UNCF Hosts 43rd Annual MLK Jr. Breakfast Jan. 19 to Fund Scholarships

UNCF’s Washington, DC office and the Washington Inter-Alumni Council held the 43rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration breakfast on Jan. 19 at The Hotel at The University of Maryland in College Park. The event ran from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and combined a community observance of Dr. King’s legacy with fundraising aimed at underwriting scholarships for students from the Washington metropolitan area and UNCF-member institutions.

Organizers positioned the breakfast as both a celebration and a targeted fundraising effort to sustain scholarship and educational programs that serve local students. The gathering brought community, alumni and nonprofit leaders together on Baltimore Avenue, reinforcing longstanding ties between Prince George’s County residents and regional education-support networks. The event’s dual focus on commemoration and charitable giving reflects a model used by UNCF to convert civic moments into concrete financial support for college access.

For Prince George’s County, the breakfast has local implications beyond honoring MLK. Scholarship dollars targeted at Washington-area students can lower barriers to higher education, reducing reliance on high-cost borrowing and improving long-term earnings potential for recipients. Those downstream effects can influence household finances, local labor supply and the county’s talent pipeline for employers in health care, education, technology and public service. Hosting the breakfast in College Park also directed foot traffic to nearby restaurants and businesses during the morning, supporting local commerce tied to event activity.

The event was presented by UNCF’s Washington, DC office in partnership with the Washington Inter-Alumni Council. Registration and ticketing had been handled through the event page, and organizers encouraged community members interested in scholarship opportunities or partnership to reach out directly. Contact for the event is Tanya Sweeney at 202-810-0182 or tanya.sweeney@uncf.org.

As scholarship fundraising continues to be a key mechanism for expanding college access in the region, local stakeholders including school counselors, community organizations and employers may look to coordinate with UNCF and similar programs to amplify impact. For residents, the breakfast underscored a practical route from civic recognition to educational investment; those seeking information on scholarships or future events can contact the listed organizer for next steps and opportunities to get involved.