Contest to Camp CURE Campaign Opens Friday March 13 at Planet Havana

March 2009 (Trenton, NJ) "What does the election of not only America’s first Black president, but our country’s first “green” president mean to you and your future” is the question We Are BOOST is asking Trenton school-aged children and young adults to think about and submit their responses in the form of art, poetry, and prose in the month of April. We Are Building Open Opportunity Structures Together, a Trenton-based group dedicated to empowering everyday citizen with “green” technology information, will launch an innovative and highly collaborative initiative this week and host a community awards dinner and ceremony next month, all in order to highlight programs, policies and practices that are transforming the structure of opportunity in America.

Contest to Camp CURE 2009, as the initiative is being billed, will launch on Friday, March 13 from 5pm until 7pm at Planet Havana located at 449 South Broad Street in Trenton's arena district. Contest details including applications, guidelines, award types, and time-lines will be unveiled along with a full Cuban buffet dinner. Special presentations by Rein Triefeldt, who will discuss his kinetic solar sculpture and Lydia Chambers of Back2Tap will highlight the event. Donation is $18 per-per to attend with a portion of all proceeds going to support the Campaign. Please RSVP at (206) 202-2883 or cure@weareboost.org.

“With budget cuts in the City Trenton impacting its libraries, education system and community centers, we feel it is vitally important to address these challenges by turning them into opportunities for people to think creatively, act collaboratively, and begin to develop the programs, policies and practices that will ultimately lead to new and highly rewarding job, career, housing, business, and entrepreneurial opportunities” says Tim Razzaq, founder to BOOST and the lead organizer of the Campaign.

Razzaq says the contest is the natural outgrowth of his organization’s work in the field of educating for sustainability, recent youth poetry contest, and President Barack Obama’s call for community service and his agenda to fight global warming by reducing the carbon emissions. They will be holding a series of events awards ceremonies over the course of the next few months. “The entire process is designed to stimulate thought, discussion and action amongst the City’s young people around the issues of art in education, educating for sustainability, and individual commitment to community service.”

The second rallying point for the initiative will be the group’s first annual Allies of Humanity awards dinner and ceremony on Friday, April 17 from 5pm until 7pm at Planet Havana. David Valdes of the Latino Community Land Trust, Amefika Sababu of Amefika's Restaurant in Trenton, Eric Maywar and Laurice Reynolds of Classics Used and Rare Book, Anastasia Harrison of Wesketch Architecture and Design, Father Brian McCormick of Martin House, music instructor Ted Plunckett of Trenton Central High School, and National Academy fellow and Mercer County Community College Professor Mel Leipzig. Details about the awards can be found at http://www.weareboost.org/.

We Are BOOST is a creative community solutions organization that develops and utilizes innovative and customized strategies to build structured relationships between people, organizations, businesses, institutions, and agencies that lead to beneficial social, economic and educational outcomes and opportunities in under-served communities and emerging neighborhoods and market. More information about the BOOST can be found at their web site, http://www.weareboost.org/.

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C.U.R.E., or Career Paths in Urban Revitalization through Education, will be a realistic, engaging, and academically challenging community-based, web-supported, and socially interactive program in which students learn the roles, issues, trade-offs, and economics involved in being a productive citizen-leader and life-long learner in a shifting and ever-demanding urban environment. Full programming is slated to begin this summer and last year-round. More details will be announcement in May of 2009.

The jurists for the Youth Contest will be Julian Kernes (Graphic Artist and proprietor of JKE graphics), Laurie Triefeldt (Author of World of Wonder children's book series), Harold Fleming (Trenton Society of Friends) RAHZII (Poet, performing artist & da Humble Lion of da Concrete Jungle), Professor Alvyn Haywood (Human Empowerment Communication Inc.) and Mel Leipzig (MCC College Professor in 2007, elected into the prestigious NATIONAL ACADEMY), Amini K. Sababu (Founder of Positive Black Images CONNECT), and Kienna Childs Alexander (Third Vice President of the Trenton Chapter of the NAACP).

Rein Triefeldt (http://www.triefeldt.com/) is thought to be the first kinetic sculptor to make use of solar panels in order to create motion in his sculpture. Triefeldt has specialized in kinetic sculpture since 1986. The art focuses on the rich but largely uncharted realms of light, rhythm, balance and motion. The interactive and playful elements of Triefeldt’s work make it a popular choice for art and science museums, public parks and gardens. His commissioned public art can be found in many collections around the world.

Back2Tap’s (http://www.back2tap.com/) mission is to reduce the waste generated from the production and distribution of bottled water and water-based products in disposable plastic bottles. Their mission has four main components:

· Increase public awareness about the tremendous waste of natural resources associated with disposable bottles and cups;

· Import and sell reusable stainless steel bottles;

· Partner with companies that provide tap water, water filters, filtered tap water dispensers and drink concentrate products; and

· Increase awareness about the global water crisis and fund projects that bring clean water to areas in need