and his service dog, Micah, surrounded by chess tables. Throughout the park are quotes and soundbites from Stepanek. On June 6, 2010, a performance of "Heartsongs" took place at Carnegie Hall, featuring Stepanek's poetry set to music by composer Joseph Martin, and performed by a 200 voice combined Children's Choir and other members of the Distinguished Concerts Singers International under the direction of conductor Stephen Roddy. In 2011, Oprah Winfrey named Stepanek as one of her all time most memorable guests in the 25-year history of her show. During the final studio audience taping, Stepanek's mother and Oprah shared memories of Stepanek, discussed his life story in the "Messenger" book, and Oprah called him "a messenger for our times." In 2013, the National Catholic Partnership on Disability posthumously honored Stepanek with the Youth/Young Adult Leadership Award. At the behest of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, in 2013, Barbara Mikulski, a United States senator from Maryland, sent a letter to US President Barack Obama, wanting to declare July 17 (Stepanek's birthday) a national peace day in Stepanek's honor. In July 2014, Ben Cardin, a junior United States senator from Maryland, joined Mikulski in introducing a House Resolution (#509), which was approved by the Senate and honors Stepanek's life and peace legacy. In 2017, the city of Rockville, Maryland voted to declare Mattie's July 17 birthday as "Peace Day" at a local level in perpetua, as a statement of support for the National Peace Day Campaign. Cause for canonization On September 21, 2012, the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle, the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Guild was officially initiated. The purpose of the Guild is to gather information and investigate Stepanek's life for the possible Cause of Canonization in the Catholic Church. On June 22, 2014, a Memorial Mass at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C. commemorated the tenth anniversary of Stepanek's death. It was con-celebrated by several priests from the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Awards 1999 Melinda Lawrence International Book Award for inspirational written works from the Children's Hospice International, 1999 2004 Nu Skin Enterprises's Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award 2007 Independent Publisher's 'Peacemaker of the Year' Award References External links The Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation website Jimmy Carter Eulogy for Mattie Stepanek Interview on public radio show "Humankind" by David Freudberg 1990 births 2004 deaths 21st-century American poets American child activists American child writers Deaths from muscular