Our soror doing great community service on MLK & Founder's Day
http://postcardsfromkatrina.blogspot...tcards-of.html
Mr. President Signs Postcards of Hope
WASHINGTON, DC---Postcards from Katrina (PfK) received an unexpected supporter, President George W. Bush to create postcards of hope for Katrina survivors. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., PfK held a workshop on teaching nonviolence through the arts in partnership with City Year’s Young Heroes Program at Cardozo High School in Washington, DC.
During the workshop, President Bush came to sign postcards, share a few words, and thank the organizer, volunteers and children. In capturing the spirit of the day, President Bush noted that “one of the things that Mrs. King wanted was for MLK Day to be a day of service. It is not a day off, but it's a day on. And so I'm here at Cardozo High School to thank the hundreds of people who have showed up to serve the country by volunteering.”
He went on to say that “and right here in the library were with a group of folks who are sending post cards to folks who have been affected by Katrina, cards of hope, an opportunity for a citizen here to say to somebody in the New Orleans area, we care about you, people are thinking about you -- and all in the hopes of lifting somebody's spirit.”
Along with making postcards, students shared personal stories of violence with their peers while team leaders from neighboring universities such as Howard, Georgetown, and American provided nonviolent solutions to the youth handling mostly violence in their schools. "Wonderful program. I feel very much reinvigorated that day," said Amber Wiley, a Yale graduate and current doctorate student at George Washington University.
The 50-plus elementary and middle school students developed over 50 postcards of hope to send a special message to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. For the elementary kids we had story time with “Kara Finds Sunshine on a Rainy Day” by children’s book author Caroline Brewer to learn how to handle crisis.
“On Dr. King's birthday, we came together to spread hope to the children and help them find ways to gain peace within through the healing power of the arts,” said Tambra Stevenson, artist and creator of the PfK project. "After the program unexpectedly one male student came up to hung me so I know we planted hope that day."
PfK’s new pilot initiative Plant Hope will address youth violence in our communities given the high rise in crime and mental health crisis in New Orleans and other parts of the U.S. as in our nation’s capital. The initiative will include an arts/writing contest, a community garden day and healing arts workshops. The project will be developing partnerships with media, public and private sectors.
Created by the Oklahoma native who is now residing in Washington, DC, Tambra shares her own personal experience of using creative arts healing after coming back from rebuilding homes in the Gulf in January 2006 with her alma mater, Tufts University in Gulfport, MS. There she had family affected by the powerful winds of Hurricane Katrina. “From that moment, I knew that my purpose was to increase awareness of hope and help especially among youth experiencing the post-traumatic responses to the natural disaster and by man,” said Stevenson, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Accompanying the President, Secretary Gonzalez of the Department of Justice came to the event and senior officials from City Year, Corporation for National and Community Service, CASE Foundation and Serve DC.