Eleanor "Penny" Lopes Akahloun has been selected as the keynote speaker for the eighth annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Breakfast honoring local students on Jan. 18.

The breakfast will be held at 9 a.m. at the Boys & Girls Club located at the Hammond School in Onset.

The breakfast, sponsored and hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of New Bedford/Wareham Unit, recognizes students from each Wareham school, the Boys and Girls Club, the Gleason Family YMCA, and regional schools that accept Wareham students.

“Penny is a great choice and we’re flattered that she has agreed to come back to her home town and be our keynote speaker this year,” Wareham Boys & Girls Club Unit Director Ken Fontes said.

Akahloun was born in 1943 and raised in Onset. She is a retired diplomat who served with the U.S. State Department for 43 years. She began her career as a clerk-stenographer and eventually worked her way up the ladder to become a Foreign Service Human Resources Officer.

She has chronicled her personal story in "The Magic of Dreams: An American Diplomat's Journey".

Akahloun has visited more than 50 countries, traveled to the seven continents, and held overseas assignments in the Philippines, Morocco, Kenya, Tunisia, Canada, Uruguay, China, and Venezuela. She has two children and currently resides outside Washington, D.C., where she enjoys writing, giving book talks, traveling, practicing yoga, and engaging in volunteer work.

The major sponsor for the event is Bridgewater State University. The breakfast buffet is being prepared by “Big Daddy’s Chef on Fire”!

After a hot breakfast, principals from each of the town’s schools, and representatives from other organizations, will introduce their selections for the Martin Luther King award. The awards go to students who embody the spirit of the slain civil rights leader, and the keynote speaker, chosen by an organizing committee representing local business, clergy, youth organizations, and the School Department, is a role model for local youth.

Tickets for the event are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7 for children. Ticket reservations may be made by calling the Boys and Girls Club of Wareham at 508-322-8722 for ticket reservations, or by visiting the club any day between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.