Minneapolis Urban League 19th Annual Family Day Saturday, August 2, 2008
Saturday, August 2 is Family Day, a day-long, fun-filled festival and parade your entire family will enjoy. Attractions at this year’s FREE festival will include a morning seminar from 9-11:30 a.m. featuring Kelvin Boston, the host of “Moneywise with Kelvin Boston” on PBS and best-selling author of Who’s Afraid to be a Millionaire? and Smart Money Moves for African Americans. Boston, along with several panelists from Freddie Mac, the FDIC and a financial planning firm, will discuss with the audience such issues as wealth building, investing and saving, predatory lending and avoiding foreclosure. The seminar is sponsored by Geico and will be held at the Minneapolis Urban League’s Glover-Sudduth Center, 2100 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis.
At noon following the seminar, guests are encouraged to enjoy an amazing Family Day parade sponsored by ClearWay Minnesota/QUITPLAN Services immediately outside of the Glover-Sudduth Center, at the corner of Penn and Plymouth avenues. Festival and parade-goers will be able to watch our 100-unit parade as it winds through the streets to North Commons Park, where the festival will be taking place. The parade will include beauty queens, zany clowns, antique cars and marching bands that step in time to a rhythmic beat. Within North Commons Park, located at 1801 James Avenue North, the festivities will include an inflatable slide, pony rides, a Double-Dutch competition, and more than 50 local vendors and information booths. On stage throughout the day, local R&B, rap and gospel groups will perform. At 7 p.m., POWER, the evening’s headlining entertainment group will perform their old- and new-school sounds.
The day also includes a 100-unit parade, games and rides, and a headlining live stage performance by POWER
“This year’s Family Day will definitely delight and entertain each person in your family!” said Clarence Hightower, president/CEO of the Minneapolis Urban League, which hosts the event every year. “We initiated Family Day in 1989 to promote the unity and resolve of the inner-city neighborhoods, and provide residents with a FREE event as an alternative to some of the more expensive festivals. This year we’re proud to be able to provide everyone in the community with a truly exciting, entertainment-packed day!” The Minneapolis Urban League Family Day festival, one of the longest- running festivals in north Minneapolis, will be held from 12- 8 pm in North Commons Park at 1801 James Ave N. The Family Day parade, sponsored this year by ClearWay Minnesota/QUITPLAN, is a 100-unit parade and the fourth largest in Minneapolis, is scheduled to begin at 12 pm at Washburn and Plymouth Aves. and will end at Golden Valley Road and James Ave., the entrance to the park.
The following is a list of the Family Day activity highlights:
• Seminar and discussion with Kelvin Boston, host of “Moneywise with Kelvin Boston” on PBS — 9-11:30 am
For the first time, this year’s festival will include a morning seminar featuring best-selling author and financial journalist Kelvin Boston, host of “Moneywise with Kelvin Boston” on PBS. Panelists will include representatives from Freddie Mac, the FDIC and financial planning firms.
• A 100-unit parade — Begins at noon
This year’s parade will feature zany clowns, antique cars, beauty queens, floats and marching bands. The parade will begin at Washburn and Plymouth avenues and end at Golden Valley Road and James Ave, which is the entrance to North Commons Park.
• Main stage entertainment — 12-8 pm
Teen and adults will dance from 12-8 pm to a wide variety of the local rap, R&B, gospel, jazz artists and African dance, which will be featured on this year’s entertainment stage.
Entertainment headlining group POWER—7 pm
Power is a Minneapolis-based vocal group that offers audiences both an old- and new-school feel. Their power-packed stage show and soulful sound is likened to The Temptations, the Whispers, and New Edition, and includes pop, jazz, funk and R&B selections.
• Inflatable rides/games — 12-8 pm
Youth will enjoy jumping and bouncing around in our inflatable obstacle course, bounce castle with slide, and bounce house.
• Double Dutch competition — throughout the day
Double Dutch competitions for ages 8-11, 12-15 and 16-18 will offer prizes to the winning teams of four.
• Pony rides — 1-5 pm
Young children will get a thrill riding ponies around the festival grounds and waving to family and friends.
Each pony ride is FREE.
• Face painting—12– 8 pm
Children from infant to pre-teen can have different designs and shaped painted on their cheeks and nose.
• Food and merchandise vendor and information booths — throughout the day
More than 40 local vendors and community organizations will have booths in the park to sell their products and services, and share their information.
Since 1989, the Minneapolis Urban League has been providing the residents of the north Minneapolis community a safe, fun-filled day that they eagerly anticipate year after year. Today, Family Day attracts nearly 4,000 people who reside not only in north Minneapolis, but are from neighborhoods throughout Minneapolis, as well as St. Paul. For more information about the Family Day parade and festival, please visit the Minneapolis Urban League web site at www.mul.org.
The sponsors for this year’s Family Day festivities include Comcast, Carlson Hotels Worldwide, AstraZeneca, Caterpillar, Prudential and the City of Minneapolis Empowerment Zone.
