Residents and community leaders of all ages gathered together on Monday, January 20, 2020, at McLaren Oakland to share their dreams and hear stories of triumph, as they celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Following the Greater Pontiac Community Coalition’s MLK Unity March from the Phoenix Center, participants gathered in the hospital lobby for a continental breakfast and special ceremony.
McLaren Oakland served as a sponsor of the 2020 Greater Pontiac Community Coalition’s Unity Week Events. This year’s theme was “The Dream Continues…Make it a Reality.” Minister Kevin Sanders from Boulevard Church, served as master of ceremonies. Margaret Dimond, CEO and president of McLaren Oakland said, “We are honored to host this event. The goal of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is for all of us to commit to a day of national service. It’s a day of volunteerism. It’s a day of commitment to our community. McLaren Oakland is honored to host today’s event and to honor a tremendous leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.”
The ceremony included singing, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “We Shall Overcome,” led by Jean Matthews, as well as remarks by Mayor Deirdre Waterman, City of Pontiac; Councilman Kermit Williams, president, Pontiac City Council and Pastor Douglas P. Jones from Welcome Baptist Church and president of the Greater Pontiac Community Coalition, amongst others.
Pictured left to right: Pastor Douglas P. Jones from Welcome Baptist Church and president of the Greater Pontiac Community Coalition; Mayor Deirdre Waterman, City of Pontiac; and Rev. Derrick McDonald, Prospect Missionary Baptist Church and Vice-Chair Board of Directors for McLaren Oakland.
The program was followed by a special MLK luncheon held at St. George Cultural Center, in which Margaret Dimond was awarded the annual “Dreamer’s Award” for all the work McLaren Oakland does in the Pontiac community.
About McLaren Oakland
McLaren Oakland is a 328-bed medical center that provides primary and specialty healthcare services to the greater Pontiac and Oakland County community. Founded in 1953, McLaren Oakland has grown to a comprehensive medical community that includes outpatient facilities in Clarkston and Oxford, in addition to an inpatient hospital in Pontiac providing a range of clinical services including emergency and trauma care, cardiology, cancer services, minimally invasive robotic surgery and orthopedic services. With a network of more than 300 physicians, McLaren Oakland owns a network of employed physician offices throughout Oakland County and a nursing home in Lake Orion. McLaren Oakland is a Level II verified trauma center and an accredited stroke center. McLaren Oakland offers AOA approved residency and fellowship programs in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family practice, general surgery, internal medicine, dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, podiatry, radiology, and otolaryngology and facial plastic surgery.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a fully integrated health network committed to quality evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, an employed primary care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 630,000 lives, home health and hospice providers, retail medical equipment showrooms, pharmacy services and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 49 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive centers in the U.S. McLaren has 26,000 employees and more than 52,500 network providers. Its operations are housed in more than 350 facilities serving the entire Lower Peninsula of the state of Michigan along with a portion of the Upper Peninsula.