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wHaT'S nEw? Spring 2004
I KNOW, I KNOW... I get consistently worse and worse about updating this poor site. Remember how I left hints for Adam last time to help me come up with a better, less inconvenient, etc site? Never panned out. (Apparently, all his school commitments are somehow more important than my web woes -- what's up with that?! ;)). But, working with what we've got, here are some updates:
I'M A TRAVELIN' (Wo)MAN ... After some winter reprieve, my travel cycle for work took over my life again... but some fun trips were worked in as well ;) Had a fantastic visit here with my mom in February following my Tahoe trip earlier that same month (Christy, Noah, Jason -- y'all rock my socks). In March and April, work took me to exotic locales such as Alexandria, LA, Greenville, MS, Pensacola, FL, and Washington, DC. I also snuck in a trip to Orange Beach, AL, to see Grandpere and Doris, and also got some quality time with the Bonos. Then there was the Los Angeles/San Jose trip for Passover and Noah's birthday surprise... LOVE the Branmans and Jason, too! Comin' up: Florence, Alabama, and Michigan.... and this summer's Education Conference will be in sunny Philadelphia (Mississippi).
'CAUSE YOU GOTTA HAVE FRIIIIIIIIIIIENDS! I'm so happy to report that in the past couple months, the friend situation has been fantastic. Having my mom here was, again, awesome. Getting to see far-flung friends (Christy, Noah, the Branman crew, Jason, David, Ketzela, Adam, randomly Robin -- and Isabel, are you still a-comin'??) has been so wonderful. My now-firmly-established crew here also keeps me running, laughing, and seeking new adventures in J-Town and beyond. I'm still missing my Michigan, East Coast, West Coast, and assorted scattered loved ones... but still feeling the love, and feeling like a lucky, lucky girl.
THE FUN STUFF... Working for the JFP means seeing my name in the paper all the time (still loving the Lois Lane thing). I've been asked to head up a New Playwrights Project this summer. Pub Quiz and dinner parties and local arts events make me feel like I'm makin' the Jackson scene. And remember how last time I asked "Ok, if I'm Lois, where's my Clark/Superman?" Apparently, it's ask and ye shall receive... he appeared on the scene almost immediately after my February posting ;) For more fun updates, you'll have to write or call. Oh, also -- lately I'm a Friendster addict. Don't know? Get in the know.
SCROLL WAY DOWN... There ARE a few more pictures on the photo page. You just have to scroll waaaaay down. Same story with this page. It's good exercise for your mouse-wrist. You'll thank me later. I miss you all....
And remember:
You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find... you get what you need!
Southern Hospitality. Check it out for yourself...
www.VISITBETH.com
(if you click on that link... I'm laughing at you. But it's only out of love.)
And finally -- happy belated Spring Holidays... whatever your spring celebration flavor, I hope you had good and/or meaningful experiences... |
Two Boys, a Girl, and a Tahoe Place. February 2004
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Contact:
Kimberli Meadows, 202-729-3238
kmeadows@pointsoflight.org
Points of Light Foundation Announces National Family Volunteer Award Winners
Baltimore, MD (June 9, 2003) – Businesses, Families, and nonprofit organizations received the National Family Volunteer Award from the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network in recognition of their outstanding service to engage family members as volunteers in their communities. The awards were presented in conjunction with the 2003 National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service. Convened by the Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Conference runs today through Tuesday, June 10, at the Baltimore Convention Center.
The honorees were selected based on project or program achievement, innovation, mobilization, ongoing involvement, and ability to meet community needs, with a special focus on projects or programs that have been instrumental in working with and/or in communities where conditions are “tough.”
National Family Volunteer Day is November 22, 2003. Applications for the 2004 National Family Volunteer Awards are available at www.pointsoflight.org/familymatters or by emailing familymatters@pointsoflight.org and will be accepted through March 1, 2004.
