KENNEBUNK — The 16th annual breakfast in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Kennebunk will benefit The Transformation Project, a program that helps former jail inmates.
The Rev. Jeffrey M. McIlwain, Chaplain of the Cumberland County Jail and Pastor of the North Star AME Zion Church, Newington, New Hampshire, will give the keynote talk. As chaplain, he oversees 50 religious volunteers and ministers to the needs of the corrections staff as well as the inmates. During his talk, Rev. McIlwain will draw on his 22 years of experience at the jail and his concerns about justice and injustice.
Located in Westbrook, the Transformation Project helps people as they transition from jail back to every-day life.
According to the Project website, former offenders can be leaders, artists, chefs, craftsmen, counselors, even lawyers, if given the chance. They can be transformed through mentors, employment, or residential programs. The Project gives them opportunities to learn how to become valued employees and contributors to society.
Rhiannon Maxfield shares her story on the Transformation Project website.
“Job hunting was never an easy thing for me since I am a felon,” she wrote. “I was drinking and getting involved with the wrong crowd. … Looking for housing was a struggle with my history. Going through sober living showed me a lot about how to do life, serve others … I have a real success story, and believe the lives of those reentering our communities from lockup could really make a positive difference if they’re given the right opportunities.”
The MLK event will take place at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21 at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 114 Main St., Kennebunk. A full breakfast will be served in the Parish Hall at 9 a.m.
The program, which also features music by North Star Gospel Jazz Ensemble, will follow at about 9:45 in the upstairs Sanctuary. Entrance is through the side door of the church, which will open at 8:30. A chair lift is available. 
Tickets for the breakfast and program are $15 for adults and $5 for students.  Tickets for just the program are $10 for adults, free for students. They will be available online at www.uukennebunk.org.
To pay by check, call 985-1411.

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