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Project/Program <br />Summary <br />The 25th Mildred Council Annual Community Dinner celebrates our local <br />community’s cultural diversity through food and entertainment.The project, <br />which I started with Mildred Council, aka Mama Dip,twenty eight years ago <br />initially celebrated Black History Month but it soon moved to including all <br />local communities. I have chaired the event for twenty eight years,( we did <br />not have a dinner during COVID) am the chief fund raiser and given my <br />connection to the arts ( I am a FRANK gallery member artist and former <br />chair of the Carrboro Branch Library Arts Program ) ,I am aware of local <br />culturally diverse groups and performing artists within those groups who <br />can suggest relevant performing artists for the event.In 2014 the event <br />received a National League of Cities Award for its outstanding contribution <br />to furthering cultural diversity. In 2007 we showcased the Carolina <br />Chocolate Drops which included the recent Pulitzer Proize winner Rhiannon <br />Giddens. To date over 22,000 local people have been involved in the event <br />in some form or other either as performers, guests or volunteers.Each year <br />the event tries to include performing artists from local culturally diverse <br />communities and rarely invites repeat performers with the exception of the <br />Paperhand puppets who share the event’s social justice ethos and <br />emphasis on community diversity and inclusion. At the 24th Dinner held on <br />April 28 2024 we had a variety of performers, including a mostly female <br />Saxaphone group,an African American singer, a Venezuelan Dance group, <br />a Karen youth choir and a culturally diverse puppet group. English and <br />Spanish language Emcees hosted the on stage performance while the <br />dinner for 500 local people(, many with underwritten tickets),was in <br />progress.For the 2025 Dinner we are planning on again having five <br />culturally diverse performances including representatives from the <br />Chinese,Latinx, African American,Native American and the Paperhand <br />Puppets.W e are in the process of consulting with these various cultural <br />groups, some of whom are represented on the event’s committee and hope <br />to make our choices by the early fall.In the past food has been provided by <br />Mama Dips Kitchen at below cost but given that in 2025 that restaurant will <br />probably be closed, Mama Dips daughter Spring Council is assembling a <br />group of culturally diverse chefs to provide the menu.The Chapel Hill/ <br />Carrboro School district is donating the space at the Mc Dougle Schools <br />which has a stage in its cafeteria and our sound person we hope will again <br />be a UNC Music Department graduate student.Each year I have to gather <br />funds for this event and after COVID I resolved to pay our local performing <br />artists who, prior to our 2023 Dinner, had donated their time freely .I will <br />not be getting any personal remuneration for planning this event but <br />hopefully in the future we can start paying the event organizer and key <br />event planners. <br />Docusign Envelope ID: 1919D598-D3BA-49A6-BCA6-E8394D2CAE66