Host Willie P. invites her guest Alda Witherspoon to talk about her upcoming event the Royal Cupcake Contest, her non-profit think tank Witherspoon Institute, and her program geared towards getting grade schoolers excited about reading: GET LIT.
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The Village
[music] In my mind, I'm your only one In my mind, you love me all night long [music] Twin on my dream and I'll take what I get But it's always a fight in my mind [music] In my mind, you blow my worries to the wind [music] In my mind, you say I look so fine [music] Twin on my dream and I'll take what I get But it's always a fight in my mind Hey, boss son, you're in the village with Willy P And you're always on my mind You're listening to Alana Katz In my mind, you're always in my mind How you doing out there? We are WBCALP102.9 FM Community Radio here You're in the village And the village is always sharing information So I have a guest on my show today Her name is Alda Witherspoon Did I say that right? You said that right, you said that right I destroyed people's name, I do I do, I apologize if I do But thank you for being my guest And sharing this great information Because the village is always about Getting valuable information for the community So tell us a little bit about you And your company that you represent My name, once again, is Alda Witherspoon And CEO of the Witherspoon Institute We teach leadership, etiquette, and arts development And we are 18 years old, we just hired our Big Grand Gala at the Roxbury Library Just up the street here in June So we had a three-tiered kind of program outside We had a rose garden that Home Depot was kind enough to help us build And inside, we had 22 awards we gave out From Governor Mara Healy to Congresswoman Ayanna Presley To a young gentleman, C.B. Loose, who wrote his own book And then we concluded with the Kremda de Klim Opening up the portrait gallery at the library It's a historic opening Never been done before, and Don West is presenting The portraits of purpose series Which is a black and white photo expose of Over 30 years of black leadership in Boston And it will be there until November 1st Oh, I gotta go watch, I gotta go check it out Definitely, definitely Alright, let's talk about How important is this to you To do these events and your company? How did you get started doing this? Why is this so important? So I have a background in public art I was Public Art Director for the Mayor's Office of Arts and Tourism I was Park Arts Director for the Parks Department And I was the Chief of Staff for the Boston Housing Authority Before I ended my 26-year career in the state and in the city With human resources on the state level So I have always had a bird's eye view of the city And very different entities from the parks to public housing To the entire city with tourism from all over the world And so I took that energy and put it into my business Which is all about the youth really Those 18 years, so concurrently while I was building A 26-year degree in public art I was also building the community It was my give back to children So originally we were teaching leadership etiquette and ballroom dance But you then evolved into arts development Because I am a professional poet and playwright And that's how I actually got introduced to the city And so I was Poet Laureate for the city of Boston for 19 years And so I have a great deal of energy and background in that And so I pour that into the children Oh, that's wonderful because the children As they say are future But I don't know, you got to disconnect them And I think maybe some of these programs that you'll often maybe Able to disconnect them from the computer Because I remember growing up thinking, you know, we were outside Being creative I don't know if they are creative What are you found with the kids that keeps inspiring you? What little talent or the talent they have keep inspiring you to do this? Well, I believe that all children are creative on one level or another It's all about finding their gift and helping them hone their craft Whether it be reading, writing, oration Whether it's building computers, or playing on a roller skateboard I'm always looking for ways to bring them out of their shell And to believe in themselves And that is the underpinning of the Witherspoon Institute It's about teaching them what to think and how to think And if you are a good thinker, you can think through any circumstance I tell people all the time, if you give me a book I bet you I could build a rocket and go to the moon, I tell you Now what age do you reach out? What age are you reaching out to? So we do five and up to be honest with you But generally it's between that nine and eleven That's kind of our sweet spot But we do have teens that come from the St. Peter's Catholic Charities program As well as the Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA's We deal with a lot of programs across the city Oh, good, good, good Now you said YMCA's, is this where you find your students? Yes, so the children, I generally go to places where there already are youth And bring our programming there So for instance, pre-COVID, we were at the Mather School We were doing the second act of a play that I wrote I was commissioned by the city of Boston to write called Wise the Musical It's a cross between Harry Potter and the Wiz And we were at that particular site and dealing with their