10/28/08 11:52 - 39ºF - ID#46383

I need your help!

I wanted to do a very non-official poll about what non-profit groups you think are worth supporting in the area. What causes are important to YOU in Buffalo?

I'm starting my thesis crap and I thought (e:strip) would be a great place to get some input..

Thanks!

joshua writes at 04:17:14 10/28/08 - Comment #41109: I'd agree with PUSH - a dedicated group of people doing good work in an area that needs it. Same with that gaggle of miscreants over at Lafayette! :D

I say this not only because (e:drew) is a fine person and I know him, but really... when you look up the cliche "doing God's work" you'd see a picture of (e:drew) and his church. Drew walks the walk when it comes to community involvement and helping the poor - people like that deserve support! Loaves and Fishes is an important and dare I say critical service for the poor in our community, particularly around the holidays when demand for food is high. I suspect (e:drew) would be modest though, and suggest CEM.

zobar writes at 01:48:51 10/28/08 - Comment #41097: I've heard some really good things about UNYTS but I don't have any first-hand experience [thank God].

- Z

janelle writes at 01:12:44 10/28/08 - Comment #41095: Loaves and Fishes, which is a CEM program.

CEM stands for Concerned Ecumenical Ministries. Started as a small coalition of West Side churches and now provides lots of social services to the West Side. (e:Drew) can probably be more specific.

james writes at 12:55:02 10/28/08 - Comment #41093: PUSH.

morgan writes at 12:53:11 10/28/08 - Comment #41092: What's CEM?

Literacy Volunteers and PUSH sound like a possibility to me - Thanks!

gardenmama writes at 12:49:44 10/28/08 - Comment #41090: I can recommend a couple of organizations that donâ€™t have huge budgets or a lot of â€œextra fatâ€ in them, that I know do good things:

Literacy Volunteers of Buffalo - they work with people of all ages and do a lot of stuff with family literacy. Also, they help a lot of refugee families who have been resettled here with learning to read/write English.

AMI (Alliance for the Mentally Ill) of Buffalo & Erie County does a Christmas is for Kids project every year that provides holiday gifts and a party for kids (and their families) who receive out-patient services from the WNY Childrenâ€™s Psychiatric Center. The vast majority of these are families living in poverty.

drew writes at 12:35:18 10/28/08 - Comment #41088: Lots of good choices. After, of course, Lafayette Church, PUSH would be high on my list. I als0 like CEM.

Permalink: I_need_your_help_.html
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Location: Buffalo, NY

09/23/08 04:06 - 72ºF - ID#45771

Buffalo Gets Green

Ok, so last Thursday I went to a monthly meeting called Buffalo Gets Green. There is something called the "Green Gold Initiative" that is trying to create jobs and make Buffalo more environmentally conscious. You can read about their strategy here: Green Gold Strategy. I have no idea how long this has been going on, but I really hope it starts coming to life.

I think I'm going to try and contact the people to see if I can do a game to promote/support the project for my thesis project. I can't tell if they would be excited about it or think it is a waste of time. I think game would be a great way to get high school and college students involved and excited about this initiative.

I guess I'll find out...

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Location: Buffalo, NY

08/19/08 07:59 - 65ºF - ID#45370

Napoleon Dynamite is always invited.

I recently came across this scene and it still makes me laugh. The sad thing is that because of the sometimes slow pace of the movie, I know people who never made it this far. Thank goodness for you Tube!

My hardwood floors are awesome! It's so amazing how different they look. I can't wait to have a party and invite people over....of course everyone will now have to take their shoes off.

Permalink: Napoleon_Dynamite_is_always_invited_.html
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Location: Buffalo, NY

08/05/08 03:43 - 84ºF - ID#45245

Lolla was Awesome!

Every music lover should start saving now for Lollapalooza. I know it's expensive, but I saw bands I already knew and loved (Louis XIV, Raconteurs, Mates of State...) and was exposed to a lot more that I really liked (Ting Tings, Kid Sister, Devotchka, The Whigs, MGMT, Foals...)!!! Start saving now! $100 bucks a month will give you enough for a ticket, room (sharing w/ @ least one person), flight, and food! It was totally worth it.

The food wasn't too pricey and there was tons of free stuff and tents to check out between shows I wanted to see. It was HOT but it didn't rain and that's ok with me - beer and water will cool anyone down. Most of the stages had areas where you could hang out in the shade and still see the music.

This is Devotchka - not that you can even see them...

I'm still semi-homeless until my floors are done. They said the last coat should be dry some time tomorrow...I would love to sleep in my own bed! But my house is going to be disorganized for at least another week until we're allowed to put the furniture back in. I took before pictures, and I can't wait to compare them with the after photos.

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Location: Buffalo, NY

07/27/08 05:53 - 77ºF - ID#45166

The Game was AWESOME!

Meet the City went over great today. There were 5 teams (15 people) and all the photos are hilarious. Here's a couple of my Faves with their themes...

Zoo:

Game (Let's Make a Deal):

Worst Date:

Press Conference:

Permalink: The_Game_was_AWESOME_.html
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Location: Buffalo, NY

07/27/08 08:04 - 63ºF - ID#45160

Boo!

Yesterday's game was a total bomb because there weren't enough people to play. So sad. Today will be fun because I have 5 or 6 teams signed up. Wednesday is still a little iffy. So - if any of you could pull together a team for Wednesday from 5:45 - 8:45 I would like you a lot! I was going to say love you a lot, but in the end I decided that was a little extreme.

We meet @ the College Street Gallery and then start exploring the city (see link in an earlier entry for more info).

I'll try to remember to upload some pics from the game later tonight! Enjoy your weekend....

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Words: 110
Location: Buffalo, NY

07/26/08 08:45 - 70ºF - ID#45148

Lollapolooza!

Five more days until I leave for Lolla - I can't wait. The week leading up to it is crazy and I can't wait for some fun. Meet the City, getting floors refinished, work, and getting stuff together for the trip...it's almost over. Then I'll be in Chicago - obligation free - for 3 days. Yeah!

Time to walk the dog...

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Location: Buffalo, NY

07/25/08 01:43 - 77ºF - ID#45140

Infringement Fest - Meet the City game

I'm so excited for the Infringement Festival! This will be my first year participating and I hope it goes well. I'm doing a street game in the Allentown area. It's similar to a scavenger hunt except people take pictures with their phones at a specific spot in a specific theme and then send it to me.

I've done two practice runs so far that were great, but I hope there's enough people to play and that everything goes relatively smoothly! There's bound to be a few oops, but it will probably be pretty close to perfect on the last game of the festival. The first one is tomorrow at 4pm and starts at the College Street Gallery - if your interested you can see more info here: [link=meetthecity.calhoonplay.com]meetthecity.calhoonplay.com[/link] or http://infringebuffalo.org/IF08/A054
And then there's to more - one Sunday and the other Wednesday evening...

I'll post pictures when all the madness is over.

Wish me luck!