NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 7, 2025

Contact: Melissa Bunker (586) 219-0094
marketwrite@comcast.net

Pro Musica of Detroit Presents the Detroit Opera Resident Artists

Vocal artistry and operatic brilliance by five emerging artists
Continue Pro Musica’s tradition of presenting musical excellence

DETROIT (January 7, 2025) – Opening its 99th year presenting music of excellence and a roster of the world’s acclaimed and emerging artists to Michigan audiences, Pro Musica of Detroit is honored to present the Detroit Opera Resident Artists on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. The concert stars five talented voices from the Detroit Opera in a matinee performance that features favorite arias from history’s greatest operas.

Pro Musica of Detroit presents the Detroit Opera Resident Artists will be held at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. The concert program begins at 2 p.m. The Pro Musica Concert program will include some of opera’s most beloved arias and ensembles from iconic composers such as Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Cilea, Handel and more. All members of the audience also are invited to enjoy an Afterglow with the artists following the concert.

The Detroit Opera Resident Artists are a stellar lineup of talent. The ensemble includes soprano Brianna J. Robinson, mezzo-soprano Kendra Faith Beasley, tenor River Guard, baritone Cole Bellamy, and bass-baritone Cameron Rolling. These emerging professional voices of classical opera are developing their remarkable talents under the tutelage of the Detroit Opera.

Led by renowned opera coach and pianist Nathalie Doucet, the Resident Artist Program builds on the strong foundations of the Studio Artist program founded by the late Dr. David DiChiera, founder of Michigan Opera Theatre, now Detroit Opera.

Concert tickets are $40 (plus $1.50 handling charge) for regular admission. Student tickets are $5 each (plus $1.50 handling charge). Season series (three concerts) are $100 each. For reservations and complete details, visit promusicadetroit.com.

Additional Pro Musica of Detroit concerts this season include internationally acclaimed pianist Charlie Albright, who will perform in concert on Sunday, March 23, 2025, at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Guitarist Adam Levin and Mandolinist Jacob Reuvent will perform in concert Sunday, June 8, 2025, at Most Holy Trinity Church in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood.

To purchase tickets and to learn more about Pro Musica’s upcoming concerts, please visit promusicadetroit.com.

About Pro Musica of Detroit

Now in its 99th season, Pro Musica of Detroit continues its tradition of presenting music of excellence, performed by some of the most gifted artists in the world. In 1926, our first season,
Béla Bartók delivered a ten-minute talk and a piano recital of his music. Maurice Ravel played solo piano pieces, accompanied a singer performing his songs and directed an ensemble of musicians from the Detroit Symphony in his Introduction and Allegro.

The second season brought Ottorino Respighi and Arthur Honegger, the third Alexander Tansman and Sergei Prokofiev and then Dr. Ernst Toch. Future seasons were to see Aaron Copland, Henry Cowell, Paul Hindemith, Nadia Boulanger, Francis Poulenc, and Darius Milhaud. In recent seasons more American composers have appeared including George Crumb, Ned Rorem, Michael Daugherty, and William Bolcom.

These artists set a standard and a tradition that the officers and members of Pro Musica have been dedicated to maintaining for nearly a century. The 48 composers and hundreds of artists appearing for this unique concert society have ranked consistently among the finest in the world.

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Attached: Detroit Opera Resident Artists
Photo Credit: Austin Richey/Detroit Opera
Starting Top Left: Kendra Beasley, Cole Bellamy, Cameron Rolling, Brianna J. Robinson, River Guard

NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Melissa Bunker, (586) 219-0094

Get The Lead Out Detroit Coalition Encourages Testing for
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, Oct. 20-26, 2024

• Lead poisoning is 100% preventable and testing is critical to detect lead poisoning.

• Starting this year, it is the law that all children in Michigan be tested for lead poisoning between 12-months and 24-months of age.

• Exposure to lead hazards in and around the home has a lifetime impact on children – especially for those 6-years and under.

