Jay Todd, M.S.Ed., will give the keynote address at West Virginia Wesleyan College’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day dinner on Monday, Jan. 20.

Todd’s talk is titled “Dreaming Beyond Barriers: Mental Health, Perseverance and the Journey to Greatness” and focuses on four main themes of mental health matters, perseverance through adversity, the power of self-care and balance, and endlessly making dreams a reality.

“With these themes, shared experiences and the knowledge of mental health, I will be sure to bring all things together to honor Dr. King’s legacy while keeping mental health, resilience and our dreams as priorities,” Todd said.

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Todd shares his experiences, knowledge and wisdom to help improve mental health and to help process and heal through trauma while establishing a healthy focus on improving everyday life. Todd uses his skills in life coaching for countless mentees, at-risk youth and clients of all ages and backgrounds across the country while appearing on different campuses, events and podcasts to bring forward a positive and relatable influence to everyone he enters contact with.

The dinner will be held in the WVWC Dining Hall Room A at 6 p.m. Rev. Jeremiah Jasper, Pastor of Woodford Memorial UMC, Elkins, West Virginia, will offer the invocation. Dinner is free to WVWC students, faculty and staff. Community members wishing to eat should pay at the Aladdin entrance inside.

In addition, special guest Thaddaus Breckenridge will give a presentation on “Organizing Democracy: An Interactive Discussion on What is Required to Rebuild Our Community and Defend it From Destruction.” Breckenridge is an administrative organizer for Service Employees International Union District 1199 WV/KY/Ohio and an Elected Executive Board Member of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations Central Labor Council in Cincinnati (AFL-CIO, CLC-Cincinnati). A native of Beckley, West Virginia, Breckenridge is a 2021 graduate of Davis & Elkins College with a major in political science.

Nashville-based recording artist and native of West Virginia Cassidy Dickens will also sing.