donations of non-perishable food items and basic essentials. Below is a list of preferred items recommended by the Campus Cupboard and Sacred Heart Food Pantry:

If you have questions, please reach out to oscc@augustana.edu.

Monday, Jan. 19, 2026
Noon-1:30 p.m.
Centennial Hall

Join us for this year’s MLK Day keynote panel, “Acts of Compassion: Turning Care into Change,” a conversation with leaders whose work reflects Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to respond to the fierce urgency of now with empathy, courage and meaningful action.

Our panelists are actively addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing our communities, including food insecurity, inequitable access to essential resources, and growing social division, through service, advocacy, and collaborative partnerships. Through shared experiences and practical insight, they will reflect on how compassion becomes a catalyst for justice, what it means to move from awareness to sustainable action, and how each of us can help build a more caring and equitable community.

Be part of this timely and inspiring conversation, and leave equipped to turn care into change, right now, when it matters most.

→ Event page

Moderator

• Larissa Frimprong, assistant professor of art

Panelists 

• Christie Adamson, co-founder and director, The Third Place QC
• Bonnie Ballard, president, Rock Island County NAACP Branch #3268
• Alejandra Camacho ‘19, director of empowerment programs, World Relief Quad Cities
• Edwin Salazar, director, ThePlace2B

About the panelists

Christie Adamson brings extensive experience in nonprofit service, grounded in trauma‑informed care and organizational development. Her career spans program management, evaluation, and system design, with a focus on creating structures that amplify community voice and produce measurable, meaningful impact. She has served in case management roles across housing, crisis response, and disability services, providing direct support to individuals navigating complex and overlapping barriers. Her work includes developing person‑centered care strategies, fostering trust through consistent engagement, and advocating for inclusive, accessible service design.

Adamson is the co-founder of The Third Place QC, a new drop‑in center in downtown Rock Island designed to offer a safe, welcoming space for individuals navigating housing instability, poverty, and other complex challenges. The Third Place QC provides low‑barrier access to basic needs, resource navigation, and consistent relational support, creating a dependable point of connection for people who are often underserved or overlooked. Its programming is shaped directly by community input, ensuring that services remain responsive, practical, and rooted in dignity.

Bonnie J. Ballard is an educator, mentor, leader, philanthropist and role model, who shows concern for all people, especially minority and disadvantaged women, men, children and families. For more than 55 years in the Quad Cities community, she has led with courage, speaking out in support of causes, people, or policies to influence decisions, drive change, ensure voices are heard, rights are upheld, and systemic issues are addressed.

Ballard currently serves the Quad Cities community as president of the Rock Island County Branch of NAACP where she leads the organization in its work to ensure political, social and economic equality of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.  She is also president of the Quad Cities Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and President of Illinois Iowa Center for Independent Living Board of Directors, and is a member of American Association of University Women (AAUW), Mu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, and Bethel AME Church, Davenport, Iowa.

She is a retired educator and army civilian equal employment opportunity specialist and equal employment opportunity officer who volunteers her time and efforts toward the betterment of the community.  She attended primary school in Enterprise and Quitman, Miss., holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nusiness education with minors in English and social studies from Alcorn State University and a Master of Science in guidance and counseling education from Delta State University, Cleveland, Miss.

Ballard has received numerous awards from all corridors of the community, and more recently she received the MLK Center “I Have a Dream” Award in 2022, the Athena Leadership Award in 2022, and the YWCA Quad Cities Race Against Racism “Ambassadors of Change” Award in 2024.

Ballard enjoys cooking, especially preparing her signature and very popular potato salad and nutty fruity cake for family and friends. 

Edwin Salazar is a Quad Cities native who graduated from Moline High School in 2013. He graduated from Lincoln College in 2015 with an associate's degree and from McKendree University in 2017 with bachelor's degree in sociology with an emphasis in criminal justice. 

Prior to graduation, Salazar started his social work career as a bilingual advocate in St. Clair County, lll. Salazar has almost a decade of experience empowering and supporting individuals and families overcome barriers and challenges. Currently the youth director/ThePlace2B for the YWCA Quad Cities, Salazar is passionate about empowering and advocating for women, youth and families in our community. He has served on numerous committees and currently serves on the Community Foundation’s Harris Center Advisory Committee, Community Foundation’s Scholarship Committee, Clean River Advisory Council and Birth to Five’s Family Council.

Salazar’s career working for nonprofits has given him the opportunity to give back to the communities that provided resources for him and his family growing up. He supports community organizing and partnerships that provide navigation for organizations that serve vulnerable communities and populations within the Quad Cities. In his free time, Salazar enjoys spending time with his family, playing soccer and staying connected with the community.

Alejandra Camacho is the director of empowerment programs at World Relief Quad Cities, where she oversees six programs, including employment, behavioral health, the Illinois welcome center and education. She immigrated to the Quad Cities at the age of 10 and proudly calls the QC home, having lived here most of her life. Camacho earned her Associate of Arts degree from Black Hawk College before transferring to Augustana College, where she graduated in 2020 as a first-generation college graduate, majoring in public health and minoring in Latin American studies. She met her husband at Black Hawk College and has dedicated her career to serving immigrant and refugee communities through World Relief in both Illinois and Texas, holding roles such as employment coordinator, census outreach coordinator and immigration legal services manager, where she launched the Immigration Legal Services Department at the Fort Worth office in 2022. In September 2025, she transitioned into her current leadership role. Camacho also volunteers at Bridge Cities Church as an Aligned Ministry Partner Connector, bridging her professional work with her faith community to foster meaningful partnerships.