News
United South End Settlements hosts Family Fun on RutlandThursday Jun 7, 2012 United South End Settlements (USES) hosted Family Fun on Rutland at USES’ South End House on Saturday, June 2, 2012. The event featured live music, sensory activities, a raffle, and potluck BBQ in an effort to bring the community together to celebrate the arts.
Over 50 members of the community attended the event, an audience drawn from surrounding neighborhoods around the South End, including members of Troubadour, a group that promotes student literacy and academic achievement in underserved schools through poetry, song lyrics, and prose. Through the help of Troubadour, students were able to present a self-created dance and poem, communicating inspirational messages about celebrating respect for differences and individuality. In addition, Executive Director and Co-Founder Victor Cockburn was able to perform an interactive sing-along with attendees.
"Events like this provide a level of engagement and celebration of our diversity and creativity as a community. Seeing our young people thriving and performing from their hearts always inspires me to continue the important work of our organization" said USES President and CEO, Kevin Hepner.
Representative Byron Rushing spoke eloquently regarding the need to maintain the arts in our lives. We are born with an innate creativity, and Rushing emphasized the desire to encourage the continued use of these talents on a daily basis as we progress through life’s many stages, despite the tendency to disregard our artistic abilities in exchange for more corporate endeavors.
"Family Fun day is always a great opportunity to showcase our youth programs, highlight special partnerships like our workshops with Troubadour, and to build a sense of community between our families," remarked USES’ Children’s Art Centre Assistant Helen Schroeder. "The network of children, families, staff, and community members that exists at USES is truly unique, and Family Fun on Rutland is really a celebration of that."
USES has been working to build a strong community through the arts and culture, among many other endeavors, in Boston’s historic South End/Lower Roxbury for more than 120 years. Various events are held at USES throughout the year to enrich the neighborhood. For more information about USES, please visit www.uses.org.
|
|
|
