SevenDays 2017 Hosts its Inaugural First Fridays Event

The creative work of more than a dozen artists will be featured this coming Friday, April 7 at the inaugural SevenDays® First Fridays Art Show in Kansas City's Crossroads. From 5-8 p.m., the SevenDays® First Fridays event will be held in a newly renovated space at 1707 Locust in Kansas City, Missouri. The evening celebrates kindness, faith and community.

Throughout the evening those attending will enjoy live music, refreshments and the opportunity to register for the upcoming SevenDays® Faith Love and Walk, scheduled for Monday, April 24 from Union Station. As part of SevenDays® continued interfaith mission, there will be the chance to meet individuals from various faiths including those who are Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Hindu.

The evening's festivities are free of charge and the entire community is invited to attend. For more information, please visit www.givesevendays.org/events.

The formal series of programs for 2017 SevenDays® Make Ripple, Change the World begins Tuesday, April 18 and continues through Monday, April 24 with the community peace walk. Sandwiched in-between is a vast array of activities and programs from interfaith discussions, blood drives, organ donor registration, a mental health workshop and more.

This marks the third yea for SevenDays® - an effort to embrace diversity across races, religions and cultures. SevenDays® continues the healing journey following the murders that took the lives of Dr. William L Corporon, MD, his grandson Reat Underwood and Teresa LaManno outside of Jewish facilities in April 2014. The three lost their lives at the hands of a convicted Neo-Nazi gunman. SevenDays® promotes interfaith dialogue by engaging all people to discover commonalities and overcome evil with acts of kindness. SevenDays® is sponsored by the Faith Always Wins Foundation and LaManno-Hastings Family Foundation in partnership with several organizations.

In addition to the First Fridays event, the public is encouraged to vote for the winner of the SevenDays® Songwriting competition up until Sunday, April 9. Sponsored in partnership with the RRACE (Racial and Religious Acceptance and Cultural Equality) Foundation, 10 finalists were chosen for writing music focusing on the themes SevenDays® embodies. The compositions are on YouTube and the public can cast "likes" for their favorites. The top three winners will be announced at SevenDays® Kickoff Celebration on Tuesday, April 18 at The Temple, B'nai Jehudah. Kindness essay winners and the SevenDays Button design winners will also be recognized that evening.

Just prior to the start of SevenDays®. , on Monday, April 17, retailer Kendra Scott hosts a Gives Back Party at its Town Center Crossing location. The public is invited to enjoy refreshments and shop with 20 percent of proceeds benefitting SevenDays®.

SevenDays® of Kindness

Each of the SevenDays® has a theme with special activities and programs associated with them, beginning Tuesday, April 18 with Day One - LOVE. These events provide an opportunity for participants to engage in person as well as digitally; the majority of events are free and open to all. There are also volunteer opportunities available. Complete details can be found at www.givesevendays.org.

The SevenDays® 2017 line-up includes:

DAY ONE: LOVE (Tuesday, April 18, 6:30-9:30 p.m.)- Celebration with songwriting, kindness essay and button award presentations. Google is the sponsor of the kindness essay contest. Evening will include "Commonalities Within Our Faiths," a panel including a local Rabbi, Imam and Pastor (Location: The Temple, Congregation B'nai Jehudah, 12320 Nall, Overland Park)

DAY TWO: DISCOVER (Wednesday, April 19, 5:30-8:30 p.m.)-American Public Square Dinner and panel "Violence, Community and Faith: Connecting the Dots," Reservations are required for dinner. (Location: Pierson Auditorium, UMKC Campus, 5100 Rockhill, Kansas City, MO)

DAY THREE: OTHERS (Thursday, April 20, 6:30-9:30 p.m.)- Keynote presentation, "An Unbroken Bond" featuring Edie Lutnick of the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund established after the 9-11 Terror Attacks; sponsored by Garmin. (Location: Church of the Resurrection-Wesley Chapel, 13720 Roe, Leawood)

DAY FOUR: CONNECT (Friday, April 21)-Blood Drives (all day) at all six Community Blood Center locations (employee blood drives will take place at all St. Luke's locations-daytime); Hispanic outreach event featuring a talk by Mindy Corporon, "Life: A Good Thing to Give," about Organ Donation (presented in English and in Spanish; 6:30-9 p.m. at St. Antony's Catholic Church, 309 Benton Blvd., Kansas City, MO)

DAY FIVE: GO (Saturday, April 22)-"Lunch and Punch" T.A.K.E. Self Defense Workshop (10 a.m. at University Academy); Therapeutic Improv Workshops: "How Improv Breaks Down Barriers and Infuses Fun into Mental Healthcare: A Hands-On Workshop" for youth (1-4:45 p.m.) and educators/therapists (4:45-9 p.m.; Location: Church of Latter Day Saints, 15915 W. 143rd St., Olathe)

DAY SIX: YOU (Sunday evening, April 23, 5:30-8 p.m.) -Youth Interfaith Dinner and Workshop for students ages 14-20 to interact and learn skills for finding common ground around shared values. (Location: Cleveland University, 8205 W. 108th Terrace, Overland Park)

DAY SEVEN: ONWARD (Monday, April 24, 5:30-8 p.m.)-Faith Love & Walk beginning and ending at Union Station; sponsored by CommunityAmerica Credit Union. Pre-walk activities planned by Youth Advisory Board and hosted by Former Kansas City Chiefs Trent Green. Kansas City Chiefs Play 60 will be on hand. Various charities will have informational tables. Food trucks will be on site for participants to purchase refreshments. There is a $10 walk participation fee (those 5 and under are free) that includes a commemorative SevenDays T-shirt (if registered by April 10); walk registration is available at www.givesevendays.org.

Dozens of area businesses are partnering as Friends of SevenDays®. Community groups and organizations are invited to create their own ways to participate and share their activities through SevenDays® social media sites using #givesevendays. Additional information about the themes, activities and sponsored events will be continuously updated on the SevenDays® website.

The Faith Always Wins Foundation and The LaManno-Hastings Family Foundation are equal beneficiaries of net proceeds and donations of SevenDays® to continue this important work. Donations are tax deductible.

For more information, visit www.givesevendays.org.

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