Philadelphia Mental Retardation Services (MRS) will hold an awards
ceremony for the student winners of the "INCLUSION WORKS" arts and essay
contest on FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2006, at 11 A.M. at the School District of Philadelphia atrium. |
VAI SIKAHEMA, sports anchor of NBC 10, will be master of ceremonies.
Representative James R. Roebuck, City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, Kathy Sykes, director of
Philadelphia Mental Retardation Services , and Dr. Dennis Creedon, director of Creative and Performing Arts at the School District of Philadelphia, will offer remarks.
The MRS Public Awareness Committee and the School District of Philadelphia co-sponsored the poster, essay, poem and song contest for
school students in kindergarten through grade eight, with professional judges from each discipline.
Thad Campbell, co-chair of the Public Awareness Committee, said the purpose of the contest was to raise awareness about the abilities of
people with developmental disabilities as friends, classmates, colleagues, teammates, churchgoers, etc.
People with and without disabilities have much in common: they want friends and family, meaningful work, to have fun, express their
spirituality, to make a contribution and be appreciated for their own unique selves. They want to be part of their community, and the community
is stronger and richer for welcoming everyone.
The contest, Inclusion Works, provides an opportunity for students to share their experiences creatively with people with disabilities,
through art, poem, song or story, and demonstrate how welcoming people with intellectual disabilities as part of our community enriches all of us.
Cathy Silvasi, of Philadelphia Mental Retardation Services, said the Office of Creative and Performing Arts at the School District processed all entries. A panel of professional judges selected prize-winners in all categories.
Patricia Raymond, president of the Philadelphia Home and School Council, will provide gift certificates to the winners in each of the three Arts categories: Art, Literature and Music., in three grade categories.
The first-place winning students' arts and language teachers will receive an honorarium from the Freedom Credit Union.
The Philadelphia Daily News plans to publish winning essays and poems, as they did last year.
For information about the award ceremony call Judy Kresloff at 215-685-5923. |
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