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Chamique Holdsclaw, a powerful mental health advocate, Olympic Gold Medalist, and WNBA Hall of Famer, will serve as keynote speaker for Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo’s 2026 “Doing the Dream” events in February.

This annual event, now in its 22nd edition, is designed to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to keep alive his commitment to justice, service, and unity within students and our community.

“This year’s Doing the Dream, set for Feb. 5 and 6, is focused on the role mental health plays in living a successful life with athletics serving as the example,” said Dr. Ethan Heicher, chancellor of Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area. “Our keynote speaker, hailed as the ‘female Michael Jordan,’ has lived the heights and depths of athletic success and mental illness, and will be here to offer hope and help to others negotiating these challenges.”

The traditional community banquet is set for Thursday, Feb. 5, in Hingst Hall on the Ivy Tech Kokomo Campus. On Friday, Feb. 6, Holdsclaw will share her experiences and her wisdom in a convocation with Ivy Tech faculty and staff and area high school and college students.

Tickets for the Feb. 5 banquet go on sale Jan. 9 and will be available at this link: ivytech.edu/DoingtheDream .

The event annually brings leaders from throughout the community together with a distinguished speaker to address issues of local, state, and national importance. Individual tickets are $60 each and will be available until Jan. 29 unless sold out earlier. All proceeds support the Ivy Tech Kokomo “Doing the Dream” Scholarship as well as mental health services for students at Ivy Tech, with a goal of raising $10,000 this year.

“As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and our ongoing commitment to using scholarships to break down barriers to higher education, we also recognize the importance of mental health services in supporting student success,” said Dr. Theresa Murphy, vice chancellor for Student Affairs and co-chair of the 2026 Doing the Dream Committee. “This year’s proceeds will go toward both initiatives to empower students in overcoming obstacles and achieving their academic goals.”

Donations also can be made by visiting ivytech.edu/givenow .

Angie Martin, executive director of Human Resources for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area and co-chair of the 2026 Doing the Dream Committee, said the College is honored to welcome Chamique Holdsclaw to the Kokomo community.

“While the community banquet is a meaningful part of this event, her message will resonate not only with our community, but with our students and local high school athletes,” Martin said. “I know how meaningful it is for young people to hear from someone who reminds them they are not alone and that success includes caring for both mental health and personal well-being.”

Holdsclaw became prominent as a basketball superstar in the 1990s and has amassed a lengthy list of honors at the state and national levels. After leading her high school team to four straight New York state championships, she led the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers to a record-setting three straight NCAA national championships. She was part of the American team that brought home Olympic gold in 2000; her WNBA career included playing 11 years and earning WNBA Hall of Fame status.

On the court, Holdsclaw was seen as filled with focus and drive. Underneath, she was pushing down mental health issues that eventually led to a total mental and physical breakdown. Depression, manic episodes, a suicide attempt. Following a life-altering incident that brought her mental health challenges to the forefront, she received a long-overdue diagnosis of bipolar disorder and severe anxiety. This moment became a catalyst for healing, self-understanding, and purpose.

Holdsclaw undertook a long journey learning how to manage her illness, sharing the realities in her autobiography Breaking Through: Beating the Odds Shot after Shot. She came back just as fierce as before, but this time her focus is on mental health and wellness. Now hailed as an inspirational speaker, Holdsclaw is coming to Kokomo to share her story with the goal of helping others as they deal with mental health issues impacting them or their loved ones.

Once again, Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) is speaker sponsor for the event.

Ivy Tech Kokomo’s “Doing the Dream: A Cultural Celebration” has been an annual event for the community and local students designed to embrace and celebrate cultural diversity as expressed by Dr. King. “Over the last 21 years, we estimate more than 30,000 people – school children, high school and college students, teachers and faculty members, religious and civic leaders, and community members – have participated in ‘Doing the Dream’ activities,” Heicher said.

The Kokomo Park Band invites the community to experience a stirring afternoon of music on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at Havens Auditorium on the Indiana University Kokomo (IUK) campus, 2300 S. Washington St. Conducted by Artistic Director Jay Gephart and sponsored by Creative Financial Group, this year’s mid-winter concert, titled “Only Light, Only Love,” takes place on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The program serves as a profound exploration of resilience, progress, and the enduring American spirit, celebrating how music serves as a bridge to a better future as the nation looks toward the “America at 250” milestone. Admission is free. Attendees are encouraged to bring items to donate to C.A.M.

The repertoire thoughtfully highlights the rich contributions of African American composers and music inspired by the Civil Rights movement. The centerpiece of the program is Mark Camphouse’s poignant “Homage to the Dream,” a work dedicated specifically to the legacy and sacrifice of Dr. King. Other featured selections include the rhythmic energy of Robert Dett’s “Juba Dance,” the forward-looking excitement of Kevin Day’s “Rocketship,” and Quincy Hilliard’s “Variations on an African Hymnsong.”

The program is further enriched by Rossano Gallante’s “Freedom Defended,” James Reese Europe’s “Castles in Europe,” Dwayne Milburn’s “Steadfast Leadership,” and Katahj Copley’s “Halcyon Hearts.” The concert’s namesake work, “Only Light, Only Love” by Leslie Gilreath, is based on the powerful words of Dr. King engraved at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.

In the spirit of Dr. King’s legacy of service, the concert will also serve as a community collection point for Coordinated Assistance Ministries (C.A.M.). While admission to the performance is free, the band encourages attendees to support C.A.M.’s mission of assisting the local homeless population by donating essential items. Requested supplies include toothpaste, toothbrushes, bathroom tissue, bottled water, and men’s hygiene items, such as 3-in-1 shampoo, body wash, deodorant, razors, and shaving cream. Financial contributions also will be gratefully accepted.

The band is especially honored to welcome back local favorite Cherresa Lawson as the featured guest soloist. Ms. Lawson, the Director of Choirs at Kokomo High School and leader of the award-winning KHS Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Karisma Show Choir, will bring her extraordinary voice to a definitive performance of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” The concert will conclude with a grand finale featuring the timeless melodies of George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” During intermission, the IUK/Community Flute Choir, under the direction of Trudy Whitford, will perform a selection of music in the lobby.

Kokomo Park Band concerts are produced with support from the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, Center Township, Community Foundation of Howard County, the Arts Federation, and the Indiana Arts Commission. As the majority of the band’s funding depends on individual donations, contributions are vital to continuing these performances. Gifts may be sent to Kokomo Park Band, PO Box 6039, Kokomo, IN 46904-6039 or submitted online.

Additional information regarding the performance and the organization can be found on Facebook and at www.kokomoparkband.org. Call 765-319-8554 regarding weather delays or cancellations.

The SADD – Students Against Drunk Driving — club at Western High School will host a Back-to-School night in August as a Raising HOPE Community Event. In preparation for that effort, the club will host a backpack collection at the Western boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball games taking place Sat., Jan. 10.

The goal of the collection night is to accept 100 backpacks, which will be distributed to students in August. Depending on the success of this collection, there may be an additional opportunity to donate backpacks in the spring. SADD also plans on holding collection drives for various school supplies to be placed in the backpacks later in the spring.

Those attending the basketball games are asked to participate in this backpack collection to aid students at Western for the 2026-27 school year, removing a financial barrier that can impact educational attainment. SADD’s goal of 100 backpacks would ensure 25 backpacks given away at each of Western’s four school buildings.