DETROIT, Oct. 15, 2024 – Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition wants all Michigan families to test their children ages 6-and-under for the dangers posed by lead poisoning. Formed to share resources to protect children, families, and individuals from lead poisoning, the Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition recommends testing young children and testing homes for lead.

This week is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (October 20-26, 2024), a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The 2024 theme is “Bright Futures Begin Lead-Free.”

The Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition encourages Detroit families with children six years of age and under to have their children tested every year. Unfortunately, while testing is key to early intervention – only 21% of eligible Detroit children were tested in 2021. More than 1,000 Detroit children tested in 2021 had elevated blood lead levels.

During National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, the Coalition is asking community members to spread the word about the importance of testing and understanding lead poisoning risks by sharing information with friends, community, co-workers, and organizations.

There are many ways to share:

• Invite the Coalition to in person or virtual events
• Share your story with the Coalition about experiences with detection and remediation
• Send friends to the website (https://leadoutdetroit.com/) for information about testing, preventing exposure to lead paint and lead dust, resources for home repairs, and safe cleaning protocols.
• Follow the Coalition on social GetTheLeadOutDetroit on Facebook and leaddetroit on X
• Join the Coalition as a community member or representing an organization.

Lead poisoning and lead contamination are often difficult to detect, especially in the critical early years of a child’s life while the brain is developing. Lead poisoning can result in damage to the brain and nervous system, learning and behavioral problems, slow growth and development, and hearing and speech problems that can afflict them for their entire lives.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed into law two bi-partisan bills to help ensure all the state’s young children can be tested for lead poisoning. Starting in 2024 under Michigan’s new universal blood lead testing laws, all Michigan children must be tested for lead exposure at 12 and 24 months of age (i.e., age 1 and 2). If there is no record of a previous test, children must be tested for lead exposure between age 24 and 72 months (i.e., age 6). Physicians must make sure that the child’s blood lead test results are included in the child’s immunization certificate. Parents/legal guardians may opt out of the testing.

Lead poisoning can be detected by analyzing a single drop of blood. Should that initial test find evidence of lead poisoning, health professionals will draw blood for detailed analysis. In addition to one’s primary care physician, caregivers can contact their doctor or the Detroit Health Department at (313) 876-0133 to make an appointment.

Visitors to the LeadOutDetroit.com website will learn about the dangers of lead and how to protect family members – especially those who are pregnant and children ages 6 and under – two populations who are disproportionately affected by lead poisoning. The site has multiple resources available in English, Spanish and Arabic.

For those living in a home built before 1978, LeadOutDetroit.com connects you to State of Michigan resources to find a certified inspector or risk assessor who can be hired to check the home for lead-based paint or lead hazards. Renters can ask their landlord to have the home or apartment tested or provide renters the previous test results.

About Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition

The Get the Lead Out Detroit Coalition was established with the support of the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation with a purpose of reducing the number of Detroit children poisoned by lead hazards in the home and in soil by identifying and executing strategies to support lead safe kids and lead safe homes for families.

The founding partners include: Building Community Value; CLEARCorps Detroit; Data Driven Detroit; Detroit Future City; Detroit Health Department; City of Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department; Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice; DTE Energy Efficiency Assistance Program; Enterprise Community Partners; the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation; Kids’ Health Connection; Lakeshore Legal Aid; Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – MI Lead Safe; Rocket Community Fund; and Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies – Detroit Lead Advocacy Parent Group/DLEAD.

For more information, members of the public can reach the coalition by email detroitleadcoalition@gmail.com. Members of the news media are invited to contact Melissa Bunker at (586) 219-0094.

