Story by Jennifer Bosk, United Way of the Triangle. Photo by Raging Wire.

Cary, NC – On any given night, 2,000 people in the Triangle are homeless.  From January 21st – 27th, more than 150 volunteers will take to the streets and homeless shelters in the Triangle to survey and identify our most vulnerable homeless individuals and families.

Living on the Streets = Deadly

The information collected during this time will be used to create a by-name registry that will serve to prioritize those homeless individuals who have been living on the streets the longest and quickly move them into permanent housing.

Living on the streets long-term is deadly. Studies show that chronically homeless people are more vulnerable and succumb to preventable illnesses two to three times more than the general population.  Last year, 40 homeless people died here in the Triangle.

United Way of the Greater Triangle is participating in the 100K Homes Campaign (www.100khomes.org), a national three-year program aimed at housing 100,000 vulnerable, homeless individuals and families by 2013.  The 100,000 Homes Campaign, launched by Common Ground, brings together change agents from across the country to find homes for 100,000 of the most vulnerable and long-term homeless individuals and families by 2013. It is designed to fundamentally alter our response to chronic homelessness by giving communities concrete tools and connecting the change agents with one another so no one has to innovate alone. To date, approximately 34 U.S. cities including New York, Detroit, and Fort Worth have pledged to support the campaign. More than 11,225 individuals have been permanently housed since late 2009.

People interested in being part of the 100,000 Homes Campaign can volunteer in various areas:

Survey Volunteers

You will be part of a team of people led by experienced outreach workers to canvass the streets and shelters administering surveys to homeless people.  Surveyors will be needed for both early morning (4am-7am) canvassing as well as daytime and evening canvassing in the shelters (4pm-9pm).  Location:  county specific (please identify which county you would like to be located in).

Early morning surveyors

• January 22nd:  Volunteer Training 1-4PM at United Way of the Greater Triangle, 2400 Perimeter Park Dr., Morrisville, NC  27560.
• January 24th:  3:45-7AM canvassing streets/unsheltered
• January 25th:  3:45 -7AM canvassing streets/unsheltered
• January 26th:  3:45-7AM canvassing streets/unsheltered

Sheltered surveyors

January 22nd:  Volunteer Training 1-4PM at United Way of the Greater Triangle, 2400 Perimeter Park Dr., Morrisville, NC  27560.
January 24th:  4-9PM – Interviewing at shelters
January 25th:  4-9PM – Interviewing at shelters

Data-entry Volunteers

You will be entering completed surveys into our data base.  Location:  you will be located at United Way of the Greater Triangle’s offices in RTP.

January 22nd – Volunteer Training 1-4PM at United Way of the Greater Triangle, 2400 Perimeter Park Dr., Morrisville, NC  27560.
At least one 4 hour shift during the days of January 24th –January 26th 9AM-9PM

How to Volunteer

Individuals wishing to sign up to volunteer should go to http://www.unitedwaytriangle.org/100khomes/ and follow the volunteer link.

Story and photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – It’s been a leisurely week here at CaryCitizen with just a few stories published. But it was a hectic 2011, capped by passing an important milestone heading into new year.

Topping 1 Million Total Views

We started CaryCitizen in July of 2009. Our lifetime stats as of December 29, 2011:

1.073 Million Total Views of CaryCitizen

That’s a happy milestone. Grateful thanks to all our loyal readers, contributors and commenters.

This year alone, we had over 350,000 web page views, up from 245,000 in 2010.

With your help, we can reach 500,000 in 2012. Keep forwarding those articles to friends and recommending us online and in-person. We appreciate the support more than you can know.

CaryCitizen in 2012

We’ll kick off 2012 on January 2 with some important announcements about additions to CaryCitizen’s products and staff.

Overall, we expect 2012 to prove a better business climate than we’ve seen in the past few years. Raise a toast to the new year and don’t forget to eat your Hoppin’ John.

Best Wishes from All of Us at CaryCitizen

On behalf of all the writers, editors, photographers and contributors to CaryCitizen, best wishes to all our readers and supoporters for a healthy, happy and prosperous new year.

Hal
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Hal Goodtree
Publisher
CaryCitizen

Story by Jayana Ira Saldanha. Edited by Matt Young.