third and fourth graders So I tend to go to places where there are already children Rather than sort of deal with bricks and mortar and chasing a mortgage I'd rather go to where the kids already are and enrich that program Nice, that's great And talk about what's the outcome you found with your program? What are some of the outcomes that come from your program that these kids learn? I think they learn confidence It's one of the biggest things to believe in themselves And to know that they can accomplish any goal they set their minds to They also get a great deal of public speaking And so they get comfortable speaking in front of people They also get etiquette sitting down at any table from the president on down And be able to hold a conversation, pass the food from left to right Be able to depict which spoon they need to use And all that kind of stuff So it's the mannerisms piece of it And then the leadership part of it We are actually across the country now We are in Little Rock, Arkansas with our Get Lit literacy program We're also going back to New York We did a soft launch there last year But this year we're going in full force with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries We're working with him and we'll be at the Brooklyn Public Library The first Friday of every month And then we're at the Boston Public Library in Nubian Square The last Monday of every month So we kind of have a bird's eye view of children and youth Not only here in Boston but across America And it sounds like that other people are copying which is a good thing And you're a program and you're trying to move it across country Nationally, internationally maybe? Yes, so when we got out of COVID So we were at the math school that called us down into the office And they said you've got to go And I was like did I do something wrong? And they were like no, the whole city shutting down There's some health thing going on Nobody understands what it is But the whole city's shutting down And we were all perplexed, the parents had to rush in To get the kids and take them home And of course we learned that it was COVID So coming out of COVID, the institute put together a 20 person team To look at what we would do when we came out of COVID Should we go back to wise the musical and finish up back to And keep down that lane? Or was there something more pressing that the children needed to do? And so we set out over a year and a half to do a 66 page report And one of those pages said post COVID learning crisis I was like oh wait a minute, what's that? So when I pulled up the covers, I saw that there was a report from Harvard University, Dartmouth, John Hopkins And Stanford University as well as a report from the World Bank So the Harvard study said that the children had a huge deficit Being at home for those two and a half years And a lot of the kids did absolutely zero And then others, depending on what their parents, whether they really poured into them Got something out of it So it was a big disparity there And then the World Bank said that if we don't go in and help these children That $17 trillion was going to be lost to that generation of education Because they won't be able to compete on the world market So we thought that that was phenomenal, right? So we kind of raised our hand and said okay, we're going to enact what we call Slip our strategic leadership investment plan The first time we did that was when the Haiti earthquake happened And we had little squares, we were at the Boys and Girls Club And we were teaching the kids about how to help other kids in other parts of the world And so we had these little squares and you could write a little message Or a little prayer or some words of encouragement And that went really well in the community And I said, I bet you we could take this to a state level So I talked to Simon Marl, which was no soft feat I had to call that lady life four months straight To get her to pick up the phone and when she did, she said all the Witherspoon I think I know you Every time I pick up my phone, then you are And I said, you know, can we please come and so the woman grilled me like I had stolen something So by the time I got finished answering all her plethora of questions She said, I don't know why I'm gonna say yes, but I'm going to say yes Because it just seems like it's the right thing to do to do So we went on to do the state portion And I went back to the team, I said, I think we could go further They were like, oh no further and I was like, yeah, I think we could go to the United Nations There you go, they were like United Nations, are you crazy? And I said, no, I think we could do it So I was at the mayor's office and I started knocking on all the doors in City Hall I said, can you help me? Can you help me? And so Marie St. Flora, who you may know is a former state rep She was in the building as one of the chief advisors to the mayor And she said, Alta, I think I can help you I was like, really? Because I've been knocking on the door for the UN And they just won't answer the door And she said, I think I got somebody at the White House that we need to call Child, do you know we had to call the White House to call the UN to get us to go there? Nice Yeah, that was no small feat, so off we went We were going to the United Nations and we were going over the dates And the Haitian consulate got the date wrong I was like, really people? I had put out this other date