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.”

Keller, a vice president at Morgan Stanley, formed the Next Step Network (NSN), which is putting on the event, supported by the sponsorship of the Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County (JFVS).

Keller’s passion for making a difference in this area comes from her own experience as a divorced mother of two who needed to re-enter the workforce with little confidence or prospects. As she worked and progressed through her career, she became the go to person in her family for career assistance.

The event is taking place from 12-4pm at the East Brunswick Jewish Center at 511 Ryders Lane. To register, volunteer, or get more information contact Lisa Fiore of JFVS at 732-777-1940 or LisaF@jsvs.org.

Sanders says that £447 has been raised so far as a result of the fundraiser, according to an article in Express & Echo. Martin’s band, Evolver, played at the event, as well as bands Deaf Fish and Echoes. Martin reported that Lorraine Carroll, the band’s lead singer, also arranged the event, and that the Globe Inn made their space available at no cost.

“The air ambulance is a really special charity which operates solely through donations,” he noted. The Devon Air Ambulance Trust is a charity that operates two helicopter air ambulances in Devon County, allowing faster treatment and a greater likelihood of survival for those who need immediate medical care.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

The green fair created by Bates is titled “Summer Solstice Celebration – Growing Greener Every Day”, and is being held at the Prisco Community Center in Aurora, Illinois. A full-fledged, all day environmental festival is being planned, with music, food, vendors with environmental products, demonstrations, educational workshops, and more. The fair is being modeled off Elgin, IL’s ECCO Green Expo.

To get involved with Aurora Green Lights or to find out more information about it or the Summer Solstice Celebration/environmental fair, call Bates at 630-605-9244 or go to www.auroragreenlights.org.

Trost says she believes women often put themselves last when they are going through times and she wanted to do something that really empowered those women in what they were dealing with – women who weren’t on public assistance but didn’t have the capability assist themselves as much as they needed. One woman attendee who had been unemployed for over a year got a new job immediately after the event, attributing this success from the confidence she received from being there.

Trost was also amazed and gratified by the huge generosity of local business owners who gave their time and services to make the event happen – to see a complete list of businesses who contributed and read the complete story, read about it at the Living Healthier Now web site.