2025 Ames/Story County Community Celebration Monday, January 20, 2025 6:30 p.m. Program Ames City Auditorium 520 Sixth Street (north side of City Hall) ** Birthday Cookies will be served in the City Hall Gymnasium at 6 p.m. ** HYBRID Event (Facebook and YouTube) Martin Luther King Day (MLK) is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and achievements of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader. He is most well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation on public transport and for racial equality in the United States. The 2025 MLK Essay Contest Winners are: 1st Place: Fatimah Naraghi - Senior at Ames High; Essay Titled: "Finding My Voice: From Silence to Service." 2nd Place: Mikayla Carpenter - 11th Grade at Roland-Story High School; Essay Titled: "From Darkness to Light." 3rd Place: Olivia Zhang - 9th Grade at Ames High; Essay Titled: "Always Lend a Helping Hand: How Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Impacted My Life." We want to thank all students from around the county for participating in the contest and encourage all to continue to embracing the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2025 MLK Jr. Day Celebration Keynote Speaker
Toyia K. Younger, Ph.D.
2025 MLK Day Celebration Sponsors (to date): Ames Regional Economic Alliance Ames Branch of the NAACP Ames Community School District Ames Human Relations Commission Ames Police Foundation Ames Public Library Ames Water & Pollution Control Department Body of Christ Church (BCC) City of Ames Hy-Vee Lincoln Center Iowa State University Noon Kiwanis Club of Ames Rotary Club of Ames Story County Board of Supervisors Story County League of Women Voters United Church of Christ (UCC) Wayne and Edna Clinton YWCA Ames-ISU