The Event on Sunday:
The Greensboro Free Library has been awarded the VT Humanities council VT Reads grant focusing on the book March: Book One by John Lewis. The graphic novel is the first of a trilogy highlighting Lewis' life including the Selma, Alabama Civil Rights March in 1965. In conjungtion with this book, that is made available at the Greensboro Free Library free of charge, there will be a talk led by retired Unitarian Universalist minister Fred Cappuccino at the Greensboro United Church in Greensboro this Sunday October 6th at 10am. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
A little more information:
Fred Cappuccino was originally ordained as a Methodist minister but encountered resistance from his congregation when he and his wife Bonnie decided to adopt a mixed-race orphan from Japan, where Fred had worked in orphanages for three years before his ordination. Church attendance fell off and he was dismissed and sent to a church in a poor Chicago neighborhood. After a third Methodist appointment, Fred decided to pursue Unitarian ministry and was called to the church in Silver Springs, Maryland.In 1965,
Fred's friend and colleague Rev. James Reeb was badly beaten in Selma, Alabama, ultimately dying of his injuries. Fred decided to join hundreds of other clergy who had gone to Selma to advocate for racial justice. A five-day standoff ensued between protesters and police, which ultimately ended when then-President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would send voting rights legislation to Congress. Fred has recounted his story to many Unitarian congregations under the title "How I saved my sole in Selma" (that's not a typo).
When Fred and Bonnie set out to start a family, they decided they would have just two biological children, concerned about world overpopulation, and adopt a few more. All did not go according to plan — between 1954 and 1982, the Cappuccino family expanded to include 21 children, representing 11 different nationalities. Asked about why and how the couple came to adopt so many, Fred has responded that the family didn't specifically go looking for them, but simply recognized a need going unfulfilled. "When a baby is on your doorstep, you learn to love it as your own," he says.
The life-saving help the Cappuccinos have provided to children around the world goes beyond those they've adopted. In 1985, they founded Child Haven International, an organization inspired by the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi that assists women and children in developing countries with food, clothing, shelter, education, healthcare, and emotional and moral support. The organization's 9 homes in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Tibet care for as many as 1300 children and 300 women. Bonnie still travels to the homes, as well as several women's training centers in India, three times a year, while Fred oversees the Canadian operations.The Cappuccinos' extraordinary efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Over the years they have earned numerous awards and accolades, including the Order of Canada in 1996 and the UNESCO Honor for Teaching Human Rights in 1989. However, their firstborn son, long-time Wheelock resident Robin, has said the couple's biggest reward comes from the work itself. "They genuinely love learning about other cultures and feeling of use in a very troubled world," he says.
Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino run the Canadian charity, Child Haven International. At 85 and 93 respectively, both are Members of the Order of Canada for their humanitarian work. Their story involves adopting 19 children (yes, that's right, 19!) from around the world, along with raising two born to them. At the same time they were single-handedly raising their mini United Nations they founded Child Haven in 1984 which now provides loving care to 1,300 formerly destitute children in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh with an educational support project it Tibet. From marches in Selma, Alabama, to far-away Sri Lanka, they have lived an engaged and fascinating life.
The library will also be getting a copy of March: Books Two & Three by John Lewis so you can read his whole story. Find Fred Cappuccino's fascinating memoir at the Greensboro Free Library as well.