Billy Strayhorn

 

This week we join with Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in celebrating the posthumous birthday of founder and music great Billy Strayhorn:

This is the fourth year for the birthday celebration, which the theater started in 2008 as a tribute to Strayhorn. Both he and Gene Kelly’s birthday’s are celebrated yearly.

The former Regeant Theater was renamed the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in 2000 in honor of both Kelly and Strayhorn.

“Billy Strayhorn’s legacy isn’t really known here or appreciated as well as it should be. It’s known nationally and internationally, but it’s not always connected with Pittsburgh,” said Kelly Strayhorn Executive Director, Janera Solomon.

The evening promises to be beautiful as it will feature local and nationally known Jazz musicians including Roger Humpheries and a six-piece Jazz ensemble with three vocalists singing Strayhorn’s music; spoken word artist Leslie “Ezra” Smith will read a work that was commissioned for the occasion. Former Pittsburgh resident and Billy Strayhorn’s nephew, Dr. Greg Morris, will join in the celebration.

“We’re excited to have the program filled with Jazz artists and young artists,” said Solomon. “Ezra is an incredible young poet. People can expect an evening of great live music filled with classics.”

Billy Strayhorn was born in Dayton, Ohio, but his family moved to Pittsburgh’s Homewood section where he attended Westinghouse High School. His musical career began in the Golden Triangle when he studied music at the Pittsburgh Music Institute. Strayhorn met band leader Duke Ellington in 1939 after a performance in Pittsburgh. At that time, Strayhorn informed Ellington how he would have arranged one of Ellington’s songs. Strayhorn’s boldness enticed Ellington enough for him to invite his band to hear Strayhorn. Next, Ellington invited Strayhorn to New York and Strayhorn worked with Ellington for the next quarter century as an arranger, composer pianist and collaborator until Strayhorn’s death from cancer in 1967.

“It took me a while before I knew what kind of music he composed. But when he would come home to Pittsburgh, there would be a big celebration. When he got involved with Duke Ellington he sent me postcards from all over the world. I knew he was something special. I knew he was something very big. But I didn’t have a sense of how widely known he was and the music he made until after he died,” said Morris who now lives in Arizona.

Read more about the celebration and Billy Strayhorn’s interesting career here: http://www.newpittsburghcourieronline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5897%3Abilly-strayhorn-birthday-celebrated&catid=44%3Aentertainment&Itemid=48

Honoring Former Dignity & Respect Champions: KEYS Service Corps

 

As we continue to take time to remember past Dignity & Respect champions, let us honor Aaron Gray and KEYS Service Corps, last April’s recipient and the first organization to win as a whole.

The KEYS (Knowledge to Empower Youth to Success) Service Corps is an education-based AmeriCorps program that provides at-risk youth safe places with structured activities, assisting with homework and class work, implementing community service/service-learning projects, and involving community volunteers in service.

Aaron Gray and the KEYS Service Corps were nominated by Jamie Scarano and have been chosen as the April Dignity and Respect Champion their work in implementing and supporting tutoring programs, community service, and learning opportunities and operations for at-risk youth.

If you would like to nominate a Dignity & Respect Champion, visit us here. Let us continue to recognize everyone who works tirelessly for inclusion!

Tip #5 -- Say “Thank You”!

 

Gratitude is a gift that’s never too small to give. We hope everyone is having a Happy Thanksgiving. Today is a great day to not only give thanks to your friends and family, but to give back to your community as well. Here are a few ideas to get you started courtesy of the Huffington Post:

Send a holiday care package to a soldier abroad
Our service men and women who are out of the country during Thanksgiving often long for the comforts of home. By sending a care package through Any Soldier, you can show them your gratitude for their duty and make them feel loved. Any Soldier has provided care packages to 96,371 service members and has an extensive list of popular items that have been requested by soldiers if you need ideas for what to include in your package.

Deliver a Thanksgiving meal to housebound neighbors
Don't forget seniors or the seriously ill during this holiday. By volunteering with a local Meals on Wheels Program to bring a hot dinner to those who may not be able to join family or friends. They'll appreciate the food and, more importantly, the time you share with them at their homes.

