At a young age, Kimberly was introduced by her mother, Karen Chacon, to the world of community service and organizing. At the age of 8, Kimberly initiated her relationship with the Hyde Square Task Force as a Summer Camp member. At the age of 12, she became a Camp Counselor Assistant. When she was 13 years old, she began working in the Hyde Square Task Force After School Program in the Kennedy Middle School. At the age of 14, she was in charge of the older camp counselors and in charge of her own group of campers. Currently, Kimberly is a member of the Hyde Square Task Force's Youth Leadership Team where she helps coordinate the activities, tutors children in an after-school program, participates in neighborhood clean-ups and festivals. She also helped to lead and win a fight against a proposed Kmart on a vacant plot of land in Jackson Square. She and the other members of HSTF have met with community leaders and government officials to call for a much needed youth educational and recreational facility to be built on the land instead.

I graduated from high school in 1975 and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve my country and experience the world. Of course this did not happen. In 1978 I was honorably discharged seeing no war time action. Shortly thereafter, I married my high school sweetheart and fathered 2 beautiful sons that I love dearly.

After a series of deaths I did not know how to cope with, I turned to alcohol. Alcohol became a friend and a nemesis at the same time. This nemesis caused my divorce and the homelessness I have been fighting ever since.

In 1995, I had the opportunity (as all should have) to attend the University of Massachusetts Boston. This opportunity was made possible through the Veterans Upward Bound program at UMass Boston.

While I have been at UMass Boston, I have made the Dean's List on one occasion and had the pleasure and honor of serving on the University's Board of Trustees as the student representative for the Boston campus. The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the 5 campus University system.

Jeff has worked as a housing attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services since 1986. He represents low income tenants, tenant groups, and community groups in their efforts to preserve affordable housing.

Jeff has successfully handled hundreds of eviction cases, including helping to preserve affordable housing in the Piano Factory, a home for artists in the South End. Jeff also was the lead counsel in a case which prevented Boston's large private rooming house from evicting low income tenants. In another case, Jeff obtained order against landlord requiring him to live in an unheated apartment until he provided heat to his tenants.

Alan is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and political activist. He is Chairman and CEO of Solomont Bailis Ventures, whose mission is to launch innovative healthcare and eldercare ventures. He also serves as a Director of the Boston Private Bank & Trust Company.

Active for many years in the Democratic Party, Alan was chosen by President Clinton and Vice President Gore to serve as National Finance Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in 1997.

He Holds Degrees From:
Harvard University, BA, 1963
MIT, Community Fellow, 1972
Roxbury Community College, Honorary Associate, 1990

Chuck Turner was elected to the Boston City Council in 1999. District Seven includes Roxbury, parts of the South End, parts of the Fenway, and parts of Dorchester. He has been involved in the fight against racism since the mid sixties, with a focus on job discrimination, particularly in the construction industry. He played a leading role in the efforts to stop I-95 from coming through the neighborhoods in the sixties and seventies, and helped the community organize economically through chairing the Southwest Corridor Land Development Coalition and Roxbury's first CDC, Circle Inc.

Howard is the recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Living Legends Award from the International House of Blues, and the Life Achievement Award from the Iowa Blues/Mississippi Festival.

Howard is currently illustrating a children's book which is being written by his wife, Barbara. He and his wife, Barbara, are the subjects of an upcoming documentary film by Leah Mahan.

Barbara Ward is a fabric artist who is know for her life sized soft sculptures which have been exhibited as far away as China and Africa and as close to home as the Museum of Fine Arts and the Childrens Museum. She also plays drums and does vocals in the blues swing band with Louie Bluie.

Barbara and Howard are part of the fight to preserve affordable housing at the Piano Factory, a home for artists near the South End. The PianoFactory has been in danger of losing its identity as a home for artists of limited means since Simeon Bruner and the Shoreline Corporation paid of their mortgage in 1995 and jacked up the rents and threatened eviction against the most vunerable tenants in the building. The fight goes on as Bruner and Shoreline try to downsize low income artists into smaller apartments so they can rent the more spacious apartments to higher income people regardless of whether they do art. Bruner and Shoreline pay no consideration to the fact that artists need space to do their work. As Michael Moore said: "Downsize this!"

Serene and her 9 year old daughter Terrena have lived in the Mass Pike Towers since 1999. While she successfully served an important role in the Tenants' fight at the Mass Pike Towers, Serene also studied in a program to learn clerical office skills.

Ms. Wong embodies a special combination of energy, charisma, understanding, and intelligence that will make her participation in Symphony of a City truly unique. She is a terrific guide for this journey through the community.