Chauncey Franks, life & character coach for TCU Fellowship of Christian Athletes; Timeka Gordon, director for the Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services and Community Scholars Program at TCU; and TCU Football Coach Gary Patterson and his wife, Kelsey, were awarded the 2021 MLK Stone of Hope Award at the MLK Day of Service at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church on Jan. 18. The Stone of Hope Award is given to individuals who honor the life and principles of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and exhibit a commitment to excellence in serving their fellow man. This award is one of the highest honors given by the MLK on Main Street Committee.
“This year's recipients demonstrated their faith on the front lines during the pandemic of 2020 by volunteering to feed those in need, and by giving hope to those who needed it the most,” Pastor Kyev P. Tatum Sr. of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, said.
TCU staff and students volunteered their time and effort on Monday to give back to the community, which led to more than one million pounds of fresh food and produce donated to people in need across the Metroplex. Thanks to their efforts and those of the community, it was one of the largest drive-thru events for fresh food distribution in the history of Tarrant County.
Here’s what TCU honorees said in response to receiving the award:
“It was a great honor to receive the MLK stone of hope award! Thank you to that new Mount Rose missionary Baptist church & Pastor Tatum for the awards. Everyone has the opportunity to serve. I believe serving others is a way of saying thank you for the gift of life God gives us all. MLK modeled servant leadership to us all that made this world a better place. I hope to be remembered as a man who gave his life to serve others.”
-Chauncey Franks, life & character coach for TCU Fellowship of Christian Athletes
“The MLK Day of Service was successful because of TCU students and their dedication over the past five months to serve the Morningside community. Personally, the award is not mine alone, but belongs to the Community Scholars as well. They answered the call to serve, when the need was the greatest. We served together.”
-Timeka Gordon, director for the Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services and Community Scholars Program
“Kelsey and I are very humbled and honored to be part of the group. The day of service provided a great opportunity to give back and make peoples’ lives a little better.”
-Gary Patterson, Head TCU Football Coach
About The Stone of Hope Award
The Stone of Hope Award drew its inspiration from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C. The centerpiece of the memorial is a 30-foot statue of Dr. King, featuring his likeness carved into the Stone of Hope, which emerges powerfully from two large boulders, known as the Mountain of Despair. Text from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is cut sharply into the rock of the stone: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” The solitary Stone of Hope stands proudly, depicting the civil rights leader gazing over the Tidal Basin towards the horizon, forever encouraging all citizens to strive for justice and equality.