It Takes a Village...

On the heels on the successful completion of the two murals by the Germantown Art Club and the total redo our our Butterfly Kisses Book website, I am reminded once again how it truly takes a village of committed individuals and the support of something higher (call IT what you wish) to see something truly magical come together.

The mural was a collaborative effort put forth by so many people, Aileen McCullough and the Arts for Peace project of Young Audiences of Eastern PA (www.yaep.org) and a grant from PNC Bank and support from the Rentschler Foundation, along with local community support from Germantown hardware store Pik-A-Panel True Value and the store’s owner, Scott Shapiro, who assisted by donating some of the project supplies. Alisha Hagelin and her mural club students, as well asmany administrators and faculty of Germantown High School, Philly, PA. The murals look Great! The students feel empowered and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with threm.

Our new website is job well done thanks to the genius of Jason Faser of Lost Studios who is a totally cool, humble, easy to work with guy, and my cousin and business partner, Ellen McVicker, www.butterflykissesbook.com.

Peace: Pass it On

I finally acted on a bulletin board I have seen driving down Rte. 41 in Avondale, right near my son's Middle School. It shows Desmond Tutu smiling larger than life (and isn't he?) The slogan with his shining face says "His Moral Compass Points to Equality"

"PEACE... pass it on" I finally went to the website http://www.values.com/ and then sent an email to the Foundation to learn more about them.

Here are a couple of Q & A from their website:

Q: What is The Foundation for a Better Life?

A: The Foundation is a non-profit 501©(3) organization, started in 2000. We are privately funded and non-commercial. Our sole objective is to promote positive values, using print and broadcast media.

Q: Why are you doing this?

A: We want the stories we share about the actions of others to inspire someone to do one thing a little better, and then pass on that inspiration. While a few individuals living values-based lives seems small, collectively they will make the world a better place.

I appreciate the positive, inspiring messages I have come across and I am going to use their site today as I begin my new residency with Germantown High School in Philly. I am working with art teacher Alisha Hagelin and her after school art club. The theme of the mural is to be Peaceful Conflict resolution and I have also reached out to my good friend Lorenn Walker http://www.lorennwalker.com/ who works a lot with kids and their families in restorative justice. Lorenn has always inspired me by her passion, energy and commitment to helping others resolve their conflicts peacefully. Another person I reached out to was Jeff Clapp of Where Peace Lives. http://www.wherepeacelives.org/ They have done incredible mural projects with kids all over the world.

These different site and resources are giving me much to bring to the first meeting today with Germantown HS Art Club Students when we begin our dialogue of what comes to mind when we think of Peaceful Conflict Resolution.

So here is a shot of Alisha and me from our preliminary planning meeting two weeks ago...

will keep you posted.