Cary, NC and Mangalore, India – Many of us who work here in the Triangle in North Carolina have co-workers, contacts, clients and family in India. I was sharing tidbits about our traditions in the United States with a co-worker in India – Jayana Ira Saldanha – and she was kind enough to send this on. 

Matt,  

I wanted to tell you how we celebrate Christmas in my hometown-Mangalore, Karnataka, India.

The Mangalorean Catholics were converted to Catholicism by the Portugese, who landed in Goa around the late 15th century. Mangalore is known as “Rome of the east” because of the large number (about 155) of churches in its diocese.

Mangaloreans Catholics are very devout and make it a point to attend daily masses. We love family and celebrations with our family members. We are culturally a very happy, helpful and enterprising people. We have a unique culture and have myriad traditions and in many ways we are similar to the Goans. Our Mother-tongue is Konkani.

Christmas is celebrated in a grand manner. Christmas is a time to spread goodwill in being charitable and also to thank God for sending His beloved Son to save us.

The Christmas Star

The Christmas star is put up in every house in the 1st week of December. There is an electric bulb inside the star and at night the star glows brightly. This is a reference to the star that pointed the way to the three Wise-Men who were searching for the new-born messiah

“Kuswar”

Households start preparing the savories and sweets called Kuswar a month ahead of Christmas. Plum cakes and other types of cakes and baked goods are also prepared. Wine is also made by some.

This Kuswar is distributed to friends, neighbors and even tradesmen and servants who help us during the year. It is a gesture of goodwill towards them.

Preparing for Christmas

New Clothes are bought especially for the children. Churches are cleaned and decorated by the parishioners. Every church will have a large “Christmas Crib” or nativity scene made by the youth of the parish. There are inter-church prizes to be won on whose crib is the best! Also smaller cribs are done by every household and they too participate in the competitions. Charity events are organized during this time and people are urged by the priests to spread goodwill to all especially the poor and live the example of Jesus.

The West

Traditionally, we didn’t have the concept of Christmas Tree and Santa Claus but we have imported it from the West. Also youngsters attend balls on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve – this too is not something we traditionally do and is still frowned upon by many traditionalists.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas eve, we attend the “Midnight Vigil” mass along with our family. There will be carol singing in Konkani as well as English and Christmas skits in the Churches. Sometimes games and other fun activities are organized.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day is spent at home with family having a nice lunch – pork curry (we love pork!) and other items. Sometimes we visit our relatives and have lunch with them. Traditionally we go to our ancestral home and spend our Christmas with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. We like to sing and dance to Konkani songs during our gatherings.

Have a very happy and blessed Christmas there in North Carolina. Please do send pictures of celebrations in Cary. I would love to see the snow and all the pretty decorations!

Jayana

Story by Lindsey Chester, photos by Brooke Meyer

Cary, NC- The Cary Players rang in the Christmas season this past weekend at the Cary Arts Center with the stage version of the holiday chestnut “Its a Wonderful Life”.

The tale of George Bailey has been a perrenial favorite since Frank Capra produced the film starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed in 1946.

The story begins with George Bailey (played nobly by Jon Karnofsky) about to jump from a bridge thinking he is “worth more dead than alive” when he believes he is facing prison and financial ruin. “Angel second class”, Clarence Odbody (Lyman Collins in a fanciful turn),  tries to stop him. Much like A Christmas Carol, Clarence takes George back through his life to point out all the positive impact he has had on others.

George regrets never leaving his hometown, and thinks he has not accomplished his dreams. Now with certain bankruptcy facing him, he believes his life has truly been a waste. It is up to the angel to prove him otherwise. George exclaims “I wish I’d never been born!” at which point Clarence turns the scene to how life in Bedford Falls would be if George had never lived. A brother he’d saved, would have died instead of being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, bank loans he made would not have happened, and folks would have remained in slums not homes.

On Christmas Eve George comes to realize his life does matter. And in the end, all the people whose lives he has helped, come to his aid with money to bail him out of his financial woes.

Director Jaret Preston, has done a great job with casting. Lyman as Clarence is hilarious speaking up to Heaven. Jon Karnofsky as George has a tough act to follow in Jimmy Stewart, but does a fine job. Another standout was Fred Yaffe as Henry Potter whose aim is to take over Bedford Falls. Several characters have no lines, but managed to steal the scenes in which they appeared. I especially liked Bob Grannon’s silent “goon” as Mr Potter’s sideman.

