Live Sweet Happy Hour, Houston

Let Sweet buy your first drink at our Sweet Happy Hour at Bocados in the heart of Montrose at 1312 West Alabama St. on Friday, July 16, from 6-8pm. Meet and mingle with Sweet co-founder Jen Rainin, founder and publisher of Curve magazine Frances “Franco” Stevens, and Mayor Annise Parker’s Sustainability Director Laura Spanjian and celebrate our Bayou Cleanup project at Japhet Creek. There will be hors d’oeuvres and door prizes provided by our fabulous hosts at warm and wonderful Bocados restaurant and bar.

Sweet Buffalo Bayou Cleanup

A jewel running through the heart of Houston, Buffalo Bayou has become a destination for outdoor recreation near downtown Houston. The 52-mile slow-moving waterway that was the site of Houston’s founding in 1836, is one of the few bayous left in central Houston that was not covered in concrete in the 1960s and 1970s. But the Bayou suffers from pollution and invasive species introduction.

Sweet is partnering with The Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Japhet Creek Community Association, Urban Harvest and GreenHoustonTX to clean Japhet Creek to help preserve the incredibly diverse urban ecosystem that supports migrating songbirds, aquatic turtles, swamp rabbits and red-tailed hawks. Join us on Saturday, July 17, from 9:30-11:30 am to help keep Japhet Creek a pristine home for dozens of native species of flora and fauna.

After we save the world, we’ll meet for a “dam good” lunch at Monica Pope’s celebrated Beavers Restaurant at 2310 Decatur Street.

Please meet us at 9:15 am at Japhet Creek: 6401 Clinton (corner of Emile and Clinton Drive)

Wear boots and casual clothing. Please bring sunscreen and bug repellant. Gloves, water and coffee will be provided.

Let us know if you’re coming to Japhet Creek so we know how many gloves to bring. Email info [at] discoversweet.com.

At the Crossroads is the brainchild of Rob Gitin, who wants to inspire homeless youth to dream big dreams and support them while they reach for them. A big part of that is building trust. At the Crossroads isn’t about telling people what do. It’s about helping them overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. It’s really an incredible program with a huge success rate. Watch a short documentary about their work.

“Thank you so much for doing such a incredible job volunteering with At The Crossroads last night! That was fantastic,” Gitin wrote us after our event. “We have had tons of volunteer events over the years at ATC. Last night was the most fun I can remember having. You were such an awesome, hard-working, fun group, asked great questions, and were a true pleasure to host. You got a ton accomplished! For the next couple of months, our clients will be enjoying the fruits of your labor. And, most importantly, because you chose to give your time, 60 clients in the upcoming month will be able to meet with our counselors, getting the support they need to build better lives. You made a real difference in the lives of our youth!”

No one will ever say that Sweeties don’t know how to have a good time.

After all our hardwork, we hit Orson, where a portion of the proceeds from our cocktails and dining benefited ATC.

A big thank you to our volunteeristas, Rob and Naomi from At the Crossroads and Sabrina and Elizabeth from Orson for making this an incredible, impactful and productive evening.

Join Sweet for supply prep for At the Crossroads, a San Francisco organization working with homeless youth, Wednesday, May 19, 2010, from 5.30 to 8pm, at 333 Valencia St. We’ll prep supplies, then head to Orson for dinner and drinks. Special thanks to Sabrina Riddle and Elizabeth Falkner at Orson, who’ve generously agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds from our meal back to At the Crossroads. Now, that’s a win-win!

Space is limited to 30 volunteers, so RSVP today at info@discoversweet.com with “At the Crossroads project” in the subject line to hold your space.

Let’s have some fun and do some good!

AT THE CROSSROADS
333 Valencia St.

ORSON
508 4th Street / Bryant

ABOUT AT THE CROSSROADS
At The Crossroads (ATC) works with more than 200 youth every week, providing them with thousands of supplies. ATC is 100 percent reliant on volunteers to prepare these supplies. ATC brings together volunteers in groups of 10-30 people to prepare supplies.

