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By DJacoby, February 17, 2010 11:54 pm

Julia Hammer’s plans to create a Gay community center in Long Beach are the subject of a Long Island Herald (a New York state newspaper) feature story that recently appeared – the plans are Hammer’s community project in the Landmark SELP program.

Hammer, who has tentatively titled the facility the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) Center of Long Beach, says that she has noticed that there are no real formal gathering places for gay people in Long Beach, and lacks any gay-oriented organizations or events.

Another intention Hammer has is for the center to support youths – “There’s definitely kids in their local communities that are young and confused,” she notes.

Her target opening date of the center is March 25. More information is available at the LGBT Center of Long Beach Facebook Group. Also available is the full Long Island Herald story about Hammer’s project.

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By DJacoby, February 11, 2010 4:57 pm

Kelly Maria’s project in Landmark Education’s self-expression and leadership program was to form Hearts at Home, a group that provides hand-sewn fleece blankets to children newly in foster care. According to the Martinez News-Gazette of Martinez, California, Maria initiated the project because of her love of children.

“I did a little digging, learned about kids entering the foster care system in Contra Costa and thought it would be meaningful to make them blankets, to show someone cares during what I would imagine is a very traumatic time,” she told the newspaper. “Hearts at Home will provide these precious children with a fleece blanket made especially for them.”

In conjunction with friends Ellen Barber and Carolyn Johnson, Maria and Hearts at Home has raised $1000 for the blankets, with $400 more to come, which will lead to 100 hand-sewn blankets going to children new to foster care. Organized sewing sessions are beginning to take place – for more information about Hearts at Home, call 925-817-0962.

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By Julia Taylor, February 9, 2010 11:25 pm

We have received word that curator Adriana Marques put on the ‘Love your Lido’ fundraiser and artistic celebratory event in her SELP program. The event, which was held on the evening of January 9 at London Fields Lido, was an extravaganza designed to demonstrate the value of the London Fields Lido (community pool/community center).

Previewed in an article in the Hackney Citizen, featured attendees sharing stories, photos, memorabilia and art related to the history of the Lido, which first opened in 1932. Art installations from local artists were displayed in the outside changing rooms, and the entertainment also included a live band and a magician.

The Lido was closed for 18 years until the efforts of community organizers finally resulted in it being reopened in 2006. For more information about the event and to see pictures from that night, visit Lido Love in Photos.

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By DJacoby, February 4, 2010 10:25 pm

The project created by Angela Eren in her Landmark Self-Expession and Leadership Program was designed to help Haitians in need though direct aid targetted at specific people. Eren put on a fundraiser which produced over $1,700 for an organization that does exactly that, Lime-Aid.

One of the challenges facing relief organizations as they work to quickly help people in need is getting supplies directly to people who need them. Rob Kramer, of Global Water Trust, one of the organizations that formed Lime Aid, spoke at Eren’s fundraiser after returning from Haiti and said that large amounts of aid is sitting at the airport and isn’t being delivered because it isn’t addressed to specific people at a specific location.

Lime-Aid seeks to make a very concrete difference by helping a couple of specific groups in need with specific things they desperately need.

The organizations supported by Lime-Aid are the ANA Children’s Center and the Brebis de Saint Michelle Orphanage. They are collecting 10 critical staple supplies:

1) 25 or 50 pound bags of rice
2) peanut butter
3) spaghetti
4) cooking oil
5) multivitamins
6) bleach tablets
7) milk powder
8 – liquid formula
9) dried meat
10) dry beans

The final thing that Lime-Aid is collecting is of course money, to deliver these supplies to the children, and to help relocate many of them – 54 children from the orphanage recently arrived in Pittsburgh, which was covered by CNN.

According to The New York Times, Lime-Aid was formed by west coast production companies such as Lime Studios teaming with The Global Water Trust to find a specific, targetted way to make a difference – they have been assisting the orphans in Haiti for years before the recent devastating earthquake. To find out more or donate, go to the Lime-Aid website.

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By DJacoby, February 1, 2010 8:36 pm

A recent project created in Landmark’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program – a partnership of two women – raised money to help those affected by the Haiti Earthquake by holding a unique fundraiser – a pub night in Abbotsford, Canada (near Vancouver), at the Rain Bar & Grill. The event, which was sold out, raised approximately $3,500 for Salvation Army Haiti relief, according to this Colour me Happy blog.

According to the story in the Abbotsford-Mission Times, the event, which was held January 29, featured a wide variety of entertainment and fundraising, including food, music, door prizes, a 50/50 draw and a silent auction, all for a $20 ticket. The event was hosted in partnership with Country 107.1 FM, which promoted the event, and is holding another event on February 5 at the Coast Chilliwack Hotel. 100% of all proceeds from the event went directly to the Salvation Army Haiti Relief.