OLMSTED 2022 Celebrating 200 Years of Parks, Conservation, Public Health and Social Justice Gerry Wright, Founder, Coordinator, Co-Chair National Advisory Committee Betsy Shure Gross, Co-Chair National Advisory Committee Sarah Freeman, Co-Chair Olmsted 2022 Massachusetts 617-524-7070 + FrederickLawOlmsted@yahoo.com P.O. Box 300040, Boston, MA 02130 A program of Community Service Care, Inc., a non-profit, tax exempt organization "Let it be not for present use and delight alone, but let it be of such a work that our descendants will thank us for it." Frederick Law Olmsted Honor Olmsted's Bicentennial with us! April 26, 2022, 6:30 PM, Free Jamaica Pond, Boston 2022 is the year Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture and creator of the Emerald Necklace, turns 200. Join us on Tuesday, April 26, as we celebrate his bicentennial at the Jamaica Pond Boathouse with treats, toasts and local legend Gerry Wright portraying the man himself! Coming together for this momentous occasion, we will honor neighborhood leaders in parks access and advocacy with organizing partners Olmsted 2022.  Lovers of green space, community wellness and local history will not want to miss this event, plus grab your own slice of birthday cake! Gerry Wright, founder of Olmsted 2022, will recognize local partners at the birthday event for their outstanding support of the community and public space: Kent Jackson, Director of Education, Emerald Necklace Conservancy Kent is an experienced program administrator and a seasoned educator who has successfully created, developed, directed, facilitated and evaluated environmental education, nature connect and leadership programs for more than 20 years. Kent has previously worked with The Appalachian Mountain Club, Eagle Eye Institute, The Trustees of Reservations and the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. Patrice Kish, Chief of Design and Engineering, Department of Conservation and Recreation Patrice Kish has been involved in preserving Massachusetts’ significant cultural resources from Boston to the Berkshires for over 30 years.  She began her career in preservation when she joined the Department of Environmental Management, now the Department of Conservation and  Recreation (DCR) in 1987 as staff for the Olmsted Program, the nation’s first statewide program to restore public landscapes designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and his firm. Carol Miranda, Director, Community Connections Coalition/Tree of Life/Arbol de Vida Carol focuses her time to anti-poverty initiatives. Carol works with low income families in the community providing family support, community engagement and school readiness. In addition, Carol’s program provides a weekly mother’s support group, a father’s support group, and grandparents raising grandchildren groups. Carol also created The Family Exchange Boutique, a physical space located inside of the Mildred C. Hailey Development, which offers free, gently used, household items and clothing. Carol engages families and connects them with opportunities and resources in collaboration with other community partners. Carol Miranda graduated from Springfield College with a Bachelor's Degree in human Services. Corey Stallings, Program Director, South Street Youth Center Corey Stallings joined the South Street Youth Center (SSYC) as Program Director in February 2015 with 20 years’ experience in youth development, program management and fundraising. At SSYC Corey developed the South Street Clubhouse. He secured funding for an up-to-date computer-learning lab and reinforced skills development by engaging Youth Leaders as peer educators. He creates innovative digital media programs that engage students intellectually and artistically while providing a platform for exploring individual artistic visions as well as issues of racial, economic, and social justice. He collaborates with business and community leaders to create entrepreneurial opportunities for SSYC youth. South Street Youth Center’s programs include: entrepreneurship, photography, graphic design, video production, audio engineering, culinary arts, general arts, college prep and tours (nationally), health equity and social justice, annual 5k Fun Run, and Girl Scouts. Corey is also on Boston Children's Hospital Collaboration for Community selection committee. Awards include Adobe Lead Educator, Olmstead Healthy Community Award (Friends of Jamaica Pond), Community Service Award (William B. Evans, Boston Police Commissioner), and Community Service Award (Boston City Councilor Matt O’Malley). Corey sits on the board of The Centre for Faith, Arts, & Justice, as well as Community Service Care Inc. Performance Award-winning storyteller and JP resident Diane Edgecomb along with Celtic harper Margot Chamberlain will open Olmstead’s 200th birthday party with a story and music entertainment created for this special event. Well known locally for their annual Story and Music journey, Edgecomb and Chamberlain tour throughout the US with their unique blend of story, music and song. For Olmstead 2022, this delightful program weaves a Shaker Hymn celebrating the healing power of nature with a native Iroquois creation myth on how this land – Turtle Island – came to be, a vocalized/sung poem of sunrise is then complemented by a beloved Ukrainian folktale and melody adapted to include iconic nature elements of the Emerald Necklace celebrating this living community of nature and people. The Ukrainian folktale, The Mitten, was specially chosen for this 200-year birthday celebration of Frederick Law Olmstead to honor the difficult times we live in as well as to honor Gerry Wright, long-time interpreter of Olmstead’s visionary life. Gerry’s long and important history with the Ukrainian people includes helping to establish the Boston/Kyiv Sister City Association which focused on the wonderful parks in both cities. Learn more about Diane Edgecomb: www.livingmyth.com Celebrating the 198th Birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted Click on image to view the video or click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnZ2NIQVi_Y Since 2010, Gerry Wright and members of Community Service Care (CSC), Inc. have been working on programming to honor the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture. This video was created to celebrate what would have been his 198th birthday in anticipation of his 200th birthday on April 26, 2022.  Olmsted 2022 is a program under CSC aimed at protecting and preserving our parks and public spaces. Olmsted Birthday Party Postponed, But Project Plans Move Forward by Lauren Bennett • May 8, 2020 http://jamaicaplaingazette.com/2020/05/08/olmsted-birthday-party-postponed-but-project-plans-move-forward/ Follow Fred! Frederick Law Olmsted's Blog: Stories at Sunrise on Jamaica Pond: www.dispatchesfromOlmsted.org Mosaic of Frederick Law Olmsted composed of an entire year of sunrise pictures of Jamaica Pond: Frederick Law Olmsted Past Apearances 2015 National Parks and Historic Sites Tour inspired by the visionary Frederick Law Olmsted. The tour culminated with a  presentation of the 1865 Olmsted Report on the Yosemite and Mariposa Grove at the Yosemite National Park. Olmsted National Historic Site, New York State House, Niagara Falls   Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Lincoln House National Historic Site (Click on images or text for Dispatches) These posts came directly from Gerry himself as he visited National Parks and Historic Sites inspired by the visionary Frederick Law Olmsted. The passage culminated with a  presentation of the 1865 Olmsted Report on the Yosemite and Mariposa Grove at the Yosemite National Park. August 9, 2015 Yosemite Theater Yosemite National Park http://www.yosemitepark.com/live-theater.aspx http://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/yosemite-theater (Click on Images for Larger Version of Play Program or Click HERE for printable PDF) Niagara Falls Public Library July 18, 2015, 1 PM http://www.niagarafallspubliclib.org/ Milton Historical Society May 21, 2015; 7 PM Neighborhood Club of Quincy http://www.miltonhistoricalsociety.org/ Support Olmsted 2022 By Mail with Card (Click on Image to Print) Or Online at PayPal FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED:  Passages in the Life of an Unpractical Man one-man play by Gerry Wright Gerry Wright has researched, written and produced a one-man show honoring the life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture. The play provides insights into Olmsted's passionate vision as he played critical roles in the dynamics of slavery as a writer, Executive Secretary of the U.S. Sanitary Commission in the Civil War, and as the landscape architect for New York City's Central Park, Boston's Emerald Necklace, the US Capitol grounds, along with multiple plans for colleges, communities and private estates.  Olmsted was a key pioneer in the movement to preserve land as national parkland, both at Yosemite and Niagara Falls. Olmsted's life story, from "vagabond," to dry goods salesman, sailor, traveler, journalist, author, publisher, executive (including a goldmine in California), to becoming the father of landscape architecture in America is both inspiring as history and reason for continued commitment in the 21st century. The Olmsted play has been presented at the Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline, Boston’s 375th Anniversary Parade, Brookline’s 350th Anniversary Celebration, plus numerous communities of the Commonwealth; along with performances in Volgoda, Russia; in New York City for the 150 year anniversary of the legislation for Central Park; Olmsted Parks Conservancy in Louisville, Kentucky; and in Asheville, North Carolina. Expanded Program Details, Videos, Photographs, Reviews  HERE Performance at Maryland Humanities Council "Chautauqua" in July 2010 "Beyond Boundaries" by Gerry Wright as Frederick Law Olmsted at Germantown Campus of Montgomery College Video on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r97ljW26EtQ Video clip excerpts from performance at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline on August 31, 2003. DVD high resolution versions of the entire performance available upon request.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU-GzAaztiI Gerry Wright Telephone: 617-524-7070 Email: FrederickLawOlmsted@yahoo.com