The National Family Volunteer Award is sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The 2003 honorees are in the following catergories:
Corporation/Business:
Callaway Golf Company - A world-class producer of golf products, the Callaway Golf Company is dedicated to the concept that by giving something back to the community, you gain something powerful in return. The Callaway Golf Community Giving Program (CG²) provides employees and their families the opportunity to spend their time helping others through coordinated monthly efforts, benefiting themselves and the neighborhoods in which they work and live. During the 2002 holiday season, the company conducted a food drive that culminated in hosting a large group of women and children from a local woman’s shelter to a traditional Thanksgiving meal prepared at their headquarters by employee volunteers. In addition, food was donated to a charity selected by the family of an individual who lost his life as a result of the tragic events of September 11th, 2001.
KPMG LLP, Los Angeles - The Los Angeles, California, office of the international professional services firm of KPMG, LLP (which itself has previously won the National Family Volunteer Award) demonstrated a strong commitment to the principles of family volunteering in 2002. Across the nation, KPMG combined two days of service, Make a Difference Day and National Family Volunteer Day, to create KPMG’s Families Make a Difference Day. Several offices participated in the Adopt-a-Platoon program, a nonprofit organization managed by volunteer mothers dedicated to supporting deployed soldiers serving out country. In Los Angeles, this took the form of donating materials and assembling care packages and letters for 45 members of an Army platoon stationed in Afghanistan. Each package contained writing materials, clothing, snacks, hygiene items, and other creature comforts to make their stay away from home more bearable. In addition, the platoon also received DVD’s, board games, sporting equipment, and books to help further fill their limited leisure time.
Family:
The Glick Family of Great Falls, Montana, is dedicated to the needs of seniors within their community. Along with their children, Joseph, Lydia, and Monica, the Glick parents have delivered meals to seniors living in isolated rural communities and last year coordinated, recruiting over 30 families to help, the production of over 300 Thanksgiving dinners for the local Meals on Wheels program. Their ongoing efforts demonstrate a true commitment to the aging and to the concept of families volunteering together.
The Kander Family of Holly, Michigan, are a dramatic clan. For more than twelve years, the family and their four children have been involved in producing theater programs and teaching performance for at-risk youth and schools facing budget cut-backs in the arts. Their performances explore issues of diversity, equality, and Native American life and demonstrate the living power of literature and art to members of the neighborhoods they perform in and with.
The Rhodes Family of Camp Hill, Alabama, have volunteered thousands of hours to local service efforts. By supporting hundreds of at-risk youth through tutoring, counseling, and sporting programs, the Rhodes parents and their sons David, Aaron, and James III have worked together to make Tallapoosa County a better place for everyone who lives there.
The Strong Family of Houston, Texas, are proud of the time they have spent inspiring at-risk youth. Andrew and Denise's hard work with after-school mentoring and tutoring programs has focused on creating leaders of tomorrow, teaching academic, business, and life skills and has been an inspiration to others who have since dedicated themselves to Texas' next generation.
Nonprofit/Government:
The Hampden County Sheriff’s Department in Ludlow, Massachusetts Center has served the needs of incarcerated women and their families since 1993. Through the Mother/Child Connection Program, the Sheriff’s department works community volunteers, agencies, and different law enforcement units to provide treatment, counseling, education, and esteem building to hundreds of women and children.
The Food Bank of South Central Michigan, serving the Battle Creek area, addresses real community needs through innovative family volunteer opportunities. In 2002, the Food Bank’s Fresh Food Initiative delivered excess produce donated by local gardeners to over 57,000 individuals in over 19,000 households. Over 660,000 pounds of fresh vegetables, fruit, and dairy products were distributed to low-income neighborhoods across 10 cities in five counties! The third Saturday of every month, the Food Bank opens its doors specifically for family volunteers and last year marked the first time the Good Bank participated in National Family Volunteer Day, mobilizing families to sort, label, and pack donated food.
Volunteer Centers:
The Mayor’s Volunteer Center of New York City celebrated National Family Volunteer by inviting family volunteers to their Clothing Bank to help in preparing donated clothing, toys, and games for distribution to the Bank’s over 350 member agencies serving the needy and homeless. Family volunteers joined with employees of five city agencies, college students from NYU and the University of Buffalo, and Clothing Bank and Volunteer Center volunteers to prepare 657 bundles of children’s clothing donated by Sears and 3,750 toys and games in what amounted to 350 hours of service. National Family Volunteer Day proved to be the Clothing Bank’s most successful volunteer event to date, giving New York families a chance to see the positive impact they can have to children who are in need.
