Category Archives: Events

Partner Agency Upcoming Events in March

Posted on by Lacie Lindstaedt

Girl Holding Balloons

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Durham Congregations in Action has partnered with The North Carolina AFL-CIO and the Triangle Jobs with Justice Organizing Committee to create the Interfaith Labor Breakfast on March 1st to help build relationships between the labor movement and the Faith community.  The event will be from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. and will be held at the Western Blvd. Presbyterian Church. Clergy and congregants from all faith-communities in the Triangle are welcome.  Please RSVP to Nick Wood at nickwood1979@gmail.com

The Women’s Center is hosting the special event “Through Women’s Eyes, by Women’s Hands” on March 2nd at 7PM. The event will be held at The Top of the Hill, and tickets are available for $50 per person.

Children’s Home Society will have a Family Fun Day Match Event on March 10th starting at 11AM in Raleigh. Matching events are interactive opportunities for licensed, approved families and children to come together and build a bond.  Matching events usually include fun activities such as fishing, bowling, playing sports, and doing crafts to help the children and families relax. For more information, please email tprice-harris@chsnc.org.

InterAct asks you to join them for their Hoopla – InterAct’s Signature Event on March 16th at CAPTRUST Tower of North Hills at 7PM. This will be an evening of games, bbq, a silent auction and much more. Tickets are available for $30, benefiting InterAct services.

Learning Together is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) with their Triangle Rock, Paper, Scissors Showdown. This is a fun, entertaining and competitive way to show your support for the organization. Visit www.trianglerps.com to register. The tournament will be open to 64 individual players, creating 4 brackets of 32 who will compete for the Championship.

Alliance of Aids Services – Carolina is hosting a Pop Up Video Bingo night on March 17 at the Durham Armory. Tickets are $20 each and the doors open at 6pm that evening.

Communities in Schools is holding a charity race, The Equinoxalizer 4 Miler on March 17th starting at 8AM. This race benefits the dropout prevention work of Communities in Schools of Durham. Click on the link to sign up to Race, Volunteer or Sponsor this family-friendly event.

Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities is the benefactor of the 27th annual A Toast to the Triangle event on March 18th. The event will take place at NC State University McKrimmon Center starting at 6PM. Attendees will enjoy food, beverages, a silent auction and raffle. Cocktail attire is suggested at this event where tickets are available for $100 each.

The Arc of Durham County will be having their monthly Pizza and Games Night on March 23rd. The event is held at Pilgrim’s United Church of Christ from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. $5 fee covers pizza and soft drinks.

Triangle Radio Reading Services invites you to an Applebee’s Flapjack Fundraiser breakfast. For $7 per person, you’ll get to enjoy a short stack for a tall cause on March 24th from 8AM to 10AM at the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar on Six Forks Road.

The Volunteer Center of Durham is having their 17th Annual Great Human Race 5k and Community Walk event on March 24th, starting at 7AM. This unique fundraising event supports over 100 nonprofits and faith-based groups. Click on the link to sign up to Volunteer, Race, or Donate.

Child Care Services is holding a Triangle Child Care Awards Breakfast on March 30th. It is a rare opportunity to recognize an under-appreciated group of dedicated professionals and community leaders who work each day to guarantee that our children have the best possible start in life.

Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC is participating with Pepper’s Chilibrew Fest on March 31st at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Attendees will enjoy live music, exhibits, sampling of 10 varieties of chili, 20 cheeses and 75 craft brews. Extra tokens for chili tasting can be earned by donating cans to the Food Bank that day. For more information visit www.chilibrew.com

 




Dear Santa, I’d like a Justin Bieber doll….and please help my Dad find a job.

Posted on by Laurie Williamson

North Charleston Christmas Festival and ParadeWith the struggling economy and high unemployment, many families have fewer resources this year, and children who are sensitive to their parent’s situations are asking for less from Santa.  According to the Associated Press, Santa is hearing requests for the necessities – a job for mom, money for heat, gloves or shoes.

