Urgency and unity: MLK Fellowship Breakfast and Legacy Awards return to Tri-Valley

The impact of good people across the Tri-Valley was on full display Monday at the 25th Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Fellowship Breakfast and Legacy Awards.

Now hosted by the Three Valleys Community Foundation, the event evoked the spirit, passion and influence of King through its opening blessing, musical performances, award presentations and keynote address by Livermore’s Faith Alpher. 

An award winner that morning, Alpher – a surprise late substitute as the featured speaker – opened her message with the acronym WALK (“Walk with courage. Arrive as you are. Love in action. Keep going.”) and closed with a powerful spoken-word recitation on what she sees in the world today and the future. 

“MLK didn’t just talk about justice – he walked it. And now it’s our turn,” Alpher said in her presentation, later adding: “It doesn’t matter what age or stage you are, you can make a difference where you are. And guess what? … You ain’t got to wait until every year, one day, Martin Luther King.”

A fitting framing for the event, which itself seemed to center on a double “U” of its own: urgency and unity. 

This was 3VCF’s first year as organizer of the longstanding event in Pleasanton honoring the legacy of King, the late Black, American, Christian civil rights leader of the 1950s and ’60s.

The foundation saved the annual MLK Fellowship Breakfast from the brink last year, offering to take over from the Pleasanton Community of Character Collaborative who ran the event for several years after rescuing it in the wake of the Tri-Valley YMCA’s dissolution. There was no showcase in 2025 for logistical reasons as 3VCF prepared to be the lead in 2026.

And did they ever run with the opportunity. 

The nonprofit, led by CEO and President Kelly Bowers, made two astute adjustments to the program that paid immediate dividends when its version debuted Monday morning in the Palm Event Center in the Vineyard in Pleasanton – the awards were recast to encompass all seven Tri-Valley communities, and 3VCF introduced its new NextGen Young Philanthropist Award to highlight the youth impact.

“For 25 years, this event has celebrated people who consistently answer Dr. King’s call to courageous, compassionate service,” Bowers said in a pre-event press release. “This year’s Legacy honorees and NextGen leaders truly embody the fierce urgency of now, demonstrating that real change happens when individuals step forward with purpose, generosity, and a deep commitment to lifting up others.”

Alpher, a longtime Livermore resident, professional speaker, comedian, author and advocate, was among the 10 honorees recognized during the program. “Through storytelling, performance, and transformative youth workshops locally and nationwide, Alpher empowers young people to find their voice, build resilience, and bridge cultural and social divides with courage, authenticity, and compassion,” 3VCF officials noted in announcing her award. 

Representing Alamo were recipients Gina Halow and Mindy Longo of IMPACT Diablo Valley, which has mobilized more than 200 local families to give back – to the tune of nearly $900,000 worth of grants in seven years to support those experiencing domestic violence, early childhood trauma, homelessness and foster care.

Danville’s David Behring was recognized for his longstanding commitment to the community through the Blackhawk Museum, the Wheelchair Foundation and advancing civic pride initiatives like the All Wars Memorial in Oak Hill Park.

Dublin’s Michael Karami was lauded for his efforts toward “community connection and mutual understanding by elevating marginalized voices and convening meaningful public dialogue”.

Longtime Pleasanton public art contributors Gary and Nancy Harrington, San Ramon civic leader Gary Alpert and fifth-generation Sunol resident and community contributor Jim O’Laughlin rounded out the adult MLK Legacy Award winners. 

The inaugural NextGen Young Philanthropist Award recipient, who couldn’t attend the ceremony because she was sick, was Rabia Badar of Dublin. 

Badar, who attends Averroes High School in Fremont, is the founder and president of her school’s Junior Civitan Club and spearheaded support initiatives focused on food insecurity, access to laptops for underserved students and wildfire relief, according to 3VCF.

The Young Philanthropist Award finalists, many of whom were in the room Monday, were Caroline Malone and Vasu Goel (Alamo); Olivia Baruch, Zara Lake and Shanaya Puri (Danville); Zayan Kajani (Dublin); Cole Gable (Livermore); Asahvi Geddam (Pleasanton); and Saathrika Tumma (San Ramon).

It was a who’s who across the Palm Event Center, with city, school, county, state and federal officials (or their representatives) alongside business executives, nonprofit leaders, community contributors and other movers and shakers from throughout the Tri-Valley. 

At my table alone were Bowers, Faith and Daniel Alpher, Livermore Mayor John Marchand, former Dublin mayor Tim Sbranti (the event’s emcee), Livermore City Councilmember Steven Dunbar, 3VCF board clerk Karen Diaz (who I knew well when she was Pleasanton’s city clerk), Pastor Anthony Woods who delivered the invocation, and for a few minutes State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who also spoke. 

Unfortunately missing was William “Bubba” Paris, a former offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers and current executive director of the San Ramon-based Donor Network West Foundation. He was the original keynote speaker but had to bow out due to illness. So Bowers swapped Paris to next year and bumped up the scheduled 2027 speaker, Alpher, to this year on two days’ notice.

Right in her wheelhouse, Alpher rose to the occasion. 

“I am compelled to use my voice, you see I don’t have a choice,” she said near the end of her original spoken-word recitation. “Let us continue to walk towards freedom, a coliseum of peace. It’s an emergency and the urgency is now.”

Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the associate publisher and editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.

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