October 2023

 

 

Dear Friend of Justice and Peace,

 

When the time to write our end-of-year appeal letter arrived, we realized what a challenge it was to write so soon after the worst pandemic in recent memory. Like so many others, MLK Institute has been stuck in a life-altering whirlwind for more than three years. But we’re still here and despite the difficulties, we have never stopped being grateful to our supporters. We wanted to provide you with an update on our successes and expectations for the upcoming year. 

 

Our in-person programming at the Westchester Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Nonviolence (WMLKI) was drastically reduced during this pandemic, as it was for nearly everyone else. However, new chances for community engagement are increasingly welcome. We invite your involvement, ideas, suggestions—plus, of course, financial support as we plan for the coming year.

 

Restarting programs and introducing new initiatives to address the needs of the larger community excites us. Our Martin Luther King Freedom Library, which is located on the top floor of the Thomas H. Slater Community Center in White Plains, is one of our ongoing initiatives. The library teaches, encourages, and entertains people ranging in age from 1 to 101. It houses a large collection of fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, and DVDs for adults, youth, and children on topics such as peace, nonviolence, anti-racism, Dr. King and other great peacemakers, other outstanding African Americans, African American History, and movements for nonviolent social change. 

 

The library has offered after-school learning programs for children, adult book groups, poetry open mics and participation in the White Plains Community Resources Conference. We have begun to resume activities, but since COVID is once again on the rise, we are currently only accessible for visits in person on Thursday afternoons, or by appointment for other times. Call 914-949-6555 and leave a message. Soon, you’ll be able to make reservations to borrow items on our library’s website, www.mlkwestchester.org. As soon as we can, we will restart many programs for the public.

 

Since we sent our appeal to you a year ago, we have organized online events and in-person smaller groups in dispersed locations with enough room to accommodate appropriate safety procedures. In the future, the size of our other in-person programs will be reduced to promote social distancing. Despite pandemic event limitations, we are pleased to report that we managed to collaborate with community organizations this year to spearhead several successful projects. These organizations included: The LOFT: LGBTQ+ Community Services Center, Westchester Youth Alliance, the White Plains/Greenburgh Branch of the NAACP, and the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester.

 

As a person whose values resonate with Dr. King’s and with WMLKI’s, you recognize the significance of the Institute’s goal to advance racial fairness in all our communities by educating kids and adults in nonviolent activism for justice. We work to achieve this by establishing safe spaces in our neighborhoods that foster inclusivity, bravery, and peace while empowering children and adults. Through cooperative connections, we promote shared power, justice, and equity for all. Our work raises awareness about violence in our communities and the power of using NONVIOLENT alternatives. 

 

To deliver these programs and achieve our mission, we need financial resources. We also need volunteers willing to donate their time to assist with event preparation and implementation for children, adolescents, young adults and less-young adults. 

 

Your financial donation can be made online at https://www.mlkwestchester.org/support-us or by sending a check to MLK Institute,250 Bryant Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605, made payable to the “MLK Institute.” 

 

We look forward to hearing from and working with you, our supporters and volunteers (please use the attached form to join our team as a volunteer) to continue our activities and events, highlighting nonviolent approaches to addressing some of the divisive, violent and intransigent issues that plague our communities. 

 

We thank you very much, 

 

 

 

Tom Kissner

Chair of the Board of Directors

Westchester Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Nonviolence