Ronald Davis, Nicholas Berube, Marissa Christie, and Linda Salley
Last updated: Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 4:34 PM
They come from diverse walks of life, but share a commitment to nondiscrimination and lifting up others. And on Thursday, February 24, four leaders of corporate, community, humanitarian and student organizations were honored for that commitment with the inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dream Builder Awards at Bucks County Community College.
The awards were presented by President Felicia L. Ganther, J.D., Ph.D., on behalf of the Board of Trustees, in a ceremony at the college’s Newtown Campus. The Corporate Dream Builder Award went to Ronald W. Davis, Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Community Development for Parx Casino.
"Leadership is part of the essence of King, and we believe in servant leadership," said Davis, whose company encourages volunteerism and donates financially to community projects. “We believe we are here to serve, and a responsible part of that life is to give back.”
Linda Salley, President and Executive Director of the African American Museum of Bucks County, was honored with the Community Dream Builder Award. She recalled how King’s message had inspired those who founded the museum eight years ago. "We went to churches, schools, community centers, libraries, and told the story of how we are going to build on this dream," Salley recalled. "And that dream is to teach the young people the same thing that Martin King Luther King was teaching us, my generation, when we came along in the sixties."
The Humanitarian Dream Builder Award went to Marissa Christie, CEO of United Way of Bucks County. She reflected on what being a dream builder means to her. "It’s really about ensuring that race, that gender, that sexual orientation are not our sole predictors of outcomes," said Christie. "So our aspiration is to create opportunities for everyone and to help folks achieve their dreams, and that’s really what we focus on at United Way of Bucks County."
Nicholas Berube, president of the college’s Student Government Association and class of 2022, says King’s messages inspire his work as a photographer, filmmaker, and writer. "Dr. King did what many of us don’t want to do, which is engage in dialog with the opposition," noted Berube, who is graduating with a double-major in English and film. "Today, in this age of incredible polarization, it’s critical that we don’t give up on each other no matter what our background is. And in this way, I try to never shut down another person and to always understand them to the best of my ability."
Dream Builders Ceremony at Newtown Campus
To learn more about the inaugural Bucks County Community College Dr. Martin Luther King Dream Builder award winners, and watch a video of the ceremony, visit bucks.edu/dreambuilderawards.