Mattie Stepanek Sculpture Dedication

[dirdim]

On Saturday, October 18, 2008, poet Matthew “Mattie” Stepanek will be honored in Rockville, MD at the unveiling of a life-sized bronze sculpture by artist Jimilu Mason of Jimilu Studios. The sculpture, which features Stepanek in his wheelchair, assisted by his service dog, Micah, will act as a memorial to the young peacemaker whose personal motto, "think gently, speak gently, live gently,” was heard by many during his short but inspirational life. Stepanek, who was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular dystrophy at a young age, published five books of poetry espousing peace before his death in 2004, shortly before his fourteenth birthday. His funeral was attended by over a thousand mourners whose hearts he had touched, including Oprah Winfrey and President Jimmy Carter.

The completed bronze sculpture will be unveiled and showcased during the dedication ceremony of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park, a 26-acre recreational facility located in the King Farm community of Rockville, MD. The statue will be placed in its own Peace Garden featuring pavers and winding paths meant to symbolize the “concentric circles of support” and the “flowing streams of peace” that were recurrent themes in Mattie’s bestselling and posthumously-published final book, “Just Peace,” co-written with President Jimmy Carter. The dedication ceremony is expected to draw national attention, and will include a 100-voice choir performing “Look Up! Way Down!” based upon Mattie’s peace speeches. The facility’s “Bank Shot” courts will be declared officially open to the public, and the ceremony will culminate with Grammy-winning musician Nile Rodgers leading the audience in a sing-along of “We Are Family.”

For more information about the dedication ceremony, please visit http://www.mattieonline.com/ (http://www.mattieonline.com)

Remembering a Boy and His Dog (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/15/AR2008101501609.html)
Washington Post, United States - Oct 16, 2008

Mattie sculpture finds home in peace garden (http://www.gazette.net/stories/10152008/aspenew213246_32470.shtml)
Business Gazette, MD - Oct 15, 2008

[dirdim]

Update to todays wonderful dedication ceremony -
Oprah surprises poet's mother at park dedication (http://www.gazette.net/stories/10182008/montnew172917_32515.shtml)

Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance in Rockville Saturday as hundreds of people gathered to dedicate the Mattie J. T. Stepanek Park, bringing the boy's mother to tears.
"I'm here because I loved my guy Mattie," Winfrey told the crowd. "We had a special relationship. Lots of people have gone on and through the Oprah show, and I can honestly say I have never fostered the kind of relationship long-term and friendship than I did with Mattie Stepanek. And that happened because I could see he was a highly, highly evolved spiritual being and just being in his presence made me feel happy inside."

Matthew "Mattie" J.T. Stepanek , who died at 13 in 2004 of a rare form of muscular dystrophy, was an internationally renowned poet, author and goodwill ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He lived in Rockville's the King Farm neighborhood; his wheelchair-bound mother, Jeni Stepanek, still lives there.

Winfrey was not scheduled to be a part of the day's festivities. She had been invited but wanted her attendance to be a surprise for Jeni Stepanek. In e-mail exchanges, Winfrey told Stepanek that she was in Africa and could not make the ceremony.

"I was shocked and thrilled," Stepanek said after the ceremony. "It's a statement of their friendship and my son's legacy."

Not even city event organizers knew Winfrey was coming until her security guards showed up 20 minutes ahead of her and said she was on her way.

"She outfoxed us all," said Burt Hall, Rockville's director of recreation and parks.

Nationally renowned music artist Billy Gilman also made an appearance at the ceremony. The 20-year-old star is the national youth chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and in 2003 released an album called "Music Through Heartsongs" based on Mattie Stepanek's poetry.

"It's amazing," Gilman said of the park, which features a peace garden with a bronze statue of Mattie. "The words that come to mind are hope and peace for this world. The war's getting worse and worse and it's great to see a place that celebrates his legacy and continues his legacy through his message."

For more information about the dedication ceremony, please visit http://www.mattieonline.com/