UPDATE!! Opera Star Carlos Seise to Give FREE Concert in Grand Rapids

 ROSA PARKS INSTITUTE TO GIVE AWAY 1000+ SEATS AT CONCERT

The Show Must Go On! October 15^th Carlos Seise Concert Event is Free to the Public

Grand Haven, Mich., -- The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, in partnership with internationally acclaimed opera star Carlos Seise, is doing what few other non-profit organizations do.  Give away the house. 

House seats that is.

On Wednesday, October 15 at 6:00pm, the doors of Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids will be thrown open to welcome any and all (up to 1500 people) for an experience that for some could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear a world-class opera singer at no cost.

With slow ticket sales and a sincere desire to let the show go on, Rosa Parks Institute is doing what Rosa Parks herself would have encouraged.  Make the concert available to all for FREE...for the sake of the children.

“We are offering a night of beautiful music to encourage people during this challenging economic climate,” says Mitch Dennison, VP of Rosa Parks Institute. “Groups as well as individuals are encouraged to attend.  Groups of 10 or more should contact me by email at mitch@camprosaparks.com to arrange for special seating.”

Current ticket holders and groups with advance notice will receive priority seating.  General admission seating for the free concert will be on a first come, first served basis.

The concert features Grand Haven resident, Carlos Seise.  Mr. Seise grew from a young boy living in a mountain village in Puerto Rico to become a classically trained operatic singer who has performed side-by-side with Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti on international stages.  Mr. Seise is generously donating his performance fees for the night to the Institute.

"Rosa Parks was a great inspiration to me and I share her same love of helping children," comments Seise. "I am proud to be able to help such a great cause. Camp Rosa Parks will help many children who will in turn help us all."

Although the concert is free to attend, donations will be accepted the night of the event.  Monies raised through this event will allow the Rosa Parks Institute to begin building the international Camp Rosa Parks in Western Michigan.  This $2 million camp and learning center will serve as the permanent home of the Institute’s flagship program for young people ages 11 – 17, "Pathways to Freedom".

The Pathways to Freedom initiative began two decades ago in Detroit and has been a strong influence on the success of its youth participants.  Thousands of students from around the nation and the world have graduated since its inception and have gone on to become leaders in their communities, in business and in government.  Pathways is a year-long program that features life skills training and mentoring opportunities that culminates in a 6 week camp-experience during the summer.

The nation's oldest Boy Scout Camp, Camp Owasippe located in Muskegon County, Michigan has been selected as the first choice location for Camp Rosa Parks.  The creation of the new camp will allow the Institute to partner with Owasippe Outdoor Education Center in the preservation of this natural resource and to utilize its facilities to create an environment of learning and growth.

This endeavor expands upon the legacy of Rosa Parks and her dream for the Institute and the children it serves. The camp will welcome children from all nations to West Michigan to learn life skills of respect, leadership, nutrition, social, financial and environmental responsibility and to put into practice Mrs. Parks’ philosophy of quiet strength.

The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, the only organization established by Mrs. Parks to continue her legacy, was co-founded in February 1987 by Mrs. Rosa Parks and Ms. Elaine Eason Steele, in honor of Raymond Parks (1903 - 1977). Today the Institute is a living legacy of two individuals who committed their lives to civil and human rights issues.

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was arrested December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give her seat to a white male passenger on a segregated bus upon the demands of the bus driver. Four days later, December 5, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began and lasted 381 days. Mrs. Parks' courage catapulted her into world history where she is affectionately referenced as the "Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement." The boycott also brought world prominence to a young Baptist minister, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development is a 501(c) 3 organization.

Learn more about the Institute at www.rosaparks.org

Learn more about Camp Rosa Parks at www.camprosaparks.org

Learn more about Carlos Seise at www.carlosseise.com

Learn more about Owasippe Outdoor Education Center at www.ooec.org

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