Horizons Youth Services

Perkins students join in anniversary celebration of LBJ visit

Angaleena Presley with Perkins Culinary Arts students.

April 24 marked 50 years since U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson visited Inez, KY in 1964 and promised to end poverty in America.  On April 25, students at the Carl D. Perkins Job Corps Center celebrated that important anniversary of the start on LBJ’s War on Poverty as they showcased their skills during the “Dream! Martin County” event.  The celebration featured former presidential candidate and Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as keynote speaker, and included members of the Inez community, the Kentucky Congressional delegation, state and local elected officials and business leaders.

Martin County native and country star Angaleena Presley told the Perkins students that her parents met at Job Corps and that she still has letters they wrote to each other while enrolled there.

To help with the anniversary event, Perkins culinary arts students prepared the meal for the VIP room, while Security & Protective Service students provided traffic, parking and crowd control.

Job Corps, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is an important component of LBJ’s War on Poverty. As one of the longest-running programs for disadvantaged youth in America, Job Corps offers students the education, job training and hands-on experience they need to succeed in today’s competitive market place, continue their education and strengthen their communities.