NORTH ADAMS — “We are the people we have been waiting for,” Wendy Penner told a crowd at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Monday.

Penner, a community organizer and co-president of Congregation Beth Israel, was honored with Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's Peacemaker Award during the group’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

Northern Berkshire residents signed up to volunteer at different community organizations as part of Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service inside Venable at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Monday. This year, volunteers helped with projects at the Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, Williamstown Commons, the Louison House, the ROOTS Teen Center and Sweetwood of Williamstown.

Penner said she was "humbled" to be recognized.

“This event is in part a celebration of our national and local striving to live up to the ideals of Dr. King and his committed work for racial equality, economic justice, nonviolence and antimilitarism," she said.

Penner was honored by the coalition for her commitment to the idea of “think globally, act locally,” and is part of various groups addressing global issues in Berkshire County, including the citizen-led Williamstown COOL Committee, which empowers people to address climate change locally. She is also a member of the Have Hope Recovery Center and Northern Berkshire HEAL Coalition, and has been an advocate for public health reform to support people impacted by substance abuse.

Penner is also on the leadership team of the Northern Berkshire Indivisible Chapter, Greylock Together, that hosts rallies and community events in protest of the Trump Administration’s policies, including the “No Kings” protest Oct. 18, 2025.

“Martin Luther King [Jr.] believed in equality and believed in the dignity of work and the importance of people having access to the opportunity to build community,” said State Sen. Paul Mark at the event. “And so, thank you for being here to pay tribute to his spirit, and congratulations to Wendy, because you are wonderful."

In her speech, Penner said she needed to name the “hard truths” of current American politics that jeopardize the “legacy of Dr. King’s work.”

“At the federal level, our democratic norms and institutions are being eroded and dismantled in plain sight,” said Penner. “Voting rights are under assault, the truth is routinely distorted and perverted and the dignity of immigrants, working families, Black communities and marginalized people is being treated as expendable.”

Sporting a pin on her blouse that read “Immigrants Make America Great,” Penner asked the crowd: What can we do to rise to the current moment?

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition gave out T-shirts to all volunteers at its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Monday.

“Let's use the tools that we have to find courage and community,” she said.

After the ceremony, the group dispersed to volunteer at different organizations throughout the community, including the Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, Williamstown Commons and the Louison House.

Williams College junior Owen Nielsen was helping transport students to the event as part of his job with the college's Board of Community Engagement, but said he felt inspired to stay and volunteer.

“I’m super lucky to go to a place like Williams and I am looking for any way to give back,” he said. “I’m also from Minneapolis, which is obviously going through a rough time right now and I wanted to still give back somehow even though I am so far away.”

Williams ’28 student Patricia Owusu enjoyed quilt making with residents at Sweetwood of Williamstown so much last year that she returned to do it again.

Williams College students, from left, Owen Nielsen, Duncan Deprofio, Annika Palussa, Laura Sullivan, Diana Elguera Tapia and Patricia Owusu ate lunch before going to volunteer at Williamstown assisted living communities for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Monday,

“Williams is its own isolated bubble and so it is nice to interact with community members outside of the college,” she said.

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition first hosted a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Lunch in 1994 and then in 2010 added the day of service. This year, Amber Besaw, executive director of the coalition, said that in the hopes of engaging more people, they started the service portion later in the day.

“There are people who, this is what they do every year to celebrate MLK Day, and we hope with the changes, we will see new people starting this tradition," Besaw said.

Sue Walker, 85, has participated in the program since it started in 1994 and leads mitten-making in the MCLA gymnasium for local schools. She said it was “really important” to remember Dr. King, now more than ever.

“[This] is a day that celebrates kindness, caring and antiracism,” she said. “If you are someone who values that, then you should be here.”