The Volunteer Center of Greensboro, North Carolina, is dedicated to both families volunteering together and inclusiveness. This is why, each year, they plan a special National Family Volunteer Day activity called “Leaf it to Us” designed to allow people with disabilities the chance to volunteer alongside those without to aid low-income neighborhoods. Volunteers spent the morning raking and cleaning up the yards of at-risk residents who are unable to do so because of age or disability. Since the event, the Volunteer Center has placed more than 20 individuals with disabilities into long-term volunteer roles in local agencies and has dedicated all of their Days of Service to being inclusive and open to all who can serve.
# # #
Family Matters, a national program of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, is committed to spreading the concept of family volunteering across America. Each year, the Points of Light presents National Family Volunteer Awards to honor those who have exemplified outstanding family volunteering activities performed throughout the past year. These volunteer efforts may include but are not limited to National Family Volunteer Day activities.
The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network supports the vital work of millions of volunteers, who are helping to solve serious social problems in thousands of communities nationwide. For more information about local volunteer activities, call or visit www.1800volunteer.org. |
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A joke: Did you hear about the new pirate movie? It was rated "Arrrr!" :)
LOVED that, didn't you?
You don't have to keep scrolling unless you really want to... I'm just trying to keep the page from looking too sparse... all you'll find directly below is a photo and review from my last play, which you probably already saw last time you were on this site anyway...
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Archives
February 2004: Updates from J-Town. I've been in Mississippi pretty much since returning from Israel. But after two months of working and being mostly in the Jackson area, it's just about time for traveling to resume.... Fun travel like Tahoe, NV/CA with Christy (and hopefully getting to see Noah and Jason -- yahoo!), as well as travel for work, will have me wandering throughout the country once again, starting this weekend...
"Talking With," the play I was in last month, got a fantastic review. After the buzz our first weekend of performances generated, we sold out every show our second weekend! I'm scanning in the review from the local paper, so hopefully y'all can read and enjoy... I may or may not be auditoning for more stuff soon, but I'm going to wait and see how the travel schedule looks when it's finalized.
Mom's a-comin'!! My mom will be visiting me at the end of this month... isn't she the best?! And isn't it time some of the rest of y'all made some plans to head down to Mississippi? Time may be running out.... take advantage of this limited-opportunity Deep South visit while you still can....!
I'm finally Lois Lane. Landed a part-time (very part time) position as a reporter for the Jackson Free Press, covering theater/arts events. It's fun. I might be interviewing John Mayer this week. Now -- where's Clark/Superman?
January 2004: iSrAeL in brief...
After two flights and a day layover in Boston (I can't even describe how terrific it was to see Becky, Mike, the Smith family, Megan H-L and crew, Josh U, Jen, Josh S, Sara, Peter, Chris, Carly!), it was on to the Fung-Wah Chinatown bus from Boston to Manhattan... then a cabride to JFK... then some extreme El-Al security check-in... and suddenly I was on a plane heading to Israel. Thanks to dramamine, I slept comfortably for most of the trip. We arrived in Israel early afternoon (Israel time) Dec. 15 and went immediately from the airport in Tel Aviv to the old city in Jerusalem, where the whirlwind trip commenced...
...the old city, Tel Aviv, Yaffo, the Judean foothills, Zichri and the Bar Kochva revolt tunnels, Yad Vashem, the Jerusalem Time Elevator, Pardes, renovating a home for mentally challenged children, Masada, the Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, the Golan, Mount Ein Gedi, wadis, spending a week with soldiers, getting to see Leah and Caryn!!, kabbalah class, exploring Tsfat, Gamla, host-family Shabbats, working with Ethiopian immigrants, meeting with the mother of a terror attack victim, hiking Mount Jesse, exploring the Judean desert....
Those are a few of my Israel memories and encounters. SO MUCH was packed into two weeks. I was able to be amazed, inspired, and frustrated by so much in such a short amount of time.... I am very grateful for the experience.
