The 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Heritage Award will be presented to ESTHER during Wisconsin’s 32nd Annual Tribute and Ceremony honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the State Capital on Monday, January 16th.
ESTHER is being honored with the Heritage Award in recognition for its past and continued work for social justice, collaborative efforts with faith communities to create positive change, and community service.
The Wisconsin annual Martin Luther King Heritage Award recognizes and affirms those who have made significant contributions in the areas of race relations, justice, and human rights and exhibit an edifying passion and onus to lifelong community service.
We are humbled and deeply honored to receive this award, which reflects the legacy and character of Dr. King. Through his understanding, compassion, and courage, Martin Luther King, Jr., demonstrated how we each can take action to bring about a more just world, where all persons are treated with dignity because of their intrinsic worth. We hope that all are inspired by the legacy of this great man.
In the past year ESTHER has successfully developed and trained leaders to work for a more just state budget, engaged immigrant youth and strengthen relationships between immigrant and non-immigrant students, worked to keep families who are facing foreclosure in their homes, and brought together community leaders and elected officials to tackle critical public transit issues facing the Appleton and Green Bay regions.
The annual tribute will be held on Monday, January 16th, at Noon in the State Capitol Rotunda in Madison, Wisconsin. Musical performances, guest speakers, elected officials and dignitaries, and the greater public will come together to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., and honor individuals continuing the work of civil rights and social justice. The tribute and ceremony will be broadcast live on Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Pubic Television.
ESTHER and JOSHUA are working with Congressmen Tom Petri and Reid Ribble to preserve public transportation in the Fox Valley.
ESTHER’s annual banquet was a smashing success. Attendance was the best ever, and we could all feel the excitement and dedication in the room. The awards that were given helped to broaden everyone’s view of the wonderful things that are being done in our community by people who care about social justice.
The dedication of these award winners have helped us all to renew our commitment to work for social justice in our community. The inspiring keynote speech by John Nichols reminded us of the many things that still remain to be done. The banquet was an inspiring kick-off for a new year. Let us all pray that the excitement it generated will support us all as we work for social justice in the Fox Valley.
Thanks to the efforts of congregations and individuals affiliated with ESTHER in Oshkosh, those with no place to go in that community will have a place in which to stay warm and dry overnight when the weather turns bad. The Day By Day Warming Shelter, located at the St. Peters site (449 High Avenue) of the Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish, is hosting the shelter from the second week of October through the second week of April, and will provide dinner, breakfast, and a warm, safe place to stay overnight for 15 to 20 people. The shelter held an open house on October 24 during its first week of operation.
Public Transportation At Risk in the Fox Cities
At the Say YES! to Transit event on Aug. 11, both Rep. Thomas Petri and Rep. Reid Ribble committed to support and work toward a solution to offer flexibility in federal transit assistance, where decisions on how funding is used is made at the local level. Petri has been a long-serving member of the House’s transportation and infrastructure committee and Ribble just recently joined this committee. 
