2000 Wishes Granted

Make-A-Wish will celebrate their milestone 2,000th granted wish.  The evening will feature dinner, live and silent auctions, and the music of Brick House.

How to Contribute/Attend

Tickets are $125 each, or tables of 10 for $1,250.  Sponsorship opportunities are available.
Call 919-821-7111 to reserve a ticket or visit www.eastncwish.org

The Whimsical Science-based Art of Rachel von Roeschlaub Will Be Raffled Off at the Event

Cary, NC — The Chatham Street Café is set to host “Handmade for Haiti”, an afternoon of shopping for local handmade items to benefit Doctors Without Borders.

A selection of eleven local artists and designers will be selling accessories, bath and body products, home décor items, jewelry, soy candles and more—perfect for Mother’s Day gifts!

Check it out from 3 – 6 pm on Sunday, April 18.

Artisans

Here’s a list of local artists participating in the event:

Dillardville Birdhouses–Whimsically crafted and hand painted birdhouses made from recycled materials
Janice Originals–Fine designer jewelry
JustNeem–Natural body care products with Neem from West Africa
Mama Turtle–Natural hand poured soy candles
Meg Smither–Original design and hand painted silk scarves
My Kid’s Laundry–Custom made children clothing & hair accessories
Mutant Angel–Hand embroidery
Old North Images–Photography from the Old North State
Sassy Strands–Creative jewelry designs
SSD Jewelry–Mixed metal & etched hand crafted jewelry
The Chubby Dove–Custom handmade home décor for all ages

Proceeds and Prizes

Proceeds from a charity raffle as well as a portion of all vendor sales will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.

Raffle tickets will be for sale at the event for $5 each for a chance to win fabulous products or services from area businesses and artists, including original Rachel von Roeschlaub paintings, a voucher for Carolina RailHawks game tickets, and gift cards for services from Skin Sense, Namaste Yoga, and more.  Food and Beverages will be available for purchase.

Local artist Kellie Loomis is coordinating this event.

“’Handmade for Haiti’” is all about helping out Doctors Without Borders to aid in the Haiti relief efforts, focusing on post surgical care and mental health.  Although many other organizations are leaving Haiti, Doctors Without Borders is maintaining a presence,” Loomis told CaryCitizen.

The Chatham Street Café is located at 140 E Chatham St in Downtown Cary.

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CaryCitizen Community News is sponsored by FrantzForHouse.org.

Recently a friend asked that we add an event to the CaryCitizen calendar.   I found out that it was SAS’s own VocalMotion – performing their 18th annual production called “Oh, What a Night!”.  The group volunteers their time and talents and instead of charging admission, they request that the audience make donations to their favorite cause – The Arc , a foundation dedicated to helping children with disabilities.

Oh What a Night!

This year’s performance runs from Thursday Feb 25th- Sunday, Feb 28th.  Like the new hit show “Glee,” this groups sings and dances during their shows.  Some of the music featured includes: “Born to Be Wild”, “Sing a Song” and “The House is Rockin’” as well as more recent hits from Jason Mraz, and a crowd pleasing medley from the Musical Jersey Boys.

About The Arc

The Arc of Wake County provides advocacy, referrals, recreational opportunites and community education services for children with developmental disabilities and includes over 250 individual and family members.

Would you like to know more about what’s happening in Cary?  Check out our Calendar of Events.  If you have an event you would like us to add to the Calendar, email Lindsey Chester.

Teens from "The Way" at the Helen Wright Center

Cary, NC – It’s hard for us to resist these stories.  There are amazing things going on in Cary by some real good people.  Nick Verna contacted me.  He works with Cary (and Apex) teens in a program called ”The Way”.

“The program has over 200 teen members that get together for projects weekly.  We try to move teens closer to God through a combination of teaching, service and example”, Nick told me.

The group regularly provides meals for the homeless, collects food for Urban Ministries and various other service projects throughout the year.  For many of the teens this project marks the first time they ever leave their “comfort zone” – as Verna described it.  Nick has been working with teens through various churches for over 25 years.  He claims he has ”never experienced anything as rewarding as 200 teens learning stewardship first hand.”

Delivering Food

To serve is a true gift for the receiver and giver.

Cary, N. C. – Tired of hearing bad news? Rotten kids? Crime? Selfishness? Economic disaster?

There is a lot that goes on in this community that is, well, “good”.  Random and anonymous acts of kindness,  selfless donations of time and money, kids building character by helping others.

