According to the article, the first ever in-home elevator through the program was given to a 19 year-old woman who was paralyzed from the waist down in a freak accident. Materials and labor worth $36,000 were donated by local companies including, Canwest Elevator & Lifts, the company Davies works for.

To read the full details, visit the Calgary Sun online.

As Rana described it to WBEZ 91.5, “It’s very realistic kind of hard-hitting movies about the perspectives of South Asians, and what are they actually experiencing in terms of their life and opinions and everything.”

The red carpet affair, which attracted a variety of celebrities, actors and film directors, began with the showing of Deepti Naval’s ‘Do Paise Ki Dhoop Chaar Aane Ki Baarish’, which follows the relationship between Juhi, an ageing prostitute, and Debu, a gay lyricist, and their budding love for Juhi’s disabled son Kaku.

The sixteen films shown over the next couple of days included ‘Warrior Boyz’, a documentary that examines South Asian gang-related killings and violence in suburban Vancouver, focusing on the root causes of gang violence, and looking at real solutions and what hope there is for the future.

Mayor Daley commented on the festival, saying “Chicago is home to a respected film community and we are proud to provide resources and support for our film makers. I applaud the Chicago South Asian Film Festival for your important work to promote South Asian films and filmmaking.”

Rana’s full-time profession is software consulting. “But I guess my hobby and new full-time job is film festival planning and organizing, I guess,” he said.

Khasim was recently diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and needs an immediate medical care – he is on the island of Dominica in the Carribean and needs to be airlifted to Martinique in time for him to make a full recovery. The cost to transport and treat him is high – to get involved, go to Help for Khasim.

The Red Hat Society is an international organization inspired by a poem by Jenny Joseph which begins “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me”. The leader of each fun-loving group is called a queen; their clothing, regalia.

According to an article in The Dominion Post, ‘Queen Kinsa’, as Mrs. Hays is known in the group, saw a need for a such a group in Upper Hutt which would allow women to be social, be fully self-expressed, and take part in a variety of interesting activities. The first outing of the group featured a lunch at the Mayfair Cafe after a ride on the Silver Steam Rail.

Future events are also being planned – the group is considering a train trip to Wairarapa to visit antique shops, travel to  Akatarawa Valley and/or Matiu-Somes Island, or other shopping, pampering or shooting excursions.

Cermak is the owner of 37-year old family company Rowell, Inc., which manages about 30 different home and condo complexes in the Chicago suburbs. Cermak and Rowell are inviting residents – including renters, owners and village officials – to take part in the ‘Pay it Forward’ planting project created in the Landmark program, planting bushes, trees and perennials and causing connections in the community.

Getting people involved and connected to one another is one of the main goals of the project, according to Rowell assistant manager Christine Cott. Hanover Part police officers have taken up on that idea at one of the work sites, taking part in the planting to build better relations with the community. The full story can be read at the site of the Daily Herald.

The event, tickets to which cost $10, was held at the First Lutheran Church in Montclair, and featured DJ music, refreshments, and a variety of goods and services generously provided by local businesses and prizes and raffle offerings.

“Over the past year I have been looking at getting what I want out of my life and in doing so I have been taking courses with Landmark Education,” Thornton explained. “The course I am currenlty enrolled in is called the Self Expression and Leadership Porgram; in this course we are assigned to pick a community project that would make a difference in one of the communities in our lives. I cam up with 3 ideas for projects and this one is by far the most challenging.”

Thornton was influenced in her choice of project by having a stepfather, stepsister and stepbrother who all have served in the military. Visit the website of Operation Shoebox New Jersey to contribute or find out more about them.

Money is being raised via a ‘Help 4 Haiti’ event at the Windlesham House School in West Sussex taking place on March 21 from 10:30 am to 1pm. The event will feature a series of three-legged races, one of which could end up being the largest three-legged race ever put on.

Fundraising is also taking place online at the Just Giving page for the event – the original fundraising target of £1,000 has already been far exceeded before the event has even taken place, with £2,570 generated as of this writing. Go to the link above and make a contribution or read more.

UPDATED: In total, £4,295 was eventually raised.

Specifically, much of the money went for badly needed supplies for the Charle Street short term residential facility, which starts homeless men on the road to sobriety free of charge by having them stay there and take part in a twelve-step program. The facility is volunteer run, all of whom are sober but many of whom were former residents.

Money raised also goes towards the Hamiltom House medium-term facility for 12 newly recovered alcoholics. All of the money for the organization comes from private citizens.

Jochum, who took on the project in his Landmark Education self-expression and leadership program, accomplished much of the fundraising simply through Facebook and other simple means. His latest post indicates $8200 has been raised.

In addition to the fun of book swapping, the event if featuring raffles, drinks and donations, all of which will go towards Pelican Post, thus funding great books as well for those in Africa who may not otherwise have access to them.

The event is taking place on June 1, 2010 at the Royal College of Physicians.

The event, which was held May 2 in London, featured music from a wide variety of modern and traditional artists. Performers included Mecca2Medina, a socially conscious hip hop band, guitarist Anita Maj, London Rapper/beatboxer MC Xander, Algerian artist R-A and many others.