Our local parenting magazine Carolina Parent highlights this article in their recent piece and offers suggestions on how families can turn this difficult time into a positive learning experience by emphasizing the value of giving over receiving.

There a multiple opportunities for children to help others in the community by delivering meals through Meals on Wheels, serving or providing food to local shelters like the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, or contributing through programs like Share your Christmas with the Volunteer Center of Durham.  Call one of our Partner Agencies to find out how you could help families served by their organization over the holidays and throughout the year.

Need some help convincing your kiddos?  Who better to help sell them on volunteering than Justin Bieber, who talks about the importance of volunteering in this video! Yes, I’ll admit my kids and I are fans. Justin Bieber Billboard Music Awards 2011-12

Need to organize a project quickly?

Add a food or gift drive to your holiday party by asking guests to bring a canned good or hats/gloves/scarves and then take them to a local agency.

or

Host a holiday giving themed playgroup and assemble hygiene kits with items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, floss, nail clippers, lotion, deodorant, razors and shaving cream, soap and shampoo, washcloths or make baby care kits with diapers and wipes and deliver to a shelter.

I love any chance to organize a party especially for a good cause. After the eathquake struck Haiti in 2010, I hosted a playgroup where children learned about the country and put together personal care kits to be sent to Haiti through a local mission group. This turned out to be a fun and meaningful project! While making your kits for a local service provider you can talk to the children about poverty and homelessness using resources such as fact sheets provided by the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Make it a New Year’s resolution and bring in 2012 with a commitment to volunteering, and as you celebrate the season, remember those who have less and think about how you can share with others if you have more to give.

Carolina Parent also provides a calendar of free local events for families to help save money!

How are you and your family doing more with less and giving back this holiday season and in the New Year?

Creative Commons License photo credit: North Charleston Creative Commons License photo credit: iloveJB123

 




8 Years Old and Never, Ever Had a Christmas Tree!

Posted on by Jennifer Bosk

Once upon a time there was a little boy living in the Triangle who had never, ever had a Christmas tree!

Little 8 year old Joseph wanted a tree so much. But homeless people don’t get trees and he and his Mom were living on the streets.

They weren’t homeless because of bad choices. His Mom even had a college degree! But she lost her job in Atlanta and she moved home to live with her mom in Durham.

Her mother passed away so she had to move in with her Dad, Joseph’s Grandpa. Grandpa’s girlfriend didn’t like them very much and one day they found themselves tossed out of his home.

How could this story ever have a happy ending?  Click here to find out:  Christmas Story

 

Jennifer R. Bosk is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at United Way of the Greater Triangle. Jennifer believes people read her blog posts because she is a pop culture diva, a survivor and thriver of single Mother/Grandmother-hood and the biggest cheerleader for education as a solution to most problems. These areas/topics of passion allow Jennifer to share her thoughts from her heart.




Sad Tree Making Strong Statement!

Posted on by Jennifer Bosk

Of all the beautiful trees lining the walk of Diamond View Park in downtown Durham for the Triangle Christmas Tree Challenge, one is starkly different.  Frankly it’s ugly.

United Way of the Greater Triangle took the tree challenge rules to heart.  The challenge is to deliver the nonprofit’s message and this year’s United Way tree does just that.

Like United Way’s 82 health and human services partner agencies throughout the Triangle, this tree focuses on poverty.  Currently 68,142 children live in poverty in the Triangle.  Many of them are homeless.  The “Charlie Brown” style tree United Way erected in the challenge reflects that sad fact. Continue reading →

Jennifer R. Bosk is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at United Way of the Greater Triangle. Jennifer believes people read her blog posts because she is a pop culture diva, a survivor and thriver of single Mother/Grandmother-hood and the biggest cheerleader for education as a solution to most problems. These areas/topics of passion allow Jennifer to share her thoughts from her heart.