Memory lane:
We're up to Spring 2004 now, but let's not forget:
January 2004: New Year's in Memphis, Education Conference II, "Talking With"
December 2003: Israel trip! (See photo page)
November 2003: Traveled to Pensacola, Mobile, Minnesota, New York, Alexandria, Florence... and then Michigan for Thanksgiving!
October 2003: Dad visisted! Noah visited! Belly Dancing Continued! "Fiddler" was performed! (See photo page)
September 2003: Christy and Greg visited! I went to Westport, CT for Rosh HaShanah, Brookhaven and Jackson, MS for Yom Kippur, and Greenville, MS for work!
August 2003: The big education conference for work, and a trip to Stratford, Ontario for a much needed break!
July 2003: Worked long hours, traveled to (and got stranded in) the Mississippi Delta
June 2003: Mom visited! Began the interfaith and civil rights activities that still continue, worked long hours, got Jackie O (the kitten formerly known, at that time, as Jackson Five...)
May 2003: Graduated and moved to Mississippi!
Look at my brother's website - click here!
Most recent quote sent to me, serious: "First they ignore you...Then they laugh at you... Then they fight you... Then you win." --Ghandi
Most recent quote sent to me, funny: "Witches parking only. All others will be toad."
Can I quote you on that?
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"Talking With" January 2004 (Fondren Theater)
jAnE mArTiN's "tAlkiNg WiTh..."
Ok, scanning in the article isn't working yet... so here is the review, as printed in the Jackson Free Press:
Fondren Theatre Workshop is damn good theater. Helmed by Diana Howell and a bevy of enthusiastic volunteers, FTW has already established itself as an innovative theatre for the people, offering monthly workshops ranging from scriptwriting to improvisation to Shakespearian acting. Their debut of Through The Looking Glass and December's excellent The Lion In Winter were held at the Duling School in the heart of the Fondren Arts District, both to loud praise. Nestled in the confines of a cabaret type setting at the Artery Coffeehouse on State Street last Wednesday, I received a birthday treat: the final dress rehearsal of "Talking With." I'd seen this eleven women, eleven monologue compilation some fifteen years ago over at New Stage, so I sort of knew what to expect. However, I didn't expect most monologues to be better than the New Stage version. FTW's "Talking With" is a bold step in giving new directors (and Several new actresses) a shot at trying their hand at stagecraft. Seven men and women, among them actors and stage techs, were selected to direct up to two monologues each. The turnout was impressive. The end result, even for a final dress, was performance quality. Alyssa Silberman, fresh from her role as Mina in last Halloween's Dracula, opened the show with "15 Minutes." Silberman channeled a bit of Fran Dresher as a Bronx-y actress about to perform for a small Local writer John Webb chose Kathy Palmer to play a lady lost in Oz In "Scraps." Kathy's outrageous costume and very real psychosis leaves the audience chuckling while feeling a bit uneasy. Also on Webb's plate was "Lamps," featuring Joanne Prichard Morris, widow of literary great Willie Morris. For a first timer, Morris walks at ease among light and shadows, rearranging the room with each twist of a lamp. The show stealer is Beth Kander, whom audiences will remember from Millsaps' "Fiddler On The Roof." Her manic and entrancing rendition of "Audition" left me wanting more. Just wind her up and let her go! I'll give you the part, just don't whack the kitty with the hammer. Karen Longo made me feel like I was in a south Jackson bar as she depicted a down on her luck cowgirl in "Rodeo." Fifteen year old Caroline Turner shows us the real side of a "Twirler." Torsha Marie convinced me she was having a baby, even though the actress has yet to do it in the real world. Rhonda Webb scared me; she was riveting as a religious snake holder in "Handler," directed by Jaymee Vowell. I believed! Rhonda makes it a family affair as mom to Caroline and Katie Turner, both in the show. Julia Phyfer finishes this evening of chats with "Marks." Even with a nagging cough that blended in with her character, Phyfer made her cuts and tattoos seem all the more real and sad. Another great job from Gary Silberman. With all eleven actresses, I felt the tangible realism of each character. Directors were astute in picking out music, costumes and props as well as the right lady to do the job. Grab a cup of warmth at the Artery and have a great night of talk. "Talking With" runs Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 29-31 at 7:30. Tickets are . Members get in for . Info: 982-2217.
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