From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Haiti Earthquake Remembrance Candlelight Ceremony & Mural Unveiling
By Yvette N. Harris
Jan 11, 2011 - 7:32:21 AM
Little Haiti Optimist Club,
Clergy, Elected Officials, Community Leaders and Other Organizations to
Participate in the Haiti Earthquake Remembrance Candlelight Ceremony
Miami
–The Little Haiti Optimist Club (LHOC) will host the Haiti Earthquake
Remembrance on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. The purpose of the event is
to commemorate the victims and survivors of the earthquake that
devastated the island nation of Haiti almost one year ago on January
12th, 2010. As part of the remembrance, LHOC will unveil a 5,000 sq.
ft. Mural located at 7925 NE 2nd Avenue in Little Haiti between the
hours of 5:30PM to 7:30PM. The entire community is invited to
participate in the unveiling and the candlelight ceremony.
The
program will begin with inspirational songs, remarks by elected
officials, community leaders and survivors of the earthquake and will
culminate with the Candlelight Reflection Moment in remembrance of all
the victims and survivors. Following the stage program, attendees will
take a short walk to participate in the unveiling of the Haiti
Earthquake Remembrance Mural painted on the building located at 7901 NE
2nd Avenue. The strategic location of the building lends itself to
making sure that the mural is highly visible to commuters and the
community for many years to come. Ron Volk is the owner of the building
and generously donated the space for the mural.
The
mural which will depict Haiti’s past, present and future, is designed
and produced in partnership with the MLK Community Mural Project. The
mural will not only honor the victims and survivors of the devastating
earthquake, but more importantly raise awareness as well as raise funds
for families devastated by the tragedy. Established Haitian and
American artists, as well as students from Little Haiti Optimist Club
and Youth Expressions are participating in painting the mural and
bringing the vision to life.
“The
earthquake was a day that many will not forget. With South Florida
having the largest concentration of Haitians and Haitian Americans, our
goal and commitment is to ensure that Haiti is not forgotten”, said Adam
Grossman, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the Miami
Dolphins who provided all the supplies for the mural project.
Other generous sponsors of this project are: MLK Restaurant, Gateway
Airport Concessions, Show Technology, Charles Coin Laundry, I Print
& Design Miami, WEDR-FM 99 JAMZ and the City of Miami.
“This
is the most important project I’ve worked on because hundreds of
thousands lost their lives and the country where I was born was
destroyed. As an artist, I hope this mural helps all of South Florida
reflect on Haiti’s history, present and a better future to come once the
country is rebuilt”,
said
Serge Toussaint. Other artists include: Kyle Holbrook, Cairns “Nice”
Athouris, Addonnis Parker, Darrin Watson, Bayunga Kialeuka, Chris
“Punch” Purdy, Kevin “Smurf” Morris, Lordgyn “Gino” Belizaire and
Veronica Estrada.
The
entire community is invited to participate in the Haiti Earthquake
Remembrance Candlelight Ceremony and Mural Unveiling. For more
information and to sponsor, visit
www.littlehaitioptimist.org or call 305-390-0234.
ABOUT LITTLE HAITI OPTIMIST CLUB
The
Little Haiti Optimist Club is a non-profit organization established by a
group of business, community and civic leaders to provide assistance
and guidance to the youth of Little Haiti. The organization is
affiliated with Optimist International, an association of more than
3,000 Optimist Clubs around the world dedicated to “Bringing out the
Best in Kids”. The mission of the Little Haiti Optimist Club is to make
a difference in the lives of youth by providing education, mentorship,
athletics, arts and cultural programming. Our goal is to be the premier
organization providing programs to prepare the youth of Little Haiti
for academic and life excellence.
Little
Haiti Optimist Club activities and programs empower and give young
people a helping hand and hope. Some of the programs and activities
include: Book Bag & School Supplies Giveaway; Mentorship Program;
LHOC Career Day; REEL Opportunities Film Program; Brush Strokes ART
Program; Little Haiti Keeping It Clean & Green; LHOC Reads; Turkey
Giveaway; Toy Drive & Giveaway and athletics programs consisting
of: soccer, football, wrestling, tennis, basketball, golf and track
& field. For more info on LHOC, visit
www.littlehaitioptimist.org.
ABOUT MLK MURAL PROJECT
MLK Mural Project is
a collaboration of various artists and students from around the world.
They are responsible for over 100 murals in various cities in the
United States, Brazil and in Haiti. Their goal is to empower youth
through art education, by arming them with skills and knowledge to
create public art. Past projects include: Detroit Super Bowl 2005,
Major League Baseball 2006, US Open 2007, MLK East Busway 2007, G-20
Summit 2009, Albert Switzer Hospital in Haiti with the United Nations
2009-2010 to name a few.
ABOUT THE LEAD ARTIST
Serge Toussaint was born in Carrefour
,
Haiti on August 15, 1963. He grew up in Haiti until he was twelve. He
then moved to Queens, Corona, New York with his father. He graduated
from High School in New York and proceeded to work as a busboy at
Sizzlers and did some freelance artwork on his own. In 1994, he came
to
Miami
on a family vacation where he has made it his home ever since. Serge
is a skilled artist who usually works on large scale backgrounds over 5
feet. He is often referred to as the Michael Angelo of Little
Haiti//Liberty City. He loves art and is proud of his Haitian heritage
and community which is apparent to anyone walking in Little Haiti.
Although he is well known in Little Haiti, his work can be found
throughout South Florida. After 16 years of being a muralist, there is
finally a compilation of his work in a book called
Miami Muralist: Serge Toussaint, Neighborhood Paintings by a Haitian Artist by Rachel Goldberg.
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