St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church sponsors programs that foster these charitable acts.  No big foundations, no adult chairpersons running the show – just caring people quietly guiding each other and sharing their own blessings.

As part of  the two year ”confirmation”  process, St. Michael’s provides guidance to 300 14-18 year-olds to share their gifts.  When I asked Dr. Nina Rizzo, Associate Director High School Youth Ministry, what was going on with the Youth Programs I was blown away.

First I should explain “Confirmation”.  Dr. Rizzo defines Confirmation (along with Baptism and Eucharist) as a ”Catholic sacrament of initiation”.  She told me that “Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on our soul; for this reason you can receive this sacrament only once”.

Nina leads these youths to understand his/her commitment to the life and mission of the Church.  The goal is to have formed teens that are ready “to lead a life of prayer, worship, and service“.  “Youth are expected to fulfill at least two group service projects per year.”  Dr. Rizzo told me that in other similar positions her office phone would ring and parents would ask, “do you have any service work my teen can do?”  So Nina adopted the philosophy to stress that these projects should not be once-in-a-lifetime “chores” to fulfill “a requirement”,  but rather to have service to the community evolve into a “way of life”.

“I wanted to create service opportunities where teens learn, participate, and experience service with the community.  Hopefully this experience would lead to an understanding that service is not a ‘requirement’ but a way of seeing, acting, and being in the world.”

Some Examples

The Brown Bag Ministry and Helen Wright Women’s Shelter are about preparing meals for the hungry and homeless.  Most importantly, these projects provide opportunities for the teens to meet the people they are serving.  For the Brown Bag Ministry 1,000 lunches are boxed, they then drive to Moore Square and distribute the lunches.  At the Helen Wright Shelter, after cooking the food they serve about 40 women at the Shelter and sit with them afterwards.  Teens get an up-close and personal encounter with the poor and needy.   There are an amazing number of hungry people in our own community.  We often think of poverty as some distant problem that only takes place in third world countries.  It’s right here on our own doorstep.  As for the teens, they begin to recognize how richly blessed they are.  Now when they complain that “there’s no food in this house!” teens realize the abundance of food that their parents provide.

Nina tells this story.  Lizzie Mayhew, a participant, started out Saturday morning with her classmates to the Brown Bag Ministry.  She was tired and wished she could have slept in.  Together they bagged lunches – plain and simple – two slices of white bread, one slice of bologna and cheese, a granola bar, and apple.  They drove to Moore Square and immediately a line of men approached the table seeking a ticket stub to receive a lunch.  Many, many lunches were given out.  A man approached the table asking for a lunch but didn’t have a ticket.  He was told that if lunches left over, he could come back and get one.  Lizzie kept an eye out for him.  Extra lunches were set out on the table and people came running to grab them.  Lizzie knew that if she didn’t take one then, the man would never get a lunch.  Quickly she grabbed a lunch, ran over to the man, and tapped him on the shoulder.  He swung around to see her arm extended holding out a boxed lunch.  Lizzie later told us that his eyes beamed with joy and gratitude.  This man made her feel wonderful inside.  But at the same time, she couldn’t believe how a plain sandwich could bring such happiness.  At that moment, she knew how lucky she was. Lizzie has been back several times on an early Saturday morning to fix brown bag lunches.

At Christmas time, the “divide” between the needy and those that have plenty become magnified.  The children make and distribute Thanksgiving baskets,  collect and give out toys through the ”Jesse Tree” (a tree is put in the church lobby with names of children hung on it like ornaments to pick, thereby sponsoring that child), and collecting used bicycles for needy families in the community as part of St. Mike’s Bikes.

Many of the teens are open about the joy it gives them. One of the teens, Steven Santoro, told Dr. Rizzo,  “I learned that not everyone is doing as well as I am.  I feel different now – I feel that I made people happy which made me happy.”  Another student, Robert Gallo, was “inspired to see the amount of people who came out on a cold, rainy day to clean and repair bikes.”

The Miracle League is a service project in which the St. Michael Latino Confirmation class and the H.S. Confirmandees serve together.  Teens “buddy up” with a child with mental and physical challenges to help them to play baseball.  The most revealing lesson teens walk away from this experience is that joy doesn’t come from owning things.  There are people with serious challenges who can experience extreme joy in the simple game of baseball.

I bet not too many of you knew about all this.  It humbled and inspired me.

Please write to us and let us know about other similar activities that you know of that are going on in Cary – “faith-based” or not.  Or make comments below.  Let’s share that joy here in the CaryCitizen.

