NAACP to host 37th annual Freedom Fund Banquet Jan. 13
{Thomas and Tina Wyatt, owners of T & T Counseling & Consultation Services. Contributed Photo}
Tickets are on sale for the Thirty-Seventh annual Freedom Fund Banquet, honoring the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The banquet will be held Saturday at 5 p.m. on January 13, 2024 at Commons on the Green located at 200 Country Club Blvd in Lexington. The speakers for this year's banquet will be Thomas and Tina Wyatt, owners of T & T Counseling & Consultation Services.
The keynote speakers plan to focus on mental health. As Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors and ordained ministers, Tina explained she and her husband are trained to "assist individuals, families, groups and organizations with transformative preaching, teaching, leadership development and counseling."
Thomas has a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Western Carolina University and a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in counseling from Oral Roberts University. Tina graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of South Carolina-Columbia. She holds a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in counseling from Oral Roberts University.
In addition to their educational development, the Wyatts have specialized training and experiences in domestic violence programs and trauma-focused therapy. They have served in ministry for over 25 years, with 10 being in the pastorate. They are passionate and actively engaged in marketplace ministry, offering domestic violence services, trauma-informed mental health services, marriage and family enrichment and leadership development.
The couple credits ministry outside the church walls for allowing them to target and touch populations actively involved in the legal system, Department of Social Services and related community-based agencies. The Wyatts are natives of Lexington, North Carolina. Married for 28 years, they both value time with family, reading and traveling. Their mission is simple, “To see, support and solve like Christ!”
In addition to a focus on mental health and community healing, NAACP president Pic Clark said the organization will roll out strategies for voter engagement. "We had a very tough election in [2023]," Clark said of Lexington's most recent municipal election. "We are going right into getting people ready to vote. Making sure that we jump on getting people registered to vote now." He praised the organization’s progress in more than doubling voter turnout in majority minority wards and said the organization plans to focus on registering hundreds of voters in Lexington. "This is the kickoff of getting the word out. That is what King was all about. The 'You don't have to be heard, all you have to do is put an X in the box.’"
Tickets for this event are $25 per person and can be purchased from a member of the NAACP.
No tickets will be sold at the door.
Additional events include the 27th annual MLK Parade on January 15th at 1 pm, Main Street, Lexington. Entry forms and fees are being accepted, first come first served.
To learn more, visit NAACP on Facebook.
