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Pure Love Project Aids Animals, Leads to Governor’s Proclamation in Georgia

dog very cuteThe project Kate O’Driscoll created in Landmark Education’s self-expression and leadership program began as a fundraiser to raise money for animal rescue groups and expanded to result in a proclamation by the governor of Georgia himself declaring October 10-16 to be Animal Friends Week.

The ‘Pure Love Project’ fundraiser was held on June 6 at Olde Blind Irish Dog Pub, and raised money for three groups: a dog rescue group, a cat rescue group and a pet food bank. These groups were Paw Prints Foundation, Cats in the Cradle Inc., and Save Our Pets Food Bank.

The work of O’Driscoll and the Pure Love Project eventually led to Georgia governor Sonny Perdue, who is himself a licensed veterinarian declaring Animal Friends Week in October. O’Driscoll sees public awareness and fundraising for rescue groups to be essential at this time, as due to the challenging economy, pets are being abandoned in record numbers. The Pure Love Project website gives more information about the three worthy groups its fundraiser supported.

Home for Single Mothers

kirovAnna Zmorzynska’s project in Landmark Education’s self-expression and leadership programme was to raise money for a home for single mothers in Kirov, Russia.

The project, which was featured in a wide range of media outlets such as the Polish Observer, a Polish language news weekly released in the UK, involved a charity concert held June 27 at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in London. With entertainment provided by a gospel choir, attendees were encouraged to contribute to the cause.

Zmorzynska’s project, which she titled ‘Music for Bethlehem in Vyatka’ (Vyatka is the old name for Kirov) was designed to support a Roman Catholic priest, Father Grzegorz Zwolinski, in his efforts to aid single mothers. According to the Polish Observer, there are very few social services provided to aid mothers and their children.

kirov #2Currently Father Zwolinski aids 11 mothers with food, lodging, clothing and supplies – through the project Zmorzynska is seeking to raise enough money for Zwolinski to set up a home for single mothers and their children to safely live in.

For more information, go to http://catholic.mainsolution.ru/ or email Zwolinski at annazmorzynska@hotmail.com.

Comedy Night Supports Hola

comedyLeeAnn Robinson gives report of a project created in Landmark Education’s self-expression and leadership program: a comedy night fundraiser for Hola, Heart of Los Angeles, an organization that promotes opportunities for underserved youth in that city. The event, which is being held on July 6, will specifically raise money for Camp Inspiration, a three day camp for young people about to enter high school that involves leadership and team-building activities.

Tickets for the event, which is taking place at The Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, cost $20 – the event begins at 6:30pm. To buy tickets or learn more about the event, email CampInspiration@aol.com or call Robinson at 310-683-9966.

Formed almost 20 years ago, HOLA has a unique partnership with the city of Los Angeles, leading to the creation of open space facilities for inner city youth – a soccer field, gym, and basketball courts. HOLA’s volunteer program, which includes experts in a variety of fields, supports youth ages 6-19 in fulfilling all their potential.

High Adventure World

high adventure 2As her project in Landmark’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program, Danielle Sheehan created the High Adventure World website which celebrates extreme adventures in the outdoors.

The site features videos and pictures of ice climbing, bungee jumping, paragliding, kiteboarding and many other activities, including pictures of Sheehan’s own outdoor treks, such as the above picture from Mt. Whitney (which is the highest peak in the lower United States). She notes that the site’s purpose is to inspire others to go into the outdoors and be adventurous. The site also invites anyone to submit their own outdoor adventures to highadventureworld@gmail.com.

Dances with Weeds

The New Zealand Newspaper Western Leader has written an article about the ‘war on weeds’ initiated by Sandy McGivern and Don Morrison as McGivern’s project in the Landmark SELP programme.

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.”

Get together for Palestine

palestineSusana Garcia Cervero took fun to a new level when she created a fundraising event to benefit Medical Aid for Palestinians (www.map-uk.org). Cervero, who created the project in Landmark Education’s SELP, created the project to benefit those with an urgent need and bring an extremely entertaining event to the community at the same time.

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.