Supply prep includes, but is not limited to:
• Making candy packs
• Making snack bags
• Making hygiene bags
• Making Q-Tip bags
• Making tampon and pad bags
• Making safer injection kits
• Making antibiotic ointment bags
• Folding, sorting, and labeling new clothing donations
• Straightening our clothing room
• Cutting outreach cards
• Creating homemade birthday and congratulations cards
• Cleaning used Bike Messenger bags

The reason that having volunteers prep supplies is so important is that it frees up ATC counselors’ time. The demand for ATC daytime 1-to-1 counseling services has risen dramatically in the past couple of years. ATC counselors are incredibly hard working, and are at their capacity. Every hour that volunteers spend prepping supplies is an hour that is freed up to meet with a client. So, at a typical Prep Night, since we have 25 volunteers prepping supplies for two hours, it allows us to meet with an additional 50 youth. This makes an enormous impact on our clients’ lives.

The mission of At The Crossroads is to reach out to homeless youth and young adults at their point of need, and work with them to build healthy and fulfilling lives. ATC’s innovative model focuses on young people who do not access traditional services and are disconnected from any type of consistent support. ATC works with young people who others have given up on, who would not get help without ATC. We remove common barriers to service by bringing ATC counselors onto the streets, and shaping ATC support services around the needs of each individual client. ATC’s goal is to help ATC clients build outstanding lives, not just lives of subsistence.

Because of the women in the shelter often continue to be in danger, the location of the shelter is a closely guarded secret. Our volunteers met at a nearby church, then drove to the secret location, our vehicles stuffed to the gills with food, clothing, toys, bedding, cleaning supplies, cell phones and other shelter wish list items. We even gave cashy money. Yeah, the women of Sweet really stepped up for Harbor House.

Our donations overwhelmed the storage area. We ended up filling external sheds and a pantry at a second house! The residents and staff were thrilled by our visit. Supplies, especially expensive things like diapers and tampons, get dangerously low in the spring and summer. Robin, one of the directors of Harbor House, said they don’t often see donations (especially in this volume) unless it’s the holidays.

As further proof that lesbians are everywhere, Robin came out to us and told us about the training Harbor House staff receive to work with same-sex victims of domestic violence. It’s much more prevalent than we think. In fact, nationwide, one in two women will be victims of partner abuse at least once and one in four women will be victims on a regular basis. That’s shocking.

Luckily, for victims of battery in Central Florida, there’s Harbor House. They are a beacon of hope and a model for shelter’s the world over. If you’d like to contribute to Harbor House, visit HarborHouseFL.com. There are a ton of ways you can contribute.

The Live Sweet Voluntour heads to New York and New Jersey next week and Denver, May 7-9. Join us for some fun and fabulous events. Details.

Last chance to register: May 7, 2010, 11:59pm.
Register at Active.com. RSVP to the Sweet team at info@discoversweet.com with “Denver fun run” in the subject line. The Sweet team will re-group for brunch after the event.

City Park
3000 17th Ave
Denver, Colorado

$30 entry fee.

All registrants receive a goodie bag with coupons, snacks, and gifts. There will be many award divisions for all competitors as well as special Mother’s Day prizes and giveaways. Qi Fitness will offer Denver’s Best Warm-up before the run. The Colfax Business Community will have their doors open with specials all weekend. And Denver’s largest park will be ready to impress! Denver Zoo is offering buy-one-get-one-free to all Runners; we also have a Family Migration Package! City Park is located just east of Downtown. This is a nice run for city residents seeking a scenic jog in the Mile High City. The park is home to the Denver Zoo, the Denver Museum of Science and History, and the city golf course. This is an enjoyable loop, shaded by many old trees.

Parking is available on the surface lots of the Zoo and Natural Science Museums

Admission: $5-$7. 21 and over only.