About Family Day
Family Day is one of the longest-running festivals in north Minneapolis, and the Family Day parade is the fourth largest in Minneapolis. Begun in 1989, by the Minneapolis Urban League, Family Day festival and parade was created to promote the unity and the resolve of the inner-city neighborhoods, and provide the residents with an alternative to the more expensive festivals. The day-long festival, held in North Commons Park, begins with a 100-unit parade, and includes more than 40 local vendors, pony rides for the kids, and entertainment on the main stage. Please visit the Minneapolis Urban League web site at www.mul.org for more information.
About the Minneapolis Urban League
The Minneapolis Urban League is a community-based organization that provides human services and advocacy that will enable African Americans and other people of color to cultivate and develop their individual and group potential on a par with all other Minnesotans. The programs and services that the Minneapolis Urban League offer operate from eight facilities throughout Minneapolis and help approximately 20,000 people each year access quality employment, housing, health care, education and social services. For more information about the Minneapolis Urban League or its programs and services visit www.mul.org.
A Community Celebration in Honor of Clarence Hightower
Join us Tuesday, July 22, 2008 starting at 6:00 p.m., as we say farewell to a friend. Every once in a while, a person comes along who makes an impact in countless people’s lives.
Clarence Hightower is such a person.
Join the Minneapolis Urban League, Proactive Urban Initiatives and Front Street Public Relations for a Community Appreciation and Celebration for Mr. Clarence Hightower. The event will take place at the Minneapolis Urban League, Glover-Sudduth Center for Urban Affairs and Economic Development located at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North (corners of Penn Avenue and Plymouth Avenue N.), dinner will be provided and you are encouraged to reserve your individual ticket or table of 8 by calling Mr. Todd Barnes at (612) 302-3180. There is no cost to attend this event and community is welcomed to attend.
About Mr. Clarence Hightower:
Hightower, who had indicated his intention to explore his options after completing the agency’s 10-year strategic plan, told his staff and the MUL Board of Directors that he greatly appreciated the opportunity to work for the most important organization he’s ever been a part of and with some of the most dedicated social service professionals in the nonprofit sector. Hightower is proud of his tenure with the Urban League, noting that ten years ago, when first charged with implementing a strategic plan that called for the League to launch the first capital campaign in its history, he was determined to carry it out with distinction. The outcome was the construction of the Glover Sudduth Center for Economic Development and Urban Affairs on the north side, and the Sharon Sayles Belton Community Services Center on the south side. Both new centers have created a better atmosphere for staff, program participants, and the community.
Hightower helped the organization to restructure internally, which created a stronger focus on marketing. As a result, the Urban League is marketed in a way that it had not been before. There is now a higher visibility of the work of the Minneapolis Urban League, and the impact that it continues to have on its constituents and the city as a whole.
Just recently Mr. Hightower worked with the Board of Directors to complete a new Strategic Plan that will chart the course for the Minneapolis Urban League through December 31, 2011. “Although there is no perfect time, transition gives us the opportunity to change and grow. I will be leaving an organization that is sound and has a clear direction for its future,” says Hightower.
Hightower met this morning (June 24, 2008) with the League’s Executive Committee to thank them for their support over the years. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Chair Clayton Tyler offered the following statement: “The Board of Directors is deeply saddened by the resignation of Clarence Hightower. He has been an able steward of the Urban League for the past 10 years and has achieved many great accomplishments, among them an outstandingly successful capital campaign.” Vice Chair Cathy Wassberg stated: “The skills and energy that Clarence Hightower brought to the Minneapolis Urban League have been a tremendous asset and contributed immeasurably to our status as a premier service and advocacy organization. We wish him well in this next chapter of his life.” Tyler added that the Board will look forward to working with Mr. Hightower in the transition as they begin the task of identifying a new President/CEO.
Hightower will leave the Minneapolis Urban League after July 31 to assume the position of Executive Director with the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties.
It’s Offical, Minneapolis Urban League President/CEO is Leaving
Offical Release provided by Lisa Bryant, Director of Communications/PR MUL
MINNEAPOLIS, June 24, 2008 — Ten years after taking over the position of President/CEO of the Minneapolis Urban League, Clarence Hightower today announced his resignation. Hightower will leave the Minneapolis Urban League after July 31 to assume the position of Executive Director with the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties.
Hightower, who had indicated his intention to explore his options after completing the agency’s 10-year strategic plan, told his staff and the MUL Board of Directors that he greatly appreciated the opportunity to work for the most important organization he’s ever been a part of and with some of the most dedicated social service professionals in the nonprofit sector. Hightower is proud of his tenure with the Urban League, noting that ten years ago, when first charged with implementing a strategic plan that called for the League to launch the first capital campaign in its history, he was determined to carry it out with distinction. The outcome was the construction of the Glover Sudduth Center for Economic Development and Urban Affairs on the north side, and the Sharon Sayles Belton Community Services Center on the south side. Both new centers have created a better atmosphere for staff, program participants, and the community.