The season wouldn’t be complete without some feel good productions and this was among our area’s finest. It is a tale of hope, and common decency among neighbors and friends. Always welcome this time of year to remind us of how much we do matter.

The Cary Players this season are adapting films to the stage. Their next production in February will be Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None”.

Cary, NC – I had a chance to stop by the Old Time Winter Festival in downtown Cary on Saturday. It was a lively good time and a beautiful afternoon so I took a few pictures.

Cary Citizen contributing photographer Brooke Meyer ended up taking the Santa pictures.

An outdoor theater had been set up on the north side of the street. I caught a few of the dance performances. Best costumes definitely went to this group.

Vendors and artists lined Chatham Street from Harrison to Academy.

Good times, low-key, neighborhoody and nice – that was this year’s Old Time Winter Festival.

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Events coverage on CaryCitizen is sponsored, in part, by The Meat House in Saltbox Village.

Story by Lindsey Chester, photos by Brooke Meyer

Cary, NC- The second annual Save A Life Walk on October 9th drew a crowd of over 300 to the Wake Med Soccer Park in their quest to raise money to help prevent teen suicide.

Victoria Bennis inspires the crowd at Save A Life Walk 2011

The group raised over $5000 and participants included Mayor of Cary Harold Weinbrecht and Wake County School’s Superintendent Tony Tata.

Superintendant Tony Tata participated in the Save a Life Walk

Money raised will go towards education in the prevention of teen suicides.

Victoria said “We will definitely be having the Third annual 5k next fall.” and “We are also having monthly Save A Life meetings for the public. Our first one is November 1st at Bond Park Community Center at 7:00!”

If you would like to learn more about the organization visit their website and read the two CaryCitizen stories: Last Year and Event Grows.

Cary, NC – For a long time, we’ve wanted to have a few pages on CaryCitizen to collect all the information on a few particular subjects. Our first was the Cary Non-Profits page. Now, we’ve added two more Community Pages.

Community Pages

The Non-Profits Page has now been joined by the Downtown Dining Page and the Cary Parks Page. You will find them all under the Community Pages tab on the CaryCitizen website.

The Downtown Dining Page lists all the restaurants in downtown Cary and is sponsored by the Heart of Cary Association and the Town of Cary.

Many people don’t know that within a few blocks of the corner of Chatham and Academy, there’s a whole world of international food – Czech, Chinese, Italian and Turkish to name just four places. We’ve included a handy map for your convenience.

The Cary Parks Page is a special Google Map we created that shows every Cary Park.

Finally, a note about the Non-Profits Page. We launched the page on September 12 with 39 non-profits. Thanks to our readers, we’ve now grown that list to 49 service non-profits in Cary.

And if you like CaryCitizen Pages, check out the Calendar, our first effort at aggregating all kinds of community information. It is by far the most complete calendar about Cary on the web with over 100 events every week.

More Pages to Come

In the future, we’ll continue to launch Pages that address community needs. Under consideration: a Real Estate Page and an Autos Page.

What would you like to see? Feel free to drop me a note.

Story by Lindsey Chester, photos courtesy of the Miracle League

Cary, NC- The Miracle League of the Triangle has been helping kids with disabilities enjoy the game of baseball for 5 years. They provide a service not just for those youngsters, but for all the volunteers in the organization who come together to make the league possible.

Traci Brown, the Miracle League’s Executive Director told me that this fall 301 athletes have registered to participate in what is usually their smaller season. Two new teams were added to bring the total number to 22. This past spring the league topped out at 285 kids. This growth has the organization laying the ground work for an additional ball field.

4000 Volunteers Make the Difference

The Miracle League is an inclusive league where all levels of ability are welcome.  Volunteers are always needed. Each team has a head coach and at least 3 assistant coaches. Teens as young as 14 can assistant coach, and player Buddies can be aged twelve and up. Head coaches are typically adults, many have children on a team. Each team has 15 players, and each player is matched up with their own Buddy who helps them catch, or hit, or stay connected to the game. That’s a lot of volunteers! Traci told me over 4000 people volunteer in a year!

