It’s Your City, Keep it Clean

Faridibad residents put up an excellent example of fulfilling their duties towards their city when an NGO, “I Love My City,” Market Welfare Association, and RWA jointly took the initiative to clean one of the most popular but messy markets of Sector 15.

The venture was held on Sunday by almost 50 people where they themselves swept the market clean and shouted slogans like “Mera market kaisa ho, Mere ghar ke jaisa ho.” They talked to shopkeepers and vendors about how they were responsible for the upkeep of the market. They received a positive response from the locals when shopkeepers voluntarily started to clean the garbage near their shops  and promised to do the same.

PP Singh, the founder of the NGO, said “I ardently love Faridibad and it is every resident’s responsibility to take care of this city.”

Manohar Puniani, MWA president, said “It is actually our responsibility to keep the market neat and clean and today we have taken the first step.”

The NGO has been associated with many more welfare projects in the past where they undertook the construction of a road in Sector 23 and repaired potholes in Sector 28.

[Find out more by looking up I Love My City on Facebook.]

The girl’s empowerment program is designed to have each girl discover their own uniqueness, free from the biases and pressures of our culture and the media. The program offers many hands-on activities, including exploring new talents, physical exercise, healthy cooking programs, and beauty tips. Girls are given a journal to record their progress through the program.

The organization’s program was a part of the Lower Bucks County (near Philadelphia) YMCA Summer program in 2009. Events are ongoing – the organization is speaking at the Penwood Middle School’s Girls Night Out event on April 30, and the program returns to the YMCA Summer program when it starts in June.

To learn more, visit The Babe within website and Facebook group.

The project gathers people together to remove the weeds around Morrison’s Titirangi primary school, specifically ginger weed. The event is taking place from 10-2 on March 21 at the lower playing field of the school, and volunteers will be fed by a barbecue and entertained by live music. More details are in The original Western Leader article.

“As part of the Landmark Education course I’m doing I had to come up with a project and I wanted to do something which would benefit the community,” said McGivern in the article.

“We need to help people see what’s possible and show them how easy it is to make this a better place.”

Balloon Festival to Give Cancer Patients a Lift

by Eric Robinette

Hot air balloons tend to make people smile, but for one group of children who will visit the MidFirst Ohio Challenge this weekend, the smiles may be extra wide.

Those children are cancer patients from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, who will be treated to tethered balloon rides on Saturday, July 18.

The kids come courtesy of Floating Smiles, a nonprofit group that creates opportunities for young cancer patients to go on a hot air balloon ride to rise above their troubles.

“We just wanted to lighten up their day,” said Julia Ossipov-Grodsky, one of the group’s founders.

Floating Smiles and the hospital began working with Ohio Challenge organizers earlier this year, and the Challenge organizers secured a handicapped-accessible balloon — “Accessible Air” piloted by Al Hansen of Winamac, Ind. The balloon, which Hansen said is the first handicapped-accessible balloon in the United States, features a door on its basket to allow entry for someone who uses a wheelchair or who can’t easily climb into a standard basket.

Ossipov-Grodsky conceived Floating Smiles after working with Landmark Education, an international training and development company.

“I wanted to create a program that would lighten these children while they’re floating up in the air. I wanted to impact children who haven’t been having fun for awhile,” she said.

That impact is considerable, said Hansen, who has flown special needs children several times.

“Some of them can’t speak, then they go up and scream as loud as they can, and you see a smile coming across their face.

“It’s a really overwhelming and humbling experience to be able to do that,” he said.

The Ohio Challenge has made a point of trying to facilitate outings for similar groups in the past, said its publicity chairwoman, Ann Mort.

“We’re really excited. (The Ohio Challenge has been absolutely fabulous to work with for us. They’re so positive and it’s well-crafted for the children,” Ossipov-Grodsky said.

Tessa Mills created a fundraising event to raise £1,000 for new classrooms at a Himalayan school. The event, which was her project in the self expression and leadership programme, actually raised £1,500 and the attention of the London Informer.

Chelsea Party for Indian Kids

by Ellie Dyer

A Chelsea resident has been inspired to throw a party to help build a new classroom at an Indian school, nestled in the foothills of the world’s largest mountains.

Tessa Mills, 56, is hosting an event at World’s End Studios, in Lots Road, tomorrow night to help children in the famous tea-growing district of Darjeeling.

She hopes to raise £1,000 for the 55 pupil English-speaking school, so it can extend its educational reach and improve the lives of youngsters, after a visit to the institute.

“It was truly amazing place, on the foothills of the Himalayas. But there was a huge contrast between the beauty and the simplicity of the classrooms”, said Tessa.

“Raising the money will means the school can continue.”

Tickets for the party cost £15 and it starts at 6pm. The ticket includes an Indian beer and entertainment.

It will be held at the World’s End Studio, 134 Lots Road, Chelsea.

Schools do their Art for Africa

Michael Cryan

The four secondary schools in Cavan town took part in an art exhibition in the Town Hall to raise funds for schools in the South African townships on Saturday.

Students from Loreto College, The Royal School and Breffni College were involved in the exhibition, which was organised by Bernard Flood as part of his Self Expression Leadership Programme with Landmark Education. The exhibition was a “demonstration of cooperation and harmony between the communities that are in Cavan as well as reaching out in friendship and generosity to school children in the South African townships”.

According to Bernard, the exhibition consisted of 40 pieces of artwork, ten from each of the schools.

