We are so very proud of our kids and all they have done and how they have inspired us this year. During their Stepping Up Celebration this year, they also got in the news. You can watch the report at:
http://brooklyn.news12.com/clip/14443669/students-graduate-from-ethics-for-children-program
By Kim Brandon
On the third Sunday in May, 1993, four guests and twice as many volunteers sat down together in the Dempsey Center here in Brooklyn to begin a journey of building community in the face of one of the worst epidemics of our time. We are still far from a cure for AIDS, yet there have been strides made that have increased awareness, treatment and understanding.
Over the past 25 years, the HOPE Dinners have provided a sage and nourishing environment to celebrate personal and collective milestones, declare our hopes and dreams and mourn our losses. One constant throughout the years is the love that has found its way into the home-cooked, nutritious food, the friendly conversations and the material and spiritual support for our guests.
This month marks the 25th anniversary of the HOPE Dinners. We have served over 20,000 guests and hosted 300 HOPE Dinners and counting.
We would like to acknowledge our Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture member, the late Donna Roberts, and Rev. Janine Deitz for starting the HOPE Dinners. Thank you, Donna and Janine, for showing us the powerful legacy of building helping and
healing communities.
This past Monday, January 15th, 2018, we gathered with hundreds of families to honor and celebrate the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Together we sang, danced, heard stories about those who have dedicated their lives to the fight for human and civil rights and shared with our children our hopes for a more just and kind world.
Kindness really was the key word to define this event, which depended on the kindness of many to happen:
Thank you to the 5th Prospect Park BPSA scouts for helping us set up, decorate and for designing the beautiful signs that covered our walls all over the building. Thank you to Fiona and Janice (for all you do), to Prajna, who was the amazing face painter to hundreds of excited kids basically on her own, to our amazing teachers and friends, Simba, storae, Lea, DuPree and Barry, who helped make the magic happen, to Tahra, who was there with me from noon to 10pm, decorating, welcoming people and cleaning and always with a smile, to the parents (and your kids) who showed up and helped us set up and staff our many stations, spread the word and made donations, such as Kymberly, Clyde, Stella, Columbia, Ted, Gus, Claude, Rachel, Lucy and many more in all kinds of ways. Thank you to the members who showed up to help us run the event, such as Nancy, Burt, Lisel (and the wonderful volunteer family you brought with you), to Jason for being so helpful when I asked for things to be changed and moved around, and the members and parents who helped us by coming to the event and helping us publicize it. Please forgive me if I have forgotten anyone or was not aware of what you have done. We thank you all.
Below a few photos from our event:
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Singing with DuPree and Barry
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Dancing
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Picture by Audrey Kindred
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Storytime with storae
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Storytime with storae
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Face painting
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Raffle with awesome prizes
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Crafts
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Making musical instruments
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Yummy food
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Scouts helping decorate
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Scouts planning the “I have a dream wall” and quote signs
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I have a dream wall
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