MEDIA ADVISORY

CONTACT:
Melissa Bunker / marketwrite@comcast.net / (586) 219-0094

Keeping America’s Promise to “Never Forget”

23 years after 9/11, Americans have transformed the anniversary of the
September 11 attacks into to the largest day of service in America

• Hundreds of volunteers from throughout Detroit to join together in unity to pack

• 245,000 meals in observance of 9/11 Day, the federally-recognized September

• 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, and Hunger Action Month

WHAT: On September 11, 2024, to mark the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hunger Action Month, nearly 900 volunteers from throughout the Detroit community will join together in the spirit of unity and pay tribute by helping to pack 245,000 healthy, non-perishable meals for those at risk of hunger. All the meals will be donated to Forgotten Harvest for distribution to individuals and families in need in the Detroit area. The project will be held at the Wayne State University Fieldhouse from 9 AM to 3 PM.

According to Feeding America, more than 44 million Americans, including one in five children, are food insecure in the United States.

In its inaugural year, the Detroit Meal Pack for 9/11 Day is one of 21 large volunteer service projects being organized by the nonprofit organization “9/11 Day.”

The 9/11 Day Meal Pack Program is being sponsored nationally by the federal agency AmeriCorps, which oversees national service programs throughout the United States, and by Delta Air Lines and Reliance, Inc. Other national program sponsors include JPMorgan Chase, Pfizer, Citi, Tractor Supply Co., Stifel, KBW, Western Alliance Bank, Holland & Knight, and Nestlé.

Delta Air Lines has also joined as a lead sponsor of the Detroit Meal Pack for 9/11 Day, along with Flagstar Bank, Sylvan, and Vibe Credit Union, and Merrill. Additionally, more than 20 prominent organizations from the area are helping to support the Detroit project as well.

Employees of these organizations, and others, will be among as many as 30,000 individuals nationally who are expected to volunteer at 9/11 Day Meal Packs, assembling more than 8.5 million meals for food insecure Americans.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Volunteer Shifts Start/End Time: 9 – 11 AM; 1 – 3 PM

NOTE: Spokesperson interviews may be available during early morning set-up, beginning at 8:00 AM upon request.

WHERE: Wayne State Fieldhouse; 1290 W Warren Ave, Detroit, Michigan. Volunteers park in Parking Lot 50, located at 1200 W. Warren, adjacent to the Fieldhouse. Parking in Lot 50 is free to 9/11 Day event participants.

CONTACT ON 9/11: Melissa Bunker; mbunker@campbellmarketing.com; (586) 219-0094.

WHO: The Detroit Meal Pack for 9/11 Day is being co-hosted locally by 9/11 Day, AmeriCorps, Forgotten Harvest, and Wayne State University, with support from the Commemorative Air Force. Food suppliers and meal packing logistics are being provided by Meals from the Heartland.

PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: Many organizations from throughout the Detroit community plan to support and participate in the Detroit Meal Pack for 9/11 Day. These include: the Detroit Tigers, DLH Corporation, Erie Architectural Products, ROSS Controls, Brio Living Services, Malace|HR, Bob’s Discount Furniture, Motherson, Target, Daifuku North America, Class Valuation, Comcast, Aalberts, ARCH Global Holdings, SRS Raise the Roof Foundation, Ruoff Mortgage, Semperis, Vodafone and HMS.

NOTES: Volunteer spots are very limited. This is NOT a public call for volunteers. Video crews are welcome. Please note: Media and media trucks can also utilize the smaller South Parking Lot on Warren just past the Parking Lot 50 entrance.

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
B-ROLL/VIDEOS: Available HERE.
National (via phone or Zoom):

● David Paine and Jay Winuk, co-founders of 9/11 Day. Contact Dominique.carver@911day.org to schedule these interviews.

In Detroit:

● Members of the Detroit community who are participating as volunteers in the project, possibly including veterans, faith, and community leaders.
● Representatives from Forgotten Harvest.

● MORE ABOUT 9/11 DAY: 9/11 Day is the nonprofit organization that worked successfully with the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States to formally establish September 11 as a “National Day of Service and Remembrance” under bi-partisan federal law. Today, that important observance, known as “9/11 Day,” has grown to become the largest day of charitable service in U.S. history. More than 30 million Americans participate annually by volunteering, supporting charities, and doing good deeds. Visit 911day.org for more information.