Hightower helped the organization to restructure internally, which created a stronger focus on marketing. As a result, the Urban League is marketed in a way that it had not been before. There is now a higher visibility of the work of the Minneapolis Urban League, and the impact that it continues to have on its constituents and the city as a whole.
Just recently Mr. Hightower worked with the Board of Directors to complete a new Strategic Plan that will chart the course for the Minneapolis Urban League through December 31, 2011. “Although there is no perfect time, transition gives us the opportunity to change and grow. I will be leaving an organization that is sound and has a clear direction for its future,” says Hightower.
Hightower met this morning with the League’s Executive Committee to thank them for their support over the years. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Chair Clayton Tyler offered the following statement: “The Board of Directors is deeply saddened by the resignation of Clarence Hightower. He has been an able steward of the Urban League for the past 10 years and has achieved many great accomplishments, among them an outstandingly successful capital campaign.” Vice Chair Cathy Wassberg stated: “The skills and energy that Clarence Hightower brought to the Minneapolis Urban League have been a tremendous asset and contributed immeasurably to our status as a premier service and advocacy organization. We wish him well in this next chapter of his life.” Tyler added that the Board will look forward to working with Mr. Hightower in the transition as they begin the task of identifying a new President/CEO.
Breaking News…Minneapolis Urban League President Clarence Hightower Resigns!
Breaking News…Minneapolis, MN. June 24, 2008 - In a shocking turn of events Minneapolis Urban League President/CEO Mr. Clarence Hightower resigned from the Minneapolis Urban League as its President/CEO. Details are not known why the local icon has decided to leave his post at the Minneapolis Urban League.
As details are forwarded to us we will keep you informed.
Minneapolis Urban Laegue Presents “Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day” Friday, June 20, 2008
Join the Minneapolis Urban League for an evening of information about Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education, featuring Mr. Robert Samuels, the first African American Vice President of a Major Bank in the United States and Prostate Cancer Survivor, Advocate and Educator. June 20, 2008 from 4:30-6 p.m. in the lower level of the Minneapolis Urban League located at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North.
The following article is By Tom Valeo, Special to the Times
Published February 26, 2008 in the St. Petersburg Times.
Screenings designed to save men’s lives
A retired banker sets up free annual tests for prostate cancer and other diseases.
TAMPA - As a banking executive and then into retirement, Robert Samuels received a first-class physical every year.
Yet, in 1994, just four months after a thorough workup, he discovered he had prostate cancer. He was unsure if he had received a prostate cancer screening.
“I was 56 at the time, and I had no symptoms,” Samuels said. “A colleague mentioned that he had just been screened for prostate cancer, and I called my doctor back and asked, ‘Did you test me?’ ”
He went in for the prostate-specific antigen test and found that his level was 47. Normal is between 0 and 4.
Samuels was successfully treated, but he has become an advocate for prostate cancer screening, especially for African-American men. According to the American Cancer Society, the prostate cancer death rate for African-American men is more than twice that of white men.
To encourage men to get tested, Samuels created the Florida Prostate Cancer Network.
“The first year, 750 men showed up,” Samuels said. “In the seven years we’ve been doing this, 10,000 men have been screened.”
And since access to medical care is a big reason why many people don’t get screened for the disease, the forum also provides “safety nets,” as Samuels calls them.
“We invite the VA Veterans Affairs to participate, and people from Medicare and the county’s indigent health care program,” Samuels said.
In addition, the hospitals that conduct the screenings - St. Joseph’s, Tampa General and Moffitt - will help people find a way to get medical care no matter what their financial status.
Brian Rivers, executive director of the FPCN, has conducted research aimed at determining what prevents men from undergoing prostate cancer screening and seeking treatment.
“I think the biggest factor is lack of awareness and knowledge,” Rivers said. “One of the principle barriers to screening is that men just aren’t aware of their risk. There also are policy barriers, such as lack of insurance and lack of access to health care.”
The unpleasantness of getting tested, however, does not seem to be a big deterrent.
“Those who have been through it may talk about the discomfort of a digital rectal exam,” Rivers said, “but men are willing to endure one or two minutes of discomfort. Education is the key. Education is what generates increased awareness and empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their health.”
“1st Annual Minneapolis Urban League’s Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day”
On June 20, 2008 at the Minneapolis Urban League, the MUL Social Wellness Cluster and MUL President Mr. Clarence Hightower welcome world renowned Prostate Cancer National Spokesperson Mr. Robert Samuels to the Minneapolis Urban League for the “1st Annual Minneapolis Urban League’s Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day.” This event will take place in the lower level of the Minneapolis Urban League from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
The event will be a light variety of food and beverages catered by the Twin Cities #1 healthy catering company - “Lisa Anderson catering”, www.lacateringmpls.com.
We encourage all men in the Twin Cities to come out and hear what Mr. Samuels has to say, the life his saves with important information could be yours. For more information contact the Minneapolis Urban League at (612) 986-0010.
