To Honor Her Bold Walk: A Video Tribute

Synnika Lofton is an accomplished author, spoken word poet, and recording artist -- as well as the upper school literary teacher at Chesapeake Bay Academy (CBA). In early 2023, while our foundation was having initial discussions with CBA about ways we could collaborate, Dr. Judy Jankowski shared that Synnika created a poem in honor of Melinda.

Synnika, who connected with Melinda during her cancer treatment due to his wife’s own journey as a survivor, was inspired by their bond to create this powerful piece. During the first Melinda Vooss Creative Arts Festival at CBA in 2023, his reading was an unforgettable experience offering a heartfelt tribute to Melinda's love, passion, and dedication to arts education. Synnika shared, "Melinda always had a bright smile, a kind word, and fierce confidence. I am glad I was able to capture some of that in the poem." He certainly did.

During the 2024 festival, Synnika shared a video performance of the poem that incorporated music and dance. A special thanks goes out to everybody who was involved with the creation of this video, including film maker, Alexander Jay, percussionist, Greg Lee, educator, Julieta S. Grey, engineer, Drew Norvella, the brilliant dancers, Marilyn Pablo, Leah Hilliard, Anusa Pernic, and artist/ business owner, Ukwensi Chappell for allowing use of Gallery Ukwensi to film this video.

We are forever grateful to Synnika for his emotional voice and his generosity of spirit and talent.