like everywhere, like across the friggin country, right? And now you're telling me, and I said, you know what, I'm going to make lemonade out of this lemon I'm going to turn this into a two-day event So it ended up being day one, a children's symposium about, you know, how to help children across the world And the second day was an international prayer breakfast So literally we had seven states, right, the top seven states that Haitians were in We had three continents, we had Canada, we had Paris, France And we also had Haiti And so they all came to the United Nations We had Mayor David Dinkins as our keynote speaker It was a humongous success Because do you know the United Nations don't let kids go there anymore? Oh, wow Yeah, so the New York school system was hugely interested in coming to the children's symposium Because they were actually allowed to come into the building And I was like, wow, this is really deep It's huge So having said that, that was the first time we did slip, right? So we raised our hand this time and said, I think we need to enact our strategic leadership investment plan For this post-COVID learning crisis So we went through that report, the 66 page report And it ended up being this program for literacy, which we call Get Lit So Get Lit is a program that really talks about reading But we do so much more, we actually do what they call Social Emotional Learning Which was part of the report that Harvard did They said, not only do you need to help them get up to speed on the educational process But you need to deal with their emotional wellness And their mental stability As well as whatever subject matter that you're teaching them And so we built that into the cake So Donald Rankins from Motivation for Success He is known in the community And he works for Bay Cove as well as a profession to work with crisis management And so he is our big go-to guy on the floor with the children To really help them move and motivate them And then we also have a live DJ We have a dance teacher We have what we call reader leaders who come from different ilks So we'll have anybody from senators to city counselors We also have heads of companies, CEOs of corporations As well as the media, we'll have media personalities And they all come in and they talk with the children And let them know about their career and inspire them to be who they need to be And then they sit down and read with them So we all get in this big huge circle and it's made up of the kids And it also made up of people from the community who want to give back We have a lot of volunteers that come in And that's where we met the police and fire So once we got connected with that, they knew about our program So when we came up with the get lit Thanksgiving cook-off last year They were like, "We're on board!" We were like, "Really?" They were like, "Yeah, let's do it!" I was like, "Okay!" That leads us into your program This new Royal Copcake contest Yes! Alright, so we are WBCALP102.9FN community radio And you're in the village with Willy P And management of WBCA or the Boston Neighborhood Network If you would like to express another opinion You can address your comments to the Boston Neighborhood Network At 3025 Washington Street Boston Mass 0-2-1-1-9 Attention WBCALP102.9 FM If you would like to arrange a time for your own commentary Call WBCA at 617-708-3241 Or email us at radio@BNNTV.org I'm in the Willy and I don't know who I am I'm talking to Alda Witherspoon Wither Witherspoon I said, "That right, you did!" Oh, yay! And she's going to share with us her program that she's introducing It's called Royal Copcake Contest So tell us all about that and how people can get involved Indeed So we're piggybacking off of our launch last year The Gitlet Thanksgiving cook-off between the Boston police and fire We had a huge wealth of people that came to the Florian Hall The place was packed, the food was delicious Everybody had a grand, great time And so we decided we were going to do it again this year But as a secondary portion of that I said, "I gotta get my kids in here" I mean, I love adults and everything We did have a blast with them, but we're our babies, right? So I said, "What can I come up with?" So I thought through the process And I said, "Why don't we do a dessert with the kids?" That way the adults are doing the turkey, the fried turkey, the baked turkey, the stuffing and all those good trimmons And then the kids can do the dessert And so I came up with this contest With the Win Kids Royal Cupcake Contest And it is a nine-week financial literacy program actually So it's an empowerment through cupcakes And so this program will still feature Boston police and fire They'll come out and work with the children But we'll be working with some of the chefs in the community as well We have Down Home Delivery That will be a chef We have the Madison Park Culinary Art School That will be part of the process We also have the Crock Center Who has their own wonderful chef over there And they'll be part of the process And we'll be in seven areas in the city Everywhere from South Boston to East Boston To Jamaica Plain To Chinatown To Dorchester To Roxbury And so we are out here You know, getting our children together And our elders Because as I made mention before We like to have, you know, folks from the community Who really care to come and participate with the children It's very enriching Oh, it sounds like it And