Youth Make Postcards of Hope in Remembrance of Virginia Tech Tragedy


Washington, DC– Postcards from Katrina, a program of Creative Cause, Inc. was awarded the Capitol One Youth Service Fund grant to launch ‘Plant Hope in the City’ –a youth-led civic engagement campaign using the arts to address youth violence and mental health for National & Global Youth Service Day, April 20-22, 2007. The pilot initiative is supported by Youth Service America, Capital One Financial Corporation, Serve DC, and the Freddie Mac Foundation to engage youth in service-learning throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area.


On April 21, 2007 nearly 50 youth and area college students will demonstrate service through the arts by using poetry to promote volunteerism as a healthy option to risky behaviors such as youth violence. In addition they will make postcards and posters in remembrance of the victims of Hurricane Katrina and of Virginia Tech community impacted by the events of April 16th.


Through the arts and writing, students will learn how to use creativity to inspire and provide healthy choices to inspire people to make a difference in their community. Through a ‘Plant Hope’ Idol contest, the winning artwork and poetry will become a part of the Plant Hope campaign to promote community service to address youth violence and promote mental health. Also the youth will send framed artwork as a gift donation to Virginia Tech.


Led by ‘Plant Hope’ youth ambassador, 22-year old Joe Smith, a native of Mississippi and Howard graduate, will kick off at 9.a.m. the pilot initiative in the library at McKinley Technology High School located at 151 T Street, NE, Washington, DC. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. of Ward 5 have been invited.


“Given the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, youth can learn how to illustrate how to plant hope in their community through art which is a powerful educational tool and recognize how they can make poetry or rap with a purpose and inspire hope for a better tomorrow,” said an Oklahoma native, Tambra Stevenson, Founder/Executive Director of Creative Cause and creator of Postcards from Katrina with family in the Gulf region.


“Today marks the anniversary of the Columbine tragedy and now Hokie Hope for Virginia Tech. Yesterday was the Oklahoma City bombing anniversary which my father, a retired Oklahoma City firefighter who volunteered and who died this month in a tragic accident. He embodied the mission of Plant HOPE which means helping other people every day through his community service. That’s why I created www.planthope.org.There is no other time but now when we need to plant hope in our communities.”


This community event is free and open to the public. Also in celebration of Earth Day at 1:30pm they will participate in a community park beautification project and cookout at the Crispus Attucks park located in the Bloomingdale section of northwest DC. Interested youth or groups who wish to attend this free event should visit the website: www.postcardsfromkatrina.com or email info@postcardsfromkatrina.com for more information.


Based in Washington, DC, Creative Cause is a nonprofit social enterprise that develops educational campaigns to inform, inspire and engage youth and the next generation of socially responsible leaders in the creative industry to use their talents to bring awareness and action on issues such as public health, human rights, educational, and environment to make a positive impact in their communities through arts and service. Best known for its nationally recognized Postcards from Katrina TM project and most recently the Plant Hope TM initiative, you can learn more visit www.creativecause.org.

National & Global Youth Service Day, the largest service event in the world, mobilizes youth to identify and address the needs of their communities through service-learning and community service. The event is organized by Youth Service America (YSA) with the support of State Farm Companies Foundation as the Presenting Sponsor. More than 115 National Partners and 51 Lead Agencies throughout the United States organize projects. Overseas, National Lead Agencies in 118 countries around the world manage international events. Planning Tool Kits, Service-Learning Curriculum Guides, classroom posters, grants, and more are available for youth, parents, teachers, and organizations. For the U.S. Map of Service Projects for National & Global Youth Service Day 2007: www.YSA.org/map.

Youth Service America is a national nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people ages 5-25, to serve locally, nationally, and globally. Founded in 1986, Youth Service America’s mission is to expand the impact of the youth service movement with communities, schools, corporations, and governments. In addition to National & Global Youth Service Day, which take place concurrently each April, YSA also hosts SERVEnet (www.SERVEnet.org), providing the largest database of volunteer opportunities in America. For more information: www.YSA.org.