Jody Victor: On Tuesday, May 24^th the US Dream Academy will host its Fourth Annual Power of a Dream Gala in WashingtonDC. Kathy and I will be attending along with Kelli and Joe Victor. There will also be other leaders from MMP there too. We went to this event last year and truly enjoyed ourselves. We look forward to another great Gala! Here is more information about the event.

Enjoy!

Jody Victor

U.S. Dream Academy, Inc., in partnership with its corporate sponsors, celebrates its Fourth Annual Benefit Gala to raise financial support for children and youth with a family history of incarceration. Sponsor a dream and make a difference in the lives of America’s children by partnering with this successful nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift will enable 1,000 children to receive academic support, mentoring and values-based education this year.

Event Fundraising Goal: Raise $1,000,000 to support Learning Centers in Washington, DC (two sites), Baltimore, MD, East Orange, NJ, Queens, NY, Houston, TX, Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA, Salt Lake City, UT, Leesburg and Orlando, FL, and Memphis, TN.

Event Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Event Time: 6:30 p.m. – Congressional Reception

7:30 p.m. – Dinner and Program

Black Tie Optional

Event Venue: Grand Hyatt, Washington, D.C.

Event Entertainment: Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.

Event Chair: The Honorable Orrin Hatch, U.S. Senate

Honorary Event Chair: The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. Congress

Honorees: Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.

National Sponsor: USA Funds

Dream Circle Sponsors: Pfizer

Mr. and Mrs. Willie Woods

Dream Builder Sponsors: Adventist Health System

IBOAI

Sesame Workshop

Honorary Congressional Committee:

Former Senator Connie Mack

Senator John Ensign

Senator Bill Nelson

Senator Mark Pryor

Senator Hillary Clinton

Senator Dianne Feinstein

Congressman Harold Ford

Congressman Steny Hoyer

Congressman Frank R. Wolf

Jody Victor: Easter is only a few days away and many children are excited that the Easter Bunny will leave colored eggs and candies in their Easter Baskets. I know Steve Victor and Terri’s kids are anxious for the holiday weekend! Joe Victor is excited that he doesn’t have to share his goodies with any kids…yet! On Sunday Kathy will prepare a great meal for our family and we will spend the day visiting and playing with the kids. Kathy and I always enjoy spending quality time with our family. We look forward to holidays!  I would like to wish you a healthy, happy holiday weekend!

Jody Victor

Here is some history on the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs. Enjoy!

The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.

The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.

The Easter Egg

As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.

From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.

Today, children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the modern version of real Easter eggs -- those made of plastic or chocolate candy.

Jody Victor: Spring is here…well almost! With Easter right around the corner many think we should have sunshine, green grass and flowers blooming. That’s not always the case! Since Steve Victor, Terri and Joe Victor are coming over for Easter dinner and I am hoping the snow will melt so we can have an egg hunt outside for the kids. But living in Ohio you don’t know what to expect. Kathy and I look at spring as a time for rejuvenation, rejoice and renewal. We are looking forward to another great holiday!

One icon of Easter is the Easter Bunny. In surfing the web I found out some interesting information…should the bunny be a rabbit or hare? Here is one article that might peak your interest.
Enjoy!

Jody Victor

MarkerMan Productions

From the website of  theholidayspot.com

The bountiful Easter bunnies have become the most favorite Easter symbol. It's universal and secular in its appeal. And, most important of all, it relates to Easter historically.

However, one fact has got to be made clear. It is the hare, and not the rabbit, that should be treated as the true symbol of Easter. Though both of them (along with Pikas), belong to the 'Lagomorpha' family and have most of things in common, there are some differences.


If you go by the history, since the ancient times the hare has been a symbol for the moon. Not the rabbit. And the legend says, the hare never closes its eyes, not even for a single blink!

The reason for having such a belief may be rooted in the fact that hares, not rabbits, are born with eyes open. Rabbits are born blind.

The ancient Egyptians related hares to the moon. Egyptian name for hare was 'un', meaning 'open'. And they were beloved to be watching the full moon opened eyes throughout the night.

Also the hare and eggs have to the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eostre. Possibly, this is because both of them were regarded to be emblems of fertility.


And this fertility factor may hold the key in making rabbit more familiar as Easter symbol in America, as against the traditional hare. Rabbits beat hares by being more prolific. The German immigrants, who brought in most of the Teutonic Easter traditions here, made rabbits so popular among the non-German kids. The German children used to have rabbit's nests filled with decorated eggs. They also used to build nests. They looked so attractive that even the non-German kids demanded such gifts on the Easter.

Jody Victor: Mr. Wintley Phipps Rocks Sheraton Cleveland

On Saturday, February 26^th Wintley Phipps performed in the Sheraton Cleveland City Centre in front of the TEAM MMP crowd. Wintley and his wife arrived in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon and were whisked away to get ready for the evenings performance. Wintley performed for approximately an hour. Not only did he sing some of his favorite songs but he also enlightened the audience with some words of wisdom. When Wintley looked out in to the crowd he edified the Victor family…Jody, Kathy, Steve Victor and Joe Victor…and his wife Linda. Wintley sang Linda the song he wrote for their wedding. There wasn’t a dry eye in the ballroom. Hotel employees where peeking in the room to see who’s voice they heard echoing through the hotel. Everyone wanted to know who’s voice was so amazing.

Wintley is a favorite of MMP and Jody & Kathy Victor. Kathy Victor has inspired Wintley to chase his Dreams…the Dream of the US Dream Academy. Wintley honors and respects both Jody & Kathy for all their successes in life and business.

For more information on Wintley’s US Dream Academy please visit www.usdreamacademy.com