Feed families with pocket change
According to a recent government report, 49 million Americans went hungry last year, so you can bet that many families are facing slim pickings for Thanksgiving this year. Help change this by participating in Feeding America's Thanksgiving Feast for 9 Million. By donating $1, you can provide seven meals this holiday, and $50 will provide 350 meals for hungry families.

Run a "Turkey Trot"
All over the country this Thanksgiving, companies and nonprofits are hosting 5k races to benefit local charities and good causes. San Francisco's fun run will benefit a local high school's Track & Field team and Ann Arbor's will benefit local animal shelters and community groups. The bonus? Most of these races are Run/Walks that encourage full family participation and you can work off some of dinner before you even sit down at the table. Runs are planned for on and around Thanksgiving day and some require advance registration, so be sure to mind the rules specific for your area.

Serve Thanksgiving Dinner at a Homeless Shelter
All the donated food that is raised during Thanksgiving time has to have willing hands to help cook it. Lend yours by volunteering this thanksgiving at a homeless shelter to prepare and dish up a meal with all the trimmings for those who don't have a home to go to this Holiday. The National Coalition for the Homeless has a searchable directory to find homeless shelters in your area.

Sponsor a Family in Need
Thanksgiving is only one day out of the year that U.S. families go hungry. Why not do a little to help one family a lot during the whole year? Family-to-family.org can help you connect with individual families that you can help by providing food, clothing and other necessities throughout the year. Or, open a family-to-family branch in your area.

Be sure to read the whole article for more ideas: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/24/9-ways-to-show-your-grati_n_369825.html

Can you think of any other ways to give thanks not mentioned on this list? Why not share them with us!

Honoring Former Dignity & Respect Champions: Esther Haguel

 

As we continue to take time to remember past Dignity & Respect champions, let us honor Esther Haguel , April 2010’s Dignity & Respect honoree chosen for the award because of her extraordinary dedication to creating an environment of inclusion for children each day.

Esther Haguel doesn’t believe success has a race, gender, or socioeconomic level – she believes and lives by the principle that success stems from an individual’s strengths. Haguel works every day to teach children that when people bring out the best in each other, everyone benefits. A counselor at Northside Urban Pathways Charter School, Haguel is the recipient of the Dignity and Respect Champion Award for her work in breaking down barriers for children, and leading them to lives of success.

A native of New York City, Haguel moved to Pittsburgh in 1990 after earning a master’s degree in social work from Tulane University in New Orleans. Haguel helps Urban Pathways serve more than 300 students and works with children in sixth through ninth grades who may be struggling with schoolwork, home life, or other personal obstacles.

If you would like to nominate a Dignity & Respect Champion, visit us here. Let us continue to recognize everyone who works tirelessly for inclusion!

Joining Forces Initiative

 

Last Friday was Veterans Day! What did you do to show your respect for our fighting men and women? If you are still looking for ideas, here is something that might be of interested to you:

Joining Forces is a comprehensive national initiative to mobilize all sectors of society to give our nation’s service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned. First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden encourage all Americans to recognize, honor, and support our military families. The campaign seeks to create greater connections between the American public and the military.

Select a volunteer opportunity in your community to honor service members, veterans, and military families.  (Examples: mentor a child, clean up a park, plant a garden, donate to a particular charity, make a meal for a neighbor in need, etc....)  If you're already volunteering in your community, you can dedicate your service to honor the service of the military community. When you find the right project for you, don’t forget to register and pledge your hours of community service as well:joiningforces.allforgood.org

You can also get involved by sharing your message of thanks with a military family, and it will be delivered by the USO:  whitehouse.gov/joiningforces/message

To learn more about the Joining Forces Initiative, visit:   whitehouse.gov/joiningforces

This Month’s Dignity & Respect Champion is… Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski

 

This month we recognize Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski, director of The Washington Hospital Teen Outreach and President of Academy for Adolescent Health Inc., as the October Dignity & Respect Champion of Greater Pittsburgh.  

Nominated by Washington County Commissioner Bracken Burns, Mary Jo was selected as the October Dignity & Respect Champion for her work at the Academy for Adolescent Health and the Washington Hospital Teen Outreach.

The Academy for Adolescent Health, Inc., which Mary Jo founded in 1988, provides programs for teens and youth and works to create a community in which young people are respected and able to enjoy physical and mental wellness. The organization serves as an advocate for youth, parents, professionals, and community members to encourage wellness.

The Washington Hospital Teen Outreach holds an annual Ambassador for Respect Program in which 20,000 students participate in a "pass it on" activity that encourages recognition of respectful behavior. Each year the program centers around a different topic, including focusing on the word "respect" and what it means, listening to a speaker who talks about poverty among African Americans, a focus on self-respect and how young people think about themselves, and most recently, respecting people of all abilities.

Mary Jo is modest about receiving the award, as the passion for her work is driven by the youth, and not recognition.

Kelly-Strayhorn Theater Presents the Third Annual “My People Film Series”

 

If you are a Pittsburgh resident, be sure to check out this great month-long event at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater:

Through film, discussion, and performance, My People Film Series: Queer Legacies, a four-part series highlights the lives and experiences of queer people of color. The series will be presented Tuesdays at 7 pm, beginning on November 1 and runs through November 22 at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater (5941 Penn Avenue in East Liberty). A discussion featuring filmmakers and local leaders will follow the film screening as issues of human rights, trans identity, and racism are explored.

This year’s series includes a collection of films that connect a rich history and contributions of generations of queer people of color to the present. To kick off the series a work-in-progress showing of The Untitled Black Lesbian Elder Project profiles participants ages 60 to 80 with archival footage that reveal black lesbian underground movements, life, and a vibrant presence within American black history. Pittsburghers have an opportunity to be profiled by submitting an application found on the theater’s website (www.kelly-strayhorn.org).

The schedule for My People Film Series: Queer Legacies is as follows:

• Tuesday, Nov 1, the series opens with the film The Untitled Black Lesbian Elder Project;

• Tuesday, Nov 8, features five films: Billy and Aaron; Rex vs. Singh; More Than Love (a trilogy by Jullian Peña); Tomboi Gatoey Mango and Tom/ Trans / Thai;

• Tuesday, Nov, 15, Zero Degrees of Separation;

• Tuesday, Nov 22, Billy and Aaron and Brother to Brother.

At each screening a filmmaker is present in person or via Skype. Among others, audiences have the opportunity to engage in discussion with Rodney Evans, filmmaker of Billy and Aaron and Brother to Brother. Evans is the recipient of The Independent Feature Project's Gordon Parks Award for Screenwriting and the Special Jury Prize in Drama at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Other visiting filmmakers include Tiona McClodded and Lisa C. Moore, Jillian Peña, Jai Arun Ravin, and Elle Flanders.

Individual tickets are $10 for each event or $30 for a film pass to the entire four-week series.

To learn more or purchase tickets be sure to visit http://www.kellystrayhorn.org or call 412-363-3000.

Celebrating Former Dignity & Respect Champions: Will Thompkins

 

As we continue to take time to remember past Dignity & Respect champions, let us honor
Will Thompkins, our first ever Dignity & Respect honoree back in February 2010 for his work as the director of community and outreach at The Pittsburgh Project, a nonprofit community development organization with a 25-year track record of developing leaders and serving the city’s most vulnerable residents.

Thompkins said a strong faith foundation and a desire to make his family proud are what it takes for him to live a life filled with dignity and respect, but it all began with his parents. “Anything I did in my life, I never wanted to do any dishonor to them. Wherever I lived and traveled – in college and the military – I tried to carry myself in a way that my parents would be very proud of me.” Today, his two sons serve as a daily inspiration. “I want to live in a way that they would want to emulate,” Thompkins said.

Will’s community service also includes work on the following boards - KidsVoice, Pittsburgh Branch NAACP, Children 2 Champions, Northside Old Timers, Pittsburgh United, and The 100 Black Men of Western Pennsylvania. Will has a special affinity for interacting with and counseling youth and young adults. He is very caring, actively involved in community work, and occasionally runs and shoots pool.

If you would like to nominate a Dignity & Respect Champion, visit us here. Let us continue to recognize everyone who works tirelessly for inclusion!