The Lawrence community has a variety of opportunities to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The bulk of the activities are scheduled for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is next Monday. A community breakfast is scheduled, as well as a commemorative service on the Kansas University campus. And in honor of King’s dedication to community service, the Roger Hill Volunteer Center is challenging area residents to spend the holiday doing a community service project, such as helping at workday events at a Habitat for Humanity house, the Family Promise office or the SafeKids Garage.

The area events will culminate with a banquet at the Kansas Union sponsored by KU’s Office of Multicultural Affairs on Jan. 24. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., the first black mayor of Kansas City, Mo., will be the featured speaker.

Other events include:

Tuesday

• The 23rd annual Martin Luther King Chili Feed, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., New York School, 936 N.Y. Features chili, drinks and dessert, and entertainment by St. Luke’s AME choir. Cost is $2, but children preschool age and younger will be admitted free.

Thursday

• Education Program, 6:30 p.m., Lawrence High School auditorium, 1901 La. Free and open to the public.

Saturday

• Banquet featuring Gary Flowers, executive director and CEO of the Black Leadership Forum Inc. in Washington, D.C., 6:30 p.m., Kansas Union at Kansas University. Tickets: $20 adults; $10 students.

Sunday

• Roger Hill Volunteer Center’s Speak Out!, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. The public is invited to read a speech, poem or story inspired by the work of Martin Luther King Jr.

• Community Gospel Musical, 6:30 p.m., Free Methodist Church, 3001 Lawrence Ave. Free to the public.

Jan. 18

• Community Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Maceli’s, 1031 N.H. Speaker: KU basketball great Bud Stallworth. Tickets $10.

• 8:30 a.m. until afternoon, Habitat for Humanity workday, at 215 Comfort Lane.

• 10 a.m. to noon, reading of Martin Luther King Jr. works to residents of Brandon Woods at Alvamar, 905 Inverness Drive.

• 10 a.m. to noon, workday on Family Promise home, 905 Tenn.

• 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., maintenance work on the SafeKids garage, 205 Maine.

• 2 p.m., commemorative service at Kansas Union, featuring the Rev. Lawrence Ragland of Progressive Baptist Church in Paris, Tenn. Free and open to the public.

Jan. 24

• Banquet, 6 p.m., Kansas Union at KU, featuring U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., the first black mayor of Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are $20 and include dinner. They must be purchased by Jan. 21 at the Office of Multicultural Affairs, 1299 Oread Ave. Ticket forms can be downloaded at www.oma.ku.edu and mailed in. For more information, call Pamela Scott at the Office of Multicultural Affairs, 864-4350.