Dear Highland Park Residents, I would like to invite you and your families to join me for one of Union Project's most beloved community events: our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day taking place January 18th. See details attached & below. This year Union Project and Open Door are excited to announce two new partners, the MGR Foundation and TASK Pittsburgh, who will help bring engaging afternoon activities to the program including youth talent showcase performances, spoken word, local readers reading Dr. King's speeches, and a mosaic project in conjunction with UP's Studio Arts Classes. The evening program includes our Keynote Speaker (Rev. Dr. Ronald Peters who will speak to this year's theme "Building the Beloved Community") and closes again this year with the Anointed Steps of Faith step team (who, if you haven't seen them before, always brings down the house!) This inspirational inter-generational event is hinged together by our annual peace meal between 5-6:30PM where our very diverse community members break bread together. This is a moving day in which UP best demonstrates our mission as our doors open wide to welcome our community in from the cold to spend time together while we honor the life, and carry on the work of, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If you are interested to help volunteer for a few hours of time, please contact Allison Deasy, UP House Manager/Event Coordinator at allison@unionproject.org or by calling our office 412-363-4550x21. I hope to see you all there. Yours in service, Jeffrey Press Release Contact: Katrina Struloeff Ph. 412-363-4550 x 37 katrina@unionproject.org January 7, 2010 For Immediate Release *Union Project Partners to Expand Annual Community Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration “Building the Beloved Community” on January 18, 2010, 1-8pm* Partnering with Open Door Church, MGR Foundation, and PGH TASK, Union Project invites the public to attend and participate in “Building the Beloved Community,” an interactive, engaging and uplifting event in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his vision for the possible future of our country. This free daylong event on January 18, 2010 will be held at the Union Project, 801 N. Negley Ave., from 1-8 PM and feature cross-generational artistic activities, a Youth Talent Showcase, a community peace meal, keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Ronald Edward Peters, and additional community performances. Sponsored in part by Dollar Bank, “Building the Beloved Community” is free and open to the public. We envision an event that activity engages diverse audiences, to strengthen our collective connection to the Vision of a Beloved Community that was advanced by the life, nonviolent philosophy, and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. *Outline of January 18,2009 - “Building the Beloved Community”:* - *1PM: Kick-off - Beloved Community Mosaic Project* Directed by MGR Foundation with Union Project ceramics artists and Laura Jean McLaughlin, local ceramic artist, participants are invited from 1-8 PM to help create a community mosaic that will be featured in Union Project side yard. - *2PM - 4PM: Youth Talent Showcase* Local youth are invited to perform uplifting songs, dance, spoken word, and other forms of expression. Performances will also include local leaders reading excerpts from speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Individuals who have met Dr. King or participated in the Civil Right's Movement are invited to come and share their stories as part of an inter-generational interactivity activity. - *4PM: Rite of Passage/Graduation Ceremony for PGH TASK* The public is invited to celebrate local youth who have completed a rigorous community stewardship program including community service, exercise, event planning, and more. - *5-6:30PM: Community Peace Meal* In the tradition of breaking bread together, the community is invited to share in a free community peace meal featuring diverse food donated from local restaurants, farms, and churches. - *6:30PM: Evening Programming* Black National Anthem read by Mrs. Catherine Carter, Community Elder Keynote Speaker Rev. Dr. Ronald Edward Peters on "Building the Beloved Community” Amazing Grace performed by Local Musicians Performance by Anointed Steps of Faith Ministry, University of Pittsburgh *Keynote Speaker Rev. Dr. Ronald Edward Peters* is the Henry L. Hillman Associate Professor of Urban Ministry and the first Director of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary's Metro-Urban Institute, an interdisciplinary program of religious leadership development for urban society. He teaches courses in the area of Church and Society, the sociology of religion, Christian Education, Black Church history, and Christian ethics. Some of his more popular courses include Church and Society (Local), The Thought of Martin Luther King, Jr., The Church and Economic Development, At-Risk Youth Ministry, Faith and Health in the African Urban Context, and Education for Survival and Success. In 2001, Dr. Peters was appointed Chair of the Allegheny County Human Services Faith-Based Advisory Committee. Also, he serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Allegheny County, the Urban League of Pittsburgh and the Urban League Charter School, the Advisory Committee for WQED (local public broadcasting), the African American Advisory Committee for Pittsburgh Presbytery, and on the Mayor's Commission on Public Education. * Union Project* is located at 801 N. Negley Avenue at the corner of Stanton Avenue and is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing community space to connect, create, and celebrate. Union Project brings Pittsburgh communities together through mission-based businesses, project incubation, studio arts, space rental and community events for youth and adults. For more information visit www.unionproject.org . *Open Door Church *is a missional church community in the East End area of Pittsburgh, PA. Open Door holds weekly worship gatherings, which take place at the Union Project. For more information visit www.pghopendoor.org. *MGR Foundation* is a direct service, public foundation that creates innovative programming aimed at improving and empowering local and global communities. Our current programs focus on the following general categories: health & well-being, education & youth development, volunteering & community development and arts & humanities. For more information visit www.mgrf.org. *PGH TASK* was founded in January 2007, and is based in the East End of the City of Pittsburgh. The mission of PGH TASK is to empower youth communities through group-mentorship and civic leadership development. We serve teen aged males between 13-18 who are residents of disenfranchised neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh. Programs and initiatives include: • Luv Ur Block: monthly, neighborhood-based service-learning program focused on environmental improvement • Product of Our Environment Campaign: annual, civic leadership development involving experiential and in-class training • Peace Keeper Services: on-going social enterprise that supports the our mission For more information about PGH TASK please contact Mikhail Pappas at mikhail@pghtask.org. * For additional information or to request photos of past Dr. MLK, Jr. celebrations at the Union Project please contact Katrina Struloeff at 412-363-4550 x 37 or Katrina@unionproject.org. * -- Jeffrey Dorsey Executive Director Union Project 801 N. Negley Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-363-4550x26 "And by union, what we will Can be accomplished still. Drops of water turn a mill Singly, none; singly, none." -Step by Step (1890's organizing song) -- Jeffrey Dorsey Executive Director Union Project 801 N. Negley Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-363-4550x26 "And by union, what we will Can be accomplished still. Drops of water turn a mill Singly, none; singly, none." -Step by Step (1890's organizing song)