Happy Birthday, Steel Smiling!

When and where: Saturday night at Ascender in Bakery Square, Larimer.

#KeepSmiling: Steel Smiling celebrated its second year as an innovative mental health service provider with a focus on one-onone support for AfricanAmerican adults and youth in Pittsburgh communities. The goal is to connect people in underserved neighborhoods, coach those who lack adequate mental health support and compensate program participants for their time. “This event is about celebrating the community members who make Steel Smiling possible. I’m excited for 2018, I think it is going to be a year of growth and a time to position ourselves as a way to remove barriers to mental health treatment. Our stories matter,” said founder Julius Boatwright. Guests such as Aerion Abney and Tamara Whiting, Robert Ware, D.S. Kinsel, Harry Johnson II and Anthony Freeze mingled while enjoying light bites by Chef Claudy M. Pierre of Eminent Hospitality Solutions and tunes spun by DJ KB. More than 60 people came to support the organization and celebrate. Learn more at www.steelsmilingpgh.org/

#SEENRisingStar: Not since watching Pittsburgh powerhouse Vanessa German perform have I seen such a dynamic and moving spoken word artist like I saw at this event. Jeff Young, founder of Young Lungs Motivation, inspired the crowd with his social commentary woven beautifully as only a poet can, painting an impactful picture about mental health with his words. “I want to use my artistry to show how it relates to healing through physical performance and passion,” he said. “My poem about Steel Smiling depicts trauma, yes, but how you can overcome the feeling of paralysis and rise again. That’s what this is all about.”