Celebration of Excellence

What sets Spark Media apart is a commitment to our stories long after the documentary has been broadcast. Partners of the Heart was broadcast in 2003 and 2005, but Vivien Thomas’ story of perseverance continues to inspire today.

Case in point – a local high school in an underserved area of Baltimore rebranded itself as the Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy as a way to motivate the students who walk through its doors each day. Inspired by Thomas’ extraordinary story, the school has dedicated itself to preparing students for college and careers in science and medicine

Spark Media has partnered with the Academy on a semi-annual special event called the Celebration of Excellence to help continue Vivien Thomas’ legacy and provide opportunities to today’s youth that were not available to Thomas when he was a teenager.

Supported by Maryland Humanities, the special event includes a screening of an excerpt from Partners of the Heart, followed by a round table career discussion with Thomas Family members, physicians of color and internship coordinators from Johns Hopkins, historians and the filmmakers.

Please learn more about this remarkable event here: