Manteca Interfaith Community Appeal (MICA) is conducting “An Evening of Respect” on Friday, March 29, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.  

This is the third time the event has been held in Manteca. The program will be hosted by the Manteca Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 1233 Northgate Drive, Manteca.

The theme for the evening is “Developing Empathy for Others”. It will begin with a short video presentation from the Cleveland Medical Clinic. This unique video spends a few minutes showing the importance of empathy to good patient care, and is suitable for all audiences.

The video will be followed by several short presentations about empathy. Guest speakers include Henrietta Brown, who will address awareness for our special-needs community; Clay Baspayne, who will give insight into the life of an autistic child; and retired Pastor Mike Dillman, a Vietnam Veteran who will speak about those with PTSD.

Manteca Interfaith Community Appeal is a local group whose mission and vision statement explains that MICA, “endeavors to bring together people of various faiths, beliefs, and traditions around common goals of service, education, and peace for all people.” They achieve this by “acting with respect, appreciating diversity, and responding in solidarity to those most in need, while promoting these values in the community from generation to generation, one activity at a time.”

All are welcome, as public support is vital to this effort of bringing good-hearted people together. Light refreshments will follow the program.