Cary’s own Barbershop Quartet!

Cary, NC – Looking for a unique Valentine’s gift?  The Barbershop Quartet Group of the General Assembly Chorus have a Valentine’s program where you can book a quartet to surprise your loved one.  They will go their place of employment, home – wherever that special someone will be and sing two love songs, give them a card signed by you, and a rose.  According to member Andre Lesperance, “This never fails to impress the ladies, particularly if its done at work!”

The Cary members are: Dick Dee, Doug Elvers, Hal Huit, Steve Mark, Larry Schlesinger, Dick Smith, Fred Stevie,Ed Walch and Jade Walker.

The group is also participating in the Pretty in Pink Foundation Event on April 24,2010 at the Progress Energy Center hosted by WRAL’s Debra Morgan.  The Foundation was founded by Dr. Lisa Tolnitch, a breast surgeon, to help provide financial assistance for cancer medical treatment for those that are under-insured.   In North Carolina, nearly 20% of the women have no health insurance coverage and more than 14% live at or below the federal poverty level.  A great cause.
The General Assembly Chorus (not affiliated with the NC Legislature I am told!) was founded in 1975.  Its purpose is to pursue musical excellence. Some of their accomplishments:

•8  time winner of the Dixie District Chorus Championship, representing the Dixie district 7 times in International Competition, earning a 5th place medal.

•Produces both a Spring and Holiday show at the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh &
provides “turn-key” shows for various clients in Cary and the Triangle.

•Offers an annual unique “Singing Valentines” program, a very popular program for those looking for an unusual gift for their significant other.

•The RTP Chapter supports music in our schools. Sheet music and choral performances have been provided to participating elementary schools, and quartets have put on Master classes in barbershop singing for over 10,000 high school students in the Triangle over the last 13 years.

For more information contact Andre Lesperance at 919/303-0284 or the General Assembly Chorus.

How many barbershoppers does it take to change a light bulb? FIVE!  One to change the bulb and 4 to sing about how much they miss “that old lightbulb of mine”!

The General Assembly Chorus

Mike Curran at Triangle Aquatic Center. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary NC – The Curran Family Foundation completed its sixth full year of service to the community by donating $518,175 to fourteen different health, education and faith based nonprofit organizations that positively impact the lives of children and young adults in 2009.

“Many nonprofit organizations have been negatively impacted by the economy at a time when community needs have increased and we are blessed that the Foundation has been able to help support their efforts to make our community better,” said Foundation President Michael Curran.

According to the Foundation, 98.5% of the 2009 donations were granted to nonprofit organizations in Wake County. Total community donations over the Foundation’s six year history total $3,394,404.

Here are some of the recipients of CFF Grants in 2009:

• April’s Angels
• Hope Community Church
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
• Miracle League of the Triangle
• Muscular Dystrophy Association
• Triangle Aquatic Center
• YMCA of the Triangle

The Curran Foundation was created in 2003 and funded with an initial gift from its founder, Michael G. Curran. Funding came from the sale of Executive Benefit Services, Inc. (“EBS“) to The Principal Financial Group of Des Moines, Iowa. Mike founded EBS in 1992 and grew it into one of the largest non-qualified deferred compensation companies in the country. The Principal purchased EBS in 2001 and Mike remained on as CEO and President until his retirement in January of 2005.

 “We are excited to lend a helping hand to such a great cause,” said Dunlap. “By providing assistance to Wilderwood Service Dogs, we will be able to help a local boy just in time for the holiday season. We look forward to serving this cause, and we encourage everyone to join us.”

To make direct donations go to www.firstgiving.com/rgs.  Sponsors of the event are Haircolorxperts and Elizabeth Rushin Dentistry.

ABOUT HAIRCOLORXPERTS: Haircolorxperts are independently owned salons focused on providing the highest quality services in an upscale environment. In addition to expert haircoloring, the salons also offer men’s and women’s designer haircuts, Japanese thermal straightening, relaxers and advanced permanent waves. Haircolorxperts are multi-cultural salons and are able to service any type of hair, regardless of ethnicity. Voted Best Salon by the Cary Magazine reader’s poll, all staff members are tested extensively prior to hiring and receive ongoing training to ensure high standards. With locations at Cameron Village in Raleigh and The Arboretum in Cary, Haircolorxperts strives to accommodate busy schedules while providing the most superior hair care in the Triangle.