YMCA to Host Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration on Jan. 13 at Sheraton Eatontown Hotel 

Eatontown  – YMCA of Greater Monmouth County will honor four local residents for upholding the principles and ideals of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at its 34th annual commemoration of the civil rights leader on Friday, Jan. 13, at the Sheraton, 6 Industrial Way East, Eatontown. 

 Senator Vin Gopal will be presented with the YMCA Social Responsibility Award. Gopal was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021. He has helped secure critical funding to expand the Y’s mental health work and champions the rights of underserved populations in his district and throughout New Jersey. 

Pastor Kerwin Webb, who serves as youth and young adult pastor at Second Baptist Church of Asbury Park, will receive the YMCA MLK Human Dignity Award. He serves as president of the Greater Red Bank NAACP and is an education specialist for Interfaith Neighbors, a nonprofit community organization in Asbury Park.  

 Yulissa and Jayden Gomez, of Eatontown, volunteers of the YMCA Togetherhood initiative, will be honored with the YMCA Togetherhood® Champion Award for their time and commitment to addressing emerging needs in the community.  

Winning students of the Y’s Annual MLK Essay Contest will also be announced and will present their essays during the program. The essay contest, open to all high school students in the greater Monmouth County region, is sponsored by Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey Natural Gas and PorterPlus Realty. 

The Reverend Dale Caldwell, pastor of Covenant United Methodist Church, will be the featured speaker. He is a professor and the executive director of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He also serves as president of the Dale Caldwell Foundation. 

 The commemorative event will begin with registration at 7 a.m., followed by breakfast at 7:30, and the MLK program will start at 8 a.m. and end at 9:30 a.m.

 Event tickets are $35 for adults, $10 for youth under 16 and $350 for a table of 10 and may be purchased online at https://ymcanj.org/mlk or at the event. 

About YMCA of Greater Monmouth County  
YMCA of Greater Monmouth County is here for all – to empower youth and teens, improve health and strengthen community. Over the past five years, our Y has provided more than $5 million in financial assistance and subsidies to Y participants throughout greater Monmouth County. Our life-changing programs and services are anchored in eight communities: health and wellness facilities in Freehold Township, Old Bridge and Red Bank; an outdoor day camp in Wall; counseling and social service centers in Eatontown, Matawan and Middletown; a childcare center in Freehold Township; and integrated in nearly 100 schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Named a New Jersey Top Workplace 2022 by New Jersey Advance Media, we’re based in Shrewsbury, NJ. Learn more at www.ymcanj.org.