DAPCEP (Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program) this week awarded four students a $2500 cash scholarship towards college. Students had to have participated in at least 5 DAPCEP programs, completed community service, and be currently pursuing a post-secondary degree in a field of engineering.

Students and their colleges are:

• Nathaniel S. – Michigan State University
• Noah C. – University of Michigan Dearborn
• Michael K. – Kettering University
• Not pictured: Gabrielle McC. who attends Michigan State University

 All are pictured with Michelle Reaves, DAPCEP’s Executive Director

About DAPCEP

Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) is an educational 501(c)3 organization that has prepared underrepresented pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade students throughout Southeast Michigan for STEM futures since 1976. Using a standards-aligned curriculum, DAPCEP programs are designed to develop students’ school and life readiness skills such as critical thinking, creativity, confidence, communication, and collaboration. Through the generous support of partners, schools and universities, alumni, parents, and the community, DAPCEP engages 16,000 students each year. With more than 74,000 alumni, a 50-50 female-to-male student ratio and a near 100% graduation rate, DAPCEP remains one of the leading organizations of choice for maximizing youth potential for success. 

For more information, visit the DAPCEP website (https://www.dapcep.org), call 313-831-3050 and follow DAPCEP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

May is National Foster Care Month and it’s especially significant this year for kinship families in Michigan. A new Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) policy will provide a streamlined licensing process for kin. By officially approving these kinship families, the state will ultimately improve permanency outcomes.

Xavier Becerra, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, said the policy change will help families stay together and improve fairness in the child welfare system. The new policy follows the example pioneered by the Salt River Pima- Maricopa Tribe of Arizona.

The State of Michigan cites 10,000 children are in foster care, yet nearly half of those who care for them do not always get the support they need. This year, we acknowledge the importance of kin and applaud MDHHS for setting an example for other states, tribes, and territories.

According to the latest numbers, 42% of Michigan’s foster families are kin families. Kinship caregivers are extended family members including grandparents, aunts and uncles, adult brothers and sisters, family friends, and others who provide foster care.

“It is often grandparents who step up to care for a grandchild when that child’s parent can’t. We must be partners with those grandparents and support their commitment to care for the child while a parent gets back on their feet, so more children don’t end up in foster care,” Secretary Xavier Becerra said.

Previously, MDHHS’ financial support was targeted for unrelated foster caregivers. Michigan typically provides $400-$600 per month, depending on the age, and the specific level of need of a child in foster care. These funds help alleviate the impact of caring for a child in foster care. Relatives have been able to get financial support, but the process for them to become licensed and receive that support was cumbersome. This licensing process is part of the announced changes.

While financial assistance is critical, so is other support – critical knowledge that impacts the child in foster care. And that is increasing too.

Since Spaulding for Children’s founding in 1968, we have supported families. We advocate for a sibling set of four brothers to return to the care of their grandmother because we know that is where they will be successful. We support a family by helping a caregiver in college become licensed to care for her teen brother.

That support comes in many forms from training, helping families navigate the health care system, and sourcing programs and opportunities. And most of all, listening. We do this because we know that the family is the expert.

Our non‐profit is the lead agency, along with five partner agencies, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, and the Children’s Bureau to develop a new national quality improvement center to authentically engage and empower youth in foster care, especially related to permanency decisions. We are excited to be piloting this project with Michigan serving as one of the eight sites.

Today, as it becomes easier for Michigan kin to get licensed, the system has begun to change for the better. With the work of our Agency and allied child welfare professionals – and with these changes of support for kin – Michigan families will receive the support and resources they need to thrive.

– Spaulding for Children

Here’s a quick heads-up to special cultural events in Southeast Michigan: DetroitPerforms.org. Produced by Detroit Public Television and WRCJ 90.9 FM, in partnership with the Detroit Public Schools, Detroit Performs spotlights interesting performances, special events and important organizations.