Nelson T. Gant birthday celebration

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- Community members came together Saturday to celebrate a special birthday and promote a meaningful lesson.

The Nelson T. Gant foundation hosted their 17th annual birthday lunch in honor of the historical hero. Board member Steven Stewart said this year the event hopes to better the community by inspiring youth to follow in Gant’s footsteps.

“He had the reputation of doing what he said he was going to do, that’s something that all of our young people need to understand and need to aspire to,” Stewart said.

This year’s guest speaker was Pastor Clifton Kilpatrick from the St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Zanesville, who said tapping into young people and making a connection with them is vital to the community. He also had this message for the youth:

“Keep moving forward, don’t regress, don’t acquiesce, keep pursuing and encouraging each other, keep doing those things that are necessary to just keep moving,” Kilpatrick said. “Never be stopped in your tracks, never be pushed back, if you fall down, get up, keep moving.”

Kilpatrick said he is honored to have been able to speak to such an outstanding group of people and that it means a lot to him to represent the message of the Nelson T. Gant foundation.