From April 10-16, acts of kindness and interfaith dialogue will be in the spotlight during the fourth annual SevenDays Make a Ripple, Change the World.
SevenDays is an effort to embrace diversity across races, religions and cultures to overcoming tragedy produced by hatred, bigotry and ignorance. It was created following the murders of Dr. William L. Corporon, his grandson Reat Underwood and Teresa LaManno outside of Jewish facilities in April 2014. A white supremacist was convicted of their murders.
Sponsored by the Faith Always Wins Foundation and LaManno-Hastings Family Foundation in partnership with several organizations, SevenDays promotes interfaith dialogue by engaging all people to discover commonalities and overcome evil with acts of kindness. Everyone has the power to make a ripple and change the world.
There are a number of strong Jewish connections to this year’s SevenDays. Beginning with Friday, April 6, SevenDays will host a gathering at BicMedia, 2130 Washington, featuring the art work of local artists including Jewish community members Greg Azorsky and Gloria Bakker Feinstein. With the theme of love, Day One is Tuesday, April 10, featuring an awards celebration and interfaith panel at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park. The 6:30 p.m. event begins with the announcement of the student winners of the SevenDays songwriting and essay writing competitions. The songwriting finalists will also perform their pieces.
In addition, button design winners will be recognized including Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy student Gabbie Granoff.
Following the award presentations is a program titled “A rabbi, an imam, and an evangelical minister walk into a bar…,” a panel discussion including B’nai Jehudah Senior Rabbi Art Nemitoff and visiting clergy Pastor Bob Roberts, senior pastor of Northwood Church near Dallas; Imam Mohammed Magid of All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) in Sterling, Virginia; and Imam Bilal Mohammed of the Al Inshirah Islamic Center.
The panel discussion is based upon a program called “My Neighbor’s Keeper” that is spearheaded by Pastor Roberts, Imam Mohammed Magid, and Rabbi David Saperstein, who recently served as United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Through this program they have brought rabbis, imams and evangelical ministers together in Abu Dhabi, Morocco, and most recently Washington, D.C., to build bridges and establish triad partnerships to increase love and support for all faiths, working to dispel myths and misconceptions, and developing strong relationships to fight hatred whenever and wherever it arises.
The Community Blood Center has partnered with SevenDays for a weeklong blood drive. On Wednesday, April 11, Day Two-Discover, the University of Kansas Hillel is hosting a SevenDays blood drive from 1-6 p.m. on the Donor Bus just outside of Hillel’s location at 729 New Hampshire, in Lawrence. On Thursday, April 12, Day Three-Others, several Jewish organizations are hosting a drive at the Jewish Community Campus from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Jewish organizations supporting the drive include the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Services, Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee, Menorah Heritage Foundation and the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education. To register to donate, visit www.savealifenow.org and use the code word SEVENDAYS.
Day Four-Connect takes place Friday, April 13, with a Holocaust connection; it also coincides with the anniversary of the shootings. Journalist and author Yvette Manessis Corporon will share her story researching and writing her most recent book, “Something Beautiful Happened,” during a pre-Shabbat luncheon (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at Congregation Beth Torah. The author is a cousin to Dr. Corporon and Reat. (See related story Page 5)
Yvette Corporon’s book shares the tale of her family’s bravery in hiding a Jewish family on a tiny Greek island during the Holocaust and her search to find their descendants. The luncheon will also honor the lives of Reat, Dr. Corporon and Terri LaManno as well as those lost during the Holocaust in conjunction with Yom HaShoah. Seating is limited; reservations can be made for the luncheon through givesevendays.org; the luncheon offerings follow kosher and halal dietary guidelines.
A number of members of the Jewish community are deeply involved with SevenDays this year including Alana Muller, Felice Azorsky, Ruth Baum Bigus, Lori Samazin, David Epstein as well as high school students Jack Reeves and Nathan Safir, who serve on the youth board.
SevenDays concludes with the Faith Love & Walk Monday, April 16, at the National World War I Museum and Memorial. A number of charities will be featured at pre-walk festivities including Jewish Family Services and the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education.
While the majority of events are free of charge, pre-registration is requested at www.givesevenday.org. For the Faith, Love & Walk, there is a $10 registration fee for adults and children over the age of 6; preregistered participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt. The day of the walk, the walk fee is $15.
Community groups and organizations are invited to create their own ways to participate and share their activities through SevenDays social media sites using #givesevendays and #betheripple. Additional information about the themes, activities and sponsored events will be continuously updated on the SevenDays website.
The Faith Always Wins Foundation and The LaManno-Hastings Family Foundation are equal beneficiaries of net proceeds and donations of SevenDays to continue this important work. Donations are tax deductible.
For more information about SevenDays, contact Ruth Baum Bigus, 913-707-7746 or at . Additional information is also available at www.givesevendays.org.