Tracks
3500 Walnut St..
Denver, Colorado
303.863.7326

WISH LIST
Pocket folders
Spiral notebooks
Pencils
Red pens
Erasable pens
Markers
Colored pencils
Crayons
Scissors
Notebook paper
Erasers
Glue sticks
Rulers
Boxes of Kleenex
Hand sanitizer
Paper towels
Desk lamps
3 ring binders
Plastic sheet protectors
preferable with a view
3 hole punches
File cabinets
Binder clips
Posterboard
Paper clips
Blank CDs (writeable)
Staples / staplers
Power strips
Adult scissors
Small trash cans
Pens (ball point/felt tip)
Computer carts/tables
Pencils (wooden and mechanical)
Hanging files
Manila file folders
Index cards (lined or unlined)
Tape (scotch and / or masking)
Sticky notes (all sizes)
Markers (permanent)
Chart tablets
Chart
Dry erase pens
Dry erase erasers
Sharpies
Desk/office organizers
Trays
File holders
Tubs
Highlighters
Bulletin boards, white
boards
Easels
Document cameras
Digital cameras
Projectors
Copier paper
Children’s books

We’re doing two really cool projects at this domestic violence shelter for women and families in Central Florida.

ONE: We’re collecting canned goods for the shelter. Each volunteer should collect 20-25 cans from their friends and neighbors (more if you can, impress me). We’ll re-organize and clean up the shelter’s pantry, then make dinner for its residents. You must RSVP to me for this project. The shelter’s location is a secret to protect the safety of it’s occupants. Once you RSVP via Facebook or email (info at discoversweet.com), you’ll be given further instructions.

TWO: We’re collecting old cell phones with chargers. An old cell phone can save a woman’s life. The 911 Cell Phone Drive is an established donation program where community partners host a drive to collect old and/or used cell phones. These cell phones are then taken to our partner, 911 Cell Phone Bank, who refurbishes and cleans all personal information from each phone in an environmentally friendly manner. Once cell phones are ready, Harbor House provides them to domestic violence survivors, free of charge. If you can’t join us for the project, please send in your old cell phones and charges. Click here to download your pre-paid mailing label.

** Please note SWEET with your donation.

WHAT IS HARBOR HOUSE?
Harbor House seeks to eliminate domestic violence in Central Florida by providing safety, shelter, empowerment, education and justice.

Harbor House provides safe shelter, a 24-hour crisis hotline, counseling, and emotional support, and legal advocacy for thousands of domestic violence survivors and their children each year. Harbor House also prepares survivors for re-entry into the community – connecting them to resources that will enable them to live independently, safely and peacefully.

HISTORY
During the 1970s — when talking about abuse was taboo — Barbara Moore, a domestic violence survivor realized the need for victims’ assistance programs in Orange County. Taking it upon herself to assist other victims in need, she assembled a small group of committed women and together they established Central Florida’s first domestic violence shelter — known today as Harbor House.

Over time, Harbor House has evolved and grown to meet the needs of Orange County. But, it has always remained true to its core values: empowerment, peace and advocacy.

Today, Harbor House is Orange County’s only state-certified domestic violence facility. As we work toward our overall goal of promoting peace in every home, we continue to support survivors of domestic violence and educate the community about the problem.

Like Chicken Little, since the late-80s I’ve been running around telling people, “The sky is falling.” When I saw “An Inconvenient Truth” in 2006, it was a profound visualization of that very thing. Watching polar bears drown, I felt powerless. The problem was so big. What could one little chicken do? It was overwhelming.

I hate feeling powerless. It pisses me off. If we’re going to solve these huge global problems, we need to feel empowered, inspired and energized. That’s how Sweet co-founder Jen Rainin and I struck upon the idea for Sweet. We asked ourselves: How can we make solving these problems fun? How can we get more people involved? Voila! Let’s travel the world and do simple community service projects where we can see a difference in a few hours.