I'm not a really baker But I'm sure there are seniors out there That want to be part of this And to have an impact Because here's your opportunity To give back To share some inspiring Because just because you're cooking Don't mean you can not talk about other things That's right I think it's a teachable moment Indeed For seniors to come aboard And to share some of their wisdom Their knowledge and conversation with their kids Give them a little bit of history lesson Without even knowing that they're doing it Indeed, indeed So I will definitely encourage My group, seniors on the move To a poor take of it And you know, I may even step out of my comfort zone I don't know, I'm just saying Come on, girl, come on, you'll be doing it now You'll be doing it I'm just saying What, you know, I think this is a great Opportunity to give back And to have the seniors work with Because years ago I did jumpstart And that was a wonderful, wonderful experience Because I got to share a lot of my wisdom With the kids And I wouldn't allow them to call me by my name You had to call me Miss Willie That's right, that's how I do it We're not on the same level Listen, respect Respect, so I think this is a great opportunity For them to do that So I will encourage I will encourage And I'm hoping that people who listen to my ready show It wears the information that they can get to you Give us the information So if they call us at 855 Win Arts We can definitely give some in-depth information They can also e-mail me at Alda A-L-D-A The number one dot witherspoon at gmail.com And witherspoon is spelled W-I-T-H-E-R-S-P-O-O-N So that's Alda One dot witherspoon at gmail.com And they may also reach us on our website Which is www.the witherspooninstitute.org And what is all of this coming together? What's the date that it's all going to come together And we're going to have a big lit party Yes indeed, so that would be November 16th It's a Saturday at Florian Hall from 11-4pm Oh wow, and we get to taste those cupcakes You get to taste the cupcakes You get to see the police fight with the fire department You get to hear some wonderful poetry We have a fashion show We have a dance-off We have vendors galore with the holiday hats And necklaces and jewelry And all that type of beautiful things And also we have some entertainment By some beautiful children from the neighborhood And of course, for dessert The Wink is royal cupcakes So tell me the date again Yes, so he did it again Tell me who won last year I want to know who won The fire department won out So the police department is coming back They're coming back with a vengeance They are serious They've rolled it up their sleeves They got their boxing gloves on They're ready to duke it out So give us the information again Yes, so it's the get lit Thanksgiving cook-off at Florian Hall Rather at Saturday, November 16th 2024 from 11-4pm So give your information They can find this information With that also on Eventbrite If they want to get tickets So if they put in the get lit Thanksgiving cook-off It'll pop right up Oh good, good, good, good And give your information Share your information That they can reach out to you Yes, indeed 855 Win Arts So that's W-I-N-A-R-T-S Win Arts And they may also once again Email me at alltheone.witherspoon@gmail.com It was so great talking to you So just What would you like people to know About your organization Just a quick I know we went through a lot And we said a lot But is there any one thing That you would like to share That we didn't talk about? I would like to share our motto Our motto is Ignite your light Read, write, get lit Get lit Get lit Where did it get lit? Did you make that up? Or was that something I'm just curious Yes, yes, well I was looking For a catchphrase that would help Our book band initiative Because originally our name Was book band But I felt like that was a little Too solid, it didn't move And so when I started writing out What our motto could be That's where the literacy portion Came into being And I came up with the get lit Oh nice, I love it I love it, I love it Thank you for Coming on and being my guest today And I'm sure that people will be Edified by just knowing This information It's a contest You know You know I'm gonna be at the cupcake I'm gonna be at the cupcake And I'm gonna Are there judges? Who are these judges, you know? So last year we had Shirley Schillingford, we had Who is the President of the Caribbean Carnival Association Many of you may know We had Brian Warrell Who is Boston City Counselor We had his brother Representative Chris Warrell He was a judge And we had also Frank Baker Who is a former city counselor So we had some wonderful people So you put everybody to work Everybody, everybody roll up Your sleeves, we doing a dang thing Come on, dang You're on the village But Willy P, we are WBCALP 102.9 FM Boston Community Radio And you know it's always That time again I don't know It's always that time Thank you, thank you my gas Thank you You know it's good To help someone just because It's the right thing to do It's good to honor someone That makes that impact In your life, other life of others Seek and you will find The village helps to Re-define the things that treat you Unkind And take a village to make a difference So be kind and pass it on Pass it on You've been the village with Willy P And we are listening to Take it away with Aaron Take Aaron Chase Until next time See ya [Music]