Third Friday Event Pictures

The Third Friday event for the Shalom Outreach Society went great! There were dozens of people in attendance watching live glassblowing demonstrations and browsing the glass and art displays. We had the opportunity to share information about Shalom House and the Outreach Society with many people.

The great folks at Third Degree did a live auction for a glass piece as it was being made with the proceeds benefiting Shalom House. The winning bid was $140. I would have had this post up sooner, but I was waiting for the pictures of the finished product. Here is a photo timeline of the piece as it was being made (sorry the quality is not the best):

The Third Friday event was a lot of fun and I recommend it if you are looking at something different to do with a Friday night. There is talk that we may be present at future events as well, so look for us!

Shalom Outreach Society Event

The Shalom Outreach Society is holding a promotional event at the Third Friday event at Third Degree Glass Factory this Friday 20 February from 6 – 10 PM. There will be Outreach Society members on hand to provide information about the group and Shalom House and to answer any questions. Information about Tri-BALL-Athon 2009 will also be available. There may be a Third Degree item up for raffle or small items available for purchase with proceeds benefiting Shalom House (exact details to be determined).

Third Friday is a social evening event that involves “glassblowing and flameworking demonstrations, glass art by Third Degree artists for sale in the HotShop Gift Gallery, live music, art exhibits in the Third Degree East Gallery.” Music this Friday will be provided by the Local Gents. There will also be artwork on display from the faculty of the St. Louis University Department of Fine and Performing Arts.

Stop by and have some fun and find out more about the Shalom Outreach Society.

Supporting Education With Comments

I feel that education is the cornerstone for significantly improving St. Louis and the nation, so I did not want to move on from it quite yet. With smarter, better prepared youth coming out of our schools there is no limit to the advancements and progression we might see. Because of this importance, I wanted to offer an easy tangible way for you and I to support the education system. Thus the Supporting Education With Comments event.

What I would like you to do is leave a comment sharing a positive or negative experience you have had with a school, teacher, student, or the education system. If it is a negative experience, what might be done to improve the situation? If it is positive, what might make it better still?

For every unique comment that fits this criteria, I will donate $1 to the Active Minds Institute and $1 to the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation up to $50 total (25 comments with the possibility of extension if we reach that number). Comments will be accepted until 11:59 PM central time 31 March.

I look forward to hearing your experiences!

Update:

In light of only receiving one comment submission, I have donated $10 to each charity. Thank you Nessie!

First 2009 Shalom Outreach Society Meeting

This Thursday at 6:30 will be our first meeting of 2009. If you are interested in Shalom House or the Shalom Outreach Society, let me know and I will be happy to provide all the information you could want.

UPDATE: This meeting has been postponed to Thursday 15 Jan at 6:30.

At this meeting we will begin discussing initial plans for Tri-Ball-Athon 2009. Tri-Ball-Athon consists of kickball, volleyball, and bocce ball and will be held Saturday May 30th at Forest Park (field location TBD). Teams of up to 10 are accepted.

Food and beverages (adult and otherwise) are available with proceeds going to Shalom House.

Here are some pictures from Tri-Ball-Athon 2008:

Food and beverages available for purchase

Kickball

Bocce Ball

Volleyball

Help Needed – First Volunteer!

Shannon at All About Shannon has offered to assist with my Help Needed endeavor. Much thanks to her!

Recently I have been trying to help a few people find assistance that have posted on the St. Louis Craigslist. One of them is a 24 year old Bosnian immigrant with an ailing mother. I really hope he is able to find the help he needs. If you would like to help in any way with promoting and expanding Help Needed, just let me know.

Shannon has also shared another excellent online charity resource called Wish Upon a Hero. This organization is similar to Modest Needs which I posted about last. Wish Upon a Hero allows people to post a wish, no matter how small or large. People willing to grant, or partially grant, a wish are called Heroes. Heroes can come in the form of individuals, charities, or corporations.

Some examples of current wishes are “for baby girl clothing and a crib, ” “for $1 donations to save my house,” and “for a better Christmas for my 4 kids.” These are all small requests, and by working together we can make a big difference in the lives of many people. Please check out Wish Upon a Hero!

Helping Hand Contest – Last Day!!

Today is the last day for submissions to my Helping Hand Contest. I must admit that even with my meager readership I expected a few more submissions. Come on, share your goodwill stories! I know you have at least one! Currently there are only two submissions, so if you do participate there is a good chance you could win the $25 Kiva gift certificate.

Today is also the last day for this event. Stop over and leave a comment if you have not already and $1 will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank. Thanks to those who have participated and weighed in on both events!