Dear Mattie Rhodes Supporter,
There is a lot of exciting news coming from Mattie Rhodes Center! This year marks our 115th anniversary and we'll have several special events to celebrate. We are also celebrating the ten year anniversary of the Mattie Rhodes Art Gallery this year, with a special exhibit featuring artwork from many of the artists who have shown at the gallery in the past ten years. While the economy continues to be the big story this spring, we are grateful to our dedicated supporters who are helping us weather this storm and continue to provide social, mental health and arts services to our clients. We are proud to announce that Mattie Rhodes Center is now accepting donations online: through the Donation Page on our website and the link in this email. We have also unveiled a new comprehensive Marketing Booklet detailing our programs. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to serving the community well into this century and beyond.
Sincerely,
John Fierro
|
|
Mayors' Prayer Breakfast |
Mattie Rhodes Center has been chosen as the fund recipient of the annual Mayors' Prayer Breakfast, which brings together more than 100 local city  mayors, emphasizing ethics, morality and spirituality in business, labor, the professions and government. At the breakfast held February 18, 2009 Mattie Rhodes Center was honored as the fund recipient and we will use this funding to support comprehensive youth and family services. We are grateful for this honor and would like to thank the Committee for the Mayors' Prayer Breakfast and all those involved.
|
|
Community Conversations Series |
|
Mattie Rhodes Center launched our new Community Conversations series with "A Cultural Approach to Family Violence: Addressing Men's Healing Through Balance and Responsibility," on Tuesday, May 26. Dr. Ricardo Carrillo, author of Family Violence and Men of Color: Healing the Wounded Male Spirit, spoke at the community luncheon, bringing a culturally sensitive perspective to a very difficult topic. The luncheon was held at Southeast Community Center and was co-sponsored by El Centro Inc., Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) and Midwest Christian Counseling Center. Be on the lookout for our next Community Conversations event! |
| 10th Anniversary of Mattie Rhodes Art Gallery |
|
Mattie Rhodes Art Gallery was established in 1999 to provide emerging and established Latino artists a venue in which to display their artwork, as well as a place for the community to celebrate and learn about Latino culture through the visual arts. We continue to invite all artists to exhibit works that explore themes important to the Latino culture and bring together many cultures within our community, featuring the work of local, national and international artists.
The Cultural Composite: 10 Years of the Mattie Rhodes Art Gallery show is up May 1-June 13, featuring artwork from many of the artists who have shown in the gallery in the past ten years. First Friday May 1, 2009 we celebrated with an anniversary party with food, drinks, a poetry reading, music and dancing. Join us again for First Friday on June 5, 2009 to celebrate our history of great art and culture!
|
|
MRC Staff Member Honored |
|
Sonia Medellin, Case Manager at Mattie Rhodes Center, has been honored with the 2009 Tiera Farrow Award through UMKC. The Tiera Farrow Award recognizes Distinguished Leadership & Community Involvement Enhancing the Lives of Women. The award is named after Mary Tiera Farrow (1880-1971) who was a prominent lawyer, started the first firm of female lawyers in Kansas City and founded the Women's Bar Association of Kansas City. Sonia Medellin has demonstrated a strong commitment to women in Kansas City and the award recognizes her dedication and hard work within women's issues. We are proud of the great work that Sonia has done for our community.
|
| Summer Art Camps |
 Spring Art Camp in March was a success and now we're looking forward to the 11th year of Summer Art Camps! Children ages 5-12 are invited to attend week-long camps offering several areas of art instruction: Ceramics, Fiber/Craft, Cultural Art, Mixed Media and Printmaking/Photography. For dates and to reserve your spot, call (816) 221-2349, visit our Summer Camp webpage or download a registration form. We also have online registration this year for your convenience! (Please be sure to still mail in a registration form.) A limited number of scholarships are available.
|
|
Día de la Familia / Day of the Family |
|
 On Sunday, April 19, 2009 Mattie Rhodes Center held a successful family-oriented community event at our center in Northeast Kansas City. Día de la Familia ("Day of the Family") brought together families for food, games, entertainment and a day of fun. Approximately 250 people participated in this free community-wide event. Families spent time together, got to know other community members and learned about the resources available to them in their own neighborhood. Día de la Familia was not just an event for the community; it was an event put on by the community! |
|
Save the Dates |
To celebrate our 115th anniversary and showcase the arts, we having two special events this year!
AUGUST RECEPTION: The evening of Wednesday, August 26, 2009 we will hold a reception celebrating our Latino cultural arts programming and highlighting the Hand-in-Hand Collection, one of the Midwest's most extensive folk art collections.
NOVEMBER LUNCHEON: On Thursday, November 12, 2009 we are hosting a luncheon celebrating our history and our 115th Anniversary at the Marriott Hotel downtown. Join us as we remember Mattie Rhodes and honor the agency's 115 years of service to the Kansas City community.
Be sure to mark your calendars for both of these events!
|
|
Art Collection Storage and Exhibition Space |
|
We are pleased to announce that we now have a permanent storage and exhibition space for the beautiful and diverse Hand-in-Hand Folk Art Collection, gifted to Mattie Rhodes Center in 2007. We now have a storage and exhibition space for this collection within the "pARTnership Place" building owned by UMB at 906 Grand Blvd. Our goal is to serve as an educational resource area to accomodate art activities and fieldtrip groups next year.
| |
|
|
|
| Mattie Rhodes |
|
 |
Mattie Florence Rhodes was only 19 when she died of typhoid fever in 1894, leaving $500 to her church group, the Little Gleaners. They founded the Mattie Rhodes Memorial Society with this pledge: "I promise to do all I can to help the needy and suffering by working for them, learning about them, giving for them, and trying to interest others in them."
|
| Who We Are |
|
Mission
Mattie Rhodes Center bridges cultures and communities through arts, mental health and social services. We empower individuals and families through culturally competent, bilingual services in a respectful and compassionate environment.
Vision
We envision a community where individuals and families reach their full potential in a healthy, safe and creative environment. Mattie Rhodes Center is a Midwest leader on Latino issues and cultural competency.
| |
| Search and Benefit |
Did you know what just by searching the Internet you can raise money for Mattie Rhodes Center? Every time you perform a search using GoodSearch with Mattie Rhodes Center selected as your charity of choice, you're donating about a penny to us.
GoodSearch is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue to nonprofits and schools. Simply go to the site, select Mattie Rhodes Center as the charity you want to support and start searching!
|
| Send a Child to Camp |
Want to help send a child to Mattie Rhodes Summer Art Camp? Donations made through Camps For Kids will be matched dollar for dollar by a community fund. Donate (up to $1,500) until July 31, 2009 through Camps for Kids and designate your donation to Mattie Rhodes Center to help send a child to camp!
| |
|
