Wendy Penner to Receive the 2026 Peacemaker Award| 02:24PM / Friday, January 09, 2026 | |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - This year, the MLK Jr. Day of Service Committee announced Wendy Penner as the selected recipient of the Peacemaker Award.
The award will be presented at the annual Northern Berkshire MLK Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan.19, during the celebratory luncheon.
The Peacemaker Award is given annually to an individual or group in Northern Berkshire.
The award, which originated as part of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, honors individuals or groups who have contributed substantially to peace in our region. In general, the Peacemaker Award recognizes those who have a history of working with people and/or neighborhoods and communities to promote greater tolerance, understanding, and caring.
According to a press release:
Penner is a volunteer community organizer and has previously worked in the nonprofit world on issues related to the environment and substance use. Penner is committed to the northern Berkshire Community and to the idea of "think globally, act locally." She has helped lead initiatives for the citizen-led Williamstown COOL Committee for many years, which empowers people to address climate change through local action. She is a champion for public health approaches to support people impacted by substance use, a member of Have Hope Recovery Center, and the northern Berkshire HEAL coalition. Wendy is on the leadership team of the North Berkshire Indivisible chapter, Greylock Together, and she is currently co-president of Congregation Beth Israel.
The community is invited to celebrate the 2026 Peacemaker during the MLK Jr. Day of Service.
The schedule of this year's event is new, beginning with a lunch celebration before volunteers end their day at their selected service sites.
The MLK Jr. Day of Service begins at 11:00 a.m. at MCLA's Venable Gym with check-in and registration. At 11:15 a.m., there will be a brief welcome and opening remarks before the presentation of the annual Peacemaker Award. Lunch will be served immediately following the presentation, then at 12:45 p.m., volunteers will depart to their service sites or stay on site to work on activities at the gym.
Participants will choose from local sites to provide service to the community, including: Louison House, Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires, weatherization for homes, ROOTS Teen Center, Salvation Army, Sweetwood, Williamstown Commons, and No Paws Left Behind. On-site activities include mitten making, blanket making, and Valentine's Day card making.
Those wishing to participate in the day of service can register the morning of the event or pre-register in one of three ways:
In Pittsfield, Berkshire Community College (BCC) will host its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 19 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Price Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church located at 27 East Street in Pittsfield.?
The annual event invites the community to honor King's legacy. This year's national theme is "Mission Possible 2: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way."
Residents can give back to the community through volunteer activities with local service sites, including Habitat for Humanity and the Christian Center, as well as crafting Valentine's Day Cards for residents of Hillcrest, organizing essentials with Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center and more. The Berkshire Health Systems Bloodmobile?will be parked within walking distance at Dunham Mall from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.?
A welcome breakfast kicks off the event, followed by an engaging keynote speech?by Alÿcia Bacon, the Community Engagement Officer for Equity & Inclusion at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.?
Attendees will enjoy a free lunch following volunteer activities.?Those interested in volunteering for BCC's Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service can register online at www.berkshirecc.edu/mlk.
The keynote speaker will be Alÿcia Bacon.
According to a press release:
Keynote Speaker Alÿcia Bacon?is a published writer, poet and artist whose poems, stories and essays explore the sacred dance among memory, love and liberation. Originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, she moved to New York with a one-way ticket, a suitcase and her guitar. She earned degrees in philosophy?and theatre?from the University at Albany, later completing a master's degree in Africana Studies, focused on history and philosophy. Her work is shaped by a devotion to legacy, drawing inspiration from her family's Ashby lineage and a practice of remembrance that asks what we inherit, what we heal and what we refuse to pass down.
Bacon serves as Community Engagement Officer for Equity & Inclusion at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, where she leads the Equity Initiative by stewarding participatory grantmaking and helping integrate belonging and values as lived practice throughout the organization and through its relationships. Through this work, she has helped move more than $200,000?to support communities across the Berkshire Taconic region, resourcing efforts in food access, sustainable agriculture, cultural preservation, homeownership, community organizing?and expanded access to opportunity.
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