In November 2009, we did that on our Sweet Caribbean Cruise. The feeling was phenomenal (see for yourself). Our voluntourista army replanted wetlands destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Hugo, refurbished a city park and installed a recycling program, pulled hundreds of bags of trash off beaches in Mexico, donated over 1,000 children’s books and a copier to a school in Belize, painted classrooms and dedicated a children’s library, donated computers to a children’s e-learning center in Honduras and brightened a dismal children’s hospital ward by painting vibrant cartoon characters on the walls in Belize. We did that with 300 people who gave 4 or 5 hours each. Along the way, we connected with the community in an amazing way. We learned about them. They learned about us. We opened a dialogue about lesbians and gays in places where we’re essentially invisible. We also connected with each other.

Our voluntouristas came home from our cruise motivated to continue spreading that goodwill. Denise Johnson from Chicago started the Roatan Computer Project and collected enough money to send seven more computers to Roatan’s E-Learning Centers. A teacher in Florida collected more school supplies to send to our school in Belize City. Two more Sweeties opted to do a book drive for the children of Belize rather than a gift exchange at their holiday party. And on and on. The Sweet Ripples from our first cruise continue to spread.

Newton’s first law says that an object in motion will stay in motion (well, it says something more complicated — F=Ma — but that’s the gist of it). That’s the formula for Live Sweet (fun = mission x action). Our mission is to get more people in motion and create a ripple effect of positive action all over the world. Think of it as lesbians (and our pals) giving the world a giant hug.

The Live Sweet Voluntour 2010 aims to start as many ripples in as many cities in the United States as we can reach this year. That means, I’m traveling to different cities to lead community service projects, gather Sweeties for fun and fundraising fitness events and host parties to celebrate our lives. We’re also spreading lesbian visibility in the United States, where it seems like every day people are voting on whether we deserve equal rights. The more we connect with people in our own backyard, the less likely they will be to vote against us.

No matter who you are, how much you make or where you live, we each only get 24 hours (1,440 minutes / 86,400 seconds) in each day. Your time is precious. Your attention priceless. Together, your time and attention can make a huge difference in the world. Check the upcoming events calendar for Live Sweet Voluntour stops near you. Currently, I’m heading to Orlando, Florida (April 16-18), New York City and New Jersey (April 23-25) and Denver (April 30-May 2). Want Sweet to come to your city? Suggest a project!

Let’s change the world with our love, laughter and unbridled glee.

Hug the world,

SWEET TEAM MEETING PLACE
Meet at 7.30am
Barnes & Noble
4000 Central Florida Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32816-2444
(Located next to the New UCF Arena)

Register here >

RSVP on Facebook

University of Central Florida
4000 Central Florida Blvd
Orlando , FL

The UCF chapter of Engineers Without Borders is hosting this event to benefit Haitian families. Registration proceeds benefit earthquake relief, the EWB UCF water project in Mare Brignol, Haiti, and Global Water Challenge.

The first 1,000 runners/walkers or those who register before April 3, 2010, (whichever comes first) are guaranteed T-shirt size. Volunteers who register online here will receive a free shirt when they report for duty.

Event is rain or shine.

FEES
$25 until April 3rd
$30 thereafter
$225 for Team of 10

PACKET PICK UP
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday – Saturday
April 15 – 17, 2010
UCF College of Engineering
Atrium between Engineering I and II

PARKING
Free race day parking availble in Garage D. It is best accessed from the south loop of Gemini when entering UCF at intersection of Alafaya and University Blvd.

Volunteer: Volunteers are needed both before the race and on race day. When registering, please indicate your preference.

THE COURSE
Course is mainly flat and winds through the beautiful UCF campus. Those registering as ‘Water Carriers’ will be eligible for prizes. Water Carriers demonstrate the challenge of the people we are trying to help by personally carrying 1 gallon of water (container provided) the entire course distance. The first, second, and third Water Carrier finishers will be rewarded.