Their aim was to raise £3,000 from the exhibition, which would be donated to schools in the townships through the Niall Mellon Township Trust, which had worked with schools in those areas.As part of his programme Bernard came up with the exhibition idea, which was entitled Art Works for Africa.

“The idea was to raise funds for schools in South Africa and I wanted to get the four second level schools involved.” “There were some excellent pieces from each school and it was the first exhibition of its kind to be staged in Cavan” he told the Anglo-Celt.

Sabal Palm Elementary Operation Inspiration Update

Recently we told you about a special project that Tricia Tarantino’s 3rd grade class at Sabal Palm Elementary School had decided would be a great fundraising venture. That project was called “Operation Inspiration: A Start from the Heart.” The purpose was to raise money for the “Buy a Brick” program at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Miami. The class set a goal to raise $1,000 by Wednesday, December 3, and to date they’ve raised more than $800! If the goal is reached, they’ll have enough money to purchase a “Grand Slam” commemorative brick. When purchased, the gift contributes to the mission of the hospital – to meet children’s growing healthcare needs and provide them a better, happier tomorrow.

The class decided on three fundraising events to reach their goal: selling heart and baseball lollipops at the school’s Fall Fun Festival, selling popcorn during lunch, and finally, placing donation jars throughout the school. Despite teh success of these activities, students know they’re still short of their goal. As a result, they’ve been getting other classes and other schools involved.

There’s a student from another 3rd grade class that comes into Tarantino’s class almost every day and donates, while another student brought in $6.50 in pennies. Additionally, every year the school has a Vocabulary Hat Parade; but this year, Principal Tammy Brown and Assistant Principal Joy Alvarez decided to create “Hat Heart Day.” On that day students were allowed to wear their favorite hat and jeans for $1 and staff could do the same for $2. This event helped raise $300. Finally, Tarantino along with four of her students appeared on Cypress Palm Middle School’s morning news to inform their school of the project. In the middle of the newscast, Plant Operator Ivan Magana contributed $10. A donation jar is now in place at Cypress Palm in the media center.

‘Girls on the Run’ to found local program

Two local runners are working to found a new program as part of an existing council of Girls On The Run, a non-profit development program for pre-teen girls.

Melissa Yaich is starting the program along with Geogie Koch.

The program is for girls 8-13 years old and combines a 12-week, 24-lesson curriculum with running training. The curriculum emphasize importance of healthy choices, avoiding peer pressure, and physical activity.

Classes will be delivered by volunteers who serve as role models and take place in after-school programs, recreation centers and other non-profit settings.

The group will begin to meet this spring, and their mission is to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living through running and physical fitness.

Participants will meet two days per week and prepare for a 5k run to culminate the program. Each session will combine elements of classroom discussion and physical activity will be a part of every meeting.

The run will not be competitive, and participants are encouraged to walk or run the five kilometers.

Yaich was introduced to the program while training for the New York Marathon with her sister, who raised money for the group.

Koch is also a long-distance runner, currently training with Yaich for an upcoming marathon.

Colorado chapters currently exist in the Denver area as well as Grand Junction and the western slope.

Girls On The Run is an international parent organization, responsible for more than 160 local chapters across the United States and Canada.

Yaich and Koch are looking for coaches and volunteers to help get things started.

For more information about the program, visit: www.girlsontherun.com.

Yaich can be contacted at melissa.yaich@gmail.com, or at 539-5078 for more information.

Saving Our Girls

Cheryl Burton, ABC 7 Chicago newscaster, and Bionce Foxx, WGCI-FM/107.5 Radio’s “on-air” personality, will each receive high honor and peacock praise at the inaugural “Li’l S.I.S. (Sisters Inspiring Sisters) Expo Chicago,” a two-day event this Saturday and Sunday at Paul Robeson High School. The free, city-wide non-profit expo for African American teen girls, ages 13-18, will feature an open-mic poetry cafe, public speaking competition, entertainment and computer giveaways in addition to intensive workshops on life skills in four areas: my body, my future, my world and my relationships. Both professionals and girl peer groups will lead seminars.

The expo is designed, says April D. Preyar, a criminal defense attorney who created this event as a result of her participation in the Self Expression Leadership Program in Landmark Education, to tackle the challenge of turning around the trend of failure currently facing this demographic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 50 percent of African American teen girls have at least one sexually transmitted disease, and the Ill. Dept. of Health lists Illinois as having the third highest rate of teen pregnancy.

Li’l S.I.S. Expo has partnered with the Chicago Public Schools, Cook County Juvenile Disproportionate Minority Contact Initiative, Cook County Juvenile Probation Department (girls division), Englewood Difference-Makers Coalition, Girl Scouts of America and Metropolitan Family Services to promote this program. For more info and or/to register, call Attorney Preyar at (773) 648- 1285.

Oh the Places You’ll Go Benefit

by Brian MCManus

It’s not often you get to take in three top-notch standup comedians and three high-caliber bands in one evening and do good at the same time. Hell, it’s not ever. But that dry streak ends Sunday when some of Philadelphia’s apex of funny (Chip Chantry, Doogie Homber, Brian Cichocki) team up with some of its finest bands (Cabin Dogs, the Scott Silipigni Band, Transistor Rodeo) for a night to raise money to give college scholarships to kids living with cerebral palsy. The event is being thrown in association with the CP Center of New Jersey, and is the perfect soup for your sinful soul that’ll need a fix of something pure after a debauched Halloween weekend.

UPDATE: For those who have enquired, this link may give more ideas about college scholarships for those with cerebral palsy.