Breakthrough Project dreams of Lodi’s future
20th annual Celebration of Unity honors Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy
The Breakthrough Project for Social Justice in Lodi held its 20th annual Celebration of Unity honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday afternoon at First United Methodist Church.
Stanislaus Boys and Girls Club president Lincoln D. Ellis served as the keynote speaker during the event and spoke on the importance of reaching out to youths.
“That’s what gives me hope and motivation, watching our young people make a difference, giving them the foundation that they can impact and change the world,” he said. “Often we get our values wrong because our most important asset is not our homes or our cars, our bank accounts or those other material things. Our most important asset that we have is our young people.”
Touching on the theme of “Lodi Has a Dream,” Ellis said that King was one of the people that motivated him to keep his own dream alive when he was younger and expressed how he felt when he found out that the civil rights leader had been assassinated 50 years ago.
“I was in high school and we were all just in disbelief and frustrated because he had been the image that we had looked up to to bring about the social change that we felt we needed in our country,” he said.
Also on Monday, Breakthrough Project board member Nancy Martinez recognized the winner of the 2018 Art Raab Memorial Essay Competition.
Every year, the group holds an essay contest for fifth- and sixth-graders. This year the students were asked to write about what it means to be “judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
The winners were chosen from hundreds of essays. Fifth-grade honors went to first-place winner Jason Willes of Larson Elementary, second-place finisher Sanfra Mashni of Needham Elementary and third-place finisher Sofia Quesada of Borchardt Elementary.
Sixth-grade honorees included first-place winner Jacob Bechthold of Reese Elementary, second-place finisher Dia Channa of Sutherland Elementary and third-place finisher Corey Smeenk of Larson Elementary.
Fifth-grader Madyson Seibel of Larson Elementary and sixth-grader Amany El Kheidi of Borchardt Elementary both received honorable mentions for their essays. First-place winners were able to read their essays during the celebration.
In his essay, Willes expressed the importance of judging people by their character and not what they look like, noting that honesty, integrity and compassion are traits of good character.
He shared a story about a new kid he met at school.
“When I first saw him he looked pretty strange to me ... but then we got to know each other and now we’re friends. At first I judged him on how he looked but he actually had some pretty good character,” Willes said.
Bechthold’s essay had a similar message.
“People should never be discriminated against or treated differently based on how they look because that’s something they have no control over. What we look like on the outside is not what makes us who we are,” he said.
During the celebration, Breakthrough Project president Lusandra Vincent recognized members of the community identified as peacemakers for their contributions to peace and justice in Lodi. Peacemakers for 2018 include Patricia Fehling, Cheryl Francis, John Ledbetter and Christi Weybret.
Fehling was recognized for her extensive involvement and volunteerism throughout the community. She is involved with the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, her church and the Homeless Solutions Committee and reaches out to those in need, offering them assistance in obtaining medical help, food, shelter and transportation.
In 2010 Francis founded the Grace and Mercy Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit in Lodi that helps feed, clothe and provide referrals to those in need.
Ledbetter is a longtime community leader and is currently the chair of the Lodi Community Foundation and also heads up the city’s homeless committees.
Since 2012 Weybret has been a board member for Lodi House. During the stressful transition of leadership she assumed the position of chairwoman of the board. She has volunteered countless hours in making sure Lodi House and its thrift store are a success.
“I think it’s really important to give back to your community in whatever way a person can,” Weybret said.
“There are so many people who do so much in the community, and so it was a surprise to me to be singled out and recognized,” she said. “I just feel very humbled and I just know that there are so many others that are doers in the community. I’m just proud to be among them.”
During Monday’s celebration, the Breakthrough Project also recognized its founding members.
“We need to stand together. We need to love each other. We need to be at peace,” founder David Hill said when asked why the Breakthrough Project is important organization. “No one should be afraid to go anywhere and be around the community and not be safe,”
Monday’s celebration also included musical entertainment by Pastor Patrice MucCular and the New Covenant Tabernacle Choir, a word from Lodi Police Chief Tod Patterson and closing remarks from the Rev. Lori Sawdon.
The celebration closed with everyone joining hands and singing “We Shall Overcome.”