On Monday Jan. 16:

• King Day for Kids: From 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the Alvarez College Union Atrium. King Day for Kids combines three areas of focus: literacy, social justice and community involvement. Youth in grades K-6 will take part in small group readings, storytelling and arts and crafts. At the end of the day, children receive literacy-based goody bags filled with books. Register via e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling 704-894-2423.

• Dr. Martin Luther King Day Lecture: Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room, 11:30 a.m. Derald Wing Sue, professor of psychology and education at Columbia University Teachers College and School of Social Work, will speak about "Manifestations and Impact of Microaggressions."

Sue is a pioneer in the fields of multicultural psychology, multicultural education, multicultural counseling and psychology of racism and antiracism. He has written more than 150 publications, addressed President Bill Clinton's Race Advisory Board on National Dialogue on Race, and participated in a Congressional briefing on the psychology of racism and the myth of the color-blind society.

• Romare Bearden on Art and Activism: From 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union Room 302. Davidson College Professor of Anthropology Nancy Fairley will examine ideas about artistic expression by this Charlotte native and influential 20th century artist. Bearden was asked to contribute to the Civil Rights Movement by creating protest art, but Bearden refused. Instead, Bearden established "Spiral," an artist collective which explored the relationship between art and political activism.

• Asian American College Students: Interrogating the Model Minority Myth: Alvarez College Union Room 313, 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. Tae-Sun Kim, Davidson's director of multicultural affairs, will demystify common myths about Asian American college students. She will discuss stereotypes about Asian-American academic performance and raise awareness about under-reported, serious struggles that Asian-American communities face.

• Always Part of the Fabric: Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room, 3 to 4:15 p.m. Davidson College Archivist Jan Blodgett will examine the history of African-American contributions to Davidson College. Based on documents from the college archives, she will trace the roles and the ways African-Americans helped shape the college from the construction of the first campus building through integration and into the 21st century.

• Beloved Community-Building & Environmental Justice: Alvarez College Union Room 313, 3 to 4:15 p.m., current Davidson student James Tolleson and recent graduate Allison Dulin, an employee of the college sustainability office, will discuss King's legacy in today's environmental justice movement. After the passage of the Civil Rights Act, King believed the Civil Rights movement needed to move beyond protest tactics. He called for a revolution of values to address "the giant triplets of racism, militarism and materialism." Those triplets still plague us, but the growing movement to become better stewards of the Earth can serve as a model for achieving King's dreams.

On Tuesday, Jan. 17:

• Poetic Reflections of Social Justice: Lilly Family Gallery of Chambers Building, 8 p.m. Davidson's King Day observance concludes with a performance by the student spoken word club, Free Word. These performers will bring to life the historic voices of social justice through poetic expression.

Volunteers needed for new hospice home

The Carolina Comfort Coalition is preparing to open a new end-of-life care home, Davidson House, this year, and is seeking to prepare volunteers needed for bedside and upkeep assistance. The Coalition needs at least 50 volunteers each week.

"I feel that Davidson is a generous community (of people) who would care about having this wonderful opportunity for its residents" says Cheryl Pletcher, executive director of the nonprofit organization.

Volunteers are trained to provide care that is very much like what a family provides at home for a sick person. The first training session will be held Saturday, Jan. 28, beginning at 10 a.m at Serenity House in Mooresville. Topics will include personal care, oxygen therapy, bed making, use of electric bed and resident safety issues.

The second training session, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4, includes the use of medical equipment, turning and positioning for comfort, and a class on helping families. Both men and women are needed as evening, weekend or weekday helpers.

Davidson House will allow residents to have a neighborhood option for care at the end of life. The Carolina Comfort Coalition is seeking a suitable house or business location with ambulance access and available parking. Grants for "seed" money are also essential to establish the social or family model of a hospice house.

The Davidson House will provide housing for two hospice patients who are unable to remain at home for end of life care. A comfort care home is a sanctuary of peace and love, a haven for those seeking a dignified death in a family atmosphere. For more information about the Carolina Comfort Coalition, visit www.carolinacomfortcoalition.org.

Serenity House in Mooresville, where the training will be held, is at 110 Centre Church Road. To register for the classes, call Joanne Durham at 704 664-2004 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Home & Landscape Show held Jan. 27-29

See the latest in kitchen and bath innovations at the eighth annual Greater Charlotte Home & Landscape Show, which will be held Jan. 27-29 at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center in Concord. Experts will showcase the newest trends in decorating, remodeling, landscaping and renovating resources.

Roger Hazard, TV's original home stager and host of Sell This House and Sell This House: Extreme on A&E network, will share his expertise with seminars at the show. Hazard will teach creative techniques for making a home more beautiful and functional, quickly and inexpensively. For additional information about Hazard's basic home enhancement formula, visit www.rogerhazard.com.

Additionally at the Concord show, more than 10,000 square feet of landscape services will be showcased. Ideas for pools, spas and outdoor living areas will be on display. There will be home and garden seminars, information about new trends in decorating, cooking demonstrations, regional artists and gift gourmet vendors. Home technology, security and appliance professionals will be available for advice. Master gardeners will share their expertise and are available for free soil testing.

There will also be food, wine and beer tastings, a kids' zone, pottery demonstrations, plant sale, and a birds of prey exhibit. Hours are 2-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission will be $7, $5 for ages 65 and older, and free for ages 16 and younger. The Cabarrus Arena & Events Center is at 4751 Highway 49 in Concord. For directions or more information, visit www.cabarrusarena.com.

Community Chorus holds open house

North Mecklenburg Community Chorus is kicking off a new year with an open house on Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Wedgewood North Clubhouse in Charlotte, just west of Northlake Mall off W.T. Harris Boulevard. The chorus is a fully self-supported, non-profit organization. Rehearsals for the spring choral season will begin Jan. 16, and continue each Monday from 7 to 9:15 p.m, at Assurance United Methodist Church on Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road.

The spring show will feature 1940s and 1950s music, featuring the stylings of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. For more information, visit www.NMCchorus.org. The Wedgewood North Clubhouse is at 8925 Babbitt Way.

Cookie surplus benefits others

Because the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte still has a stocked freezer of cookie dough on reserve as a result from last year's cookie drive, Cookies for a Cause will expand this year's effort to help more children and families in need. New beneficiaries of the group's efforts will be the Barium Springs Children's Home near Statesville and Angels and Sparrows Soup Kitchen of Huntersville.

Founded in 1891, Barium Springs provided services to 2,969 children, families and individuals in 2011. It's three primary objectives are to "heal the hurt" for children who are troubled, abused or neglected; provide a safe home through residential homes and foster care; and encourage a healthy start through educational and prevention programs.

Founded in 2007, Angels and Sparrows Soup Kitchen's mission is to help fight hunger in north Mecklenburg. Services extend beyond a weekday meal at its spacious dining room. Angels and Sparrows reaches out to the community to deliver food to those in need and holds annual events, such as the recent Christmas party, to address need in the community.

Last year, Cookies For A Cause provided the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte with 25,200 cookies. this year's goal is 40,000 cookies for Barium Springs and Angels and Sparrows. A donation of $15 buys one tub of Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough, or 36 ready-to-bake individual cookies. Donations to purchase cookies can be made online at www.cookies4acause.com.