Most people hear about the league through word of mouth. There are many great opportunities to volunteer with civic organizations and church youth groups, and many sports teams buddy up with the Miracle League to help other athletes with disabilities.

Inclusive League

As an inclusive league, there are no losers, everyone is a winner. Each game is 2 innings, and the scores always end in a tie. There are no “outs” or “foul balls”. Why is that important? Because for many of these young people the whole point is the participation. For them, being included, putting on the uniform and getting out on the field and being accepted is what this league is about. The Big Win is the progress they make from game to game and year to year from participating.

Traci said: “For many of these kids, it’s really not about baseball its more than that” and she added that “this may be the only recreational league that some of these children have.”

Players range in age from 5-26, but are grouped by age and ability. Four divisions (Minor, Junior, Major and Senior) means a 5 year old won’t be on the team with a 26 year old. Coaches are sensitive to cognitive and physical abilities of each child both for team placement and volunteer buddy match-up.

The field is a special level rubberized playing surface which allows for wheel chairs. Some of the balls are equiped with sound for the hearing impaired, and hitters can hit from a T-stand or have a ball pitched to them. Yes, there are home runs. Traci told me about Jack, who is well known for routinely hitting the ball over the fence to the roaring cheers of the crowd.

The Season

The league holds two 8 week seasons: Spring which runs from March- May and Fall running September through early November. Registration is just about done for this Fall, and Spring sign up takes place in February.

Two games are held on Friday nights and three on Saturdays, and soon Sundays will be added.  Games  last about 1 hour, and there are no practices. The point for these team mates is to get out and play! Volunteers are asked to volunteer for a three hour shift including the transitions between the games where they buddy.

Many young volunteers stay with the group for years, even coming back to help from college. And parents that get involved have been known to start as a coach, and later become board members.

In addition to coaches and team budies other volunteer opportunities include announcing games. Great announcers can’t be stressed enough, because they set the tone for the whole event. So if you like to put a mike in your hand and ham it up, there’s an opening for you!

A Little History

In late in 2004, after seeing a program about the Miracle League on television, local businessmen Robin Rose and Tony Withers were inspired to establish the Miracle League of the Triangle. The principle was simple:  to provide children with special needs the opportunity to play America’s Favorite past-time…. the game of Baseball.  The League constructed the Triangle’s first “Field of Dreams” in Cary at Henry Adams Elementary School in partnership with the Wake County Public School System.

The hope was to have 40 children (4 teams) and over 100 volunteers for Opening Day. On September 16, 2006 The Miracle League of the Triangle opened its first season with over 100 players (8 teams) and over 200 volunteers from throughout the Triangle. Every season it continues to grow.

Expansion

The league wants to have a second state-of-the-art handicapped accessible field location open in 2013. With all the growth they are experiencing, Traci said one goal is to eliminate the waiting list. Founders Robin Rose and Tony withers want to “Make sure that every kid gets the opportunity to play”. Families travel with their special needs kids from as far away as Fayetteville and Southern Pines to participate.

How You Can Help

Every year the organization holds 2 events.

• On October 20,  the Matthews House in Downtown Cary will host a Gala sponsored by the Cary Page Rotary. There will be a silent auction beginning at 6:30pm and a  live auction  starts at 8pm to raise funds for their operations. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served through out the evening.  Admission for this event is $50.
• On December 31st at midnight, is the 3rd annual Run in the New Year (RITNY). This 5 K and 1 mile Fun Run can be a cool way for the whole family to celebrate the New Year and help a great cause.

Watch the volunteer video if you think you might want to participate in this wonderful organization. Or attend one of their fundraising events.

The Miracle League  is truly in the business of making miracles happen.

Watch the “How to be a Buddy” video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVG1GkGfwvc

Story by Matt Young. Photo of Algonquin writers group from Wikimedia. L–>R  Art Samuels, Charlie MacArthur, Harpo Marx, Dorothy Parker and Alexander Woollcott.

Cary, NC – I’ve reviewed a lot of books written by local authors for CaryCitizen, and I’ve received many article submissions from Cary residents. It is very clear there is literary talent around these parts.

Earnest Hemmingway said, “Writing is a lonely occupation.” So – if you are hunched over a laptop, power-drinking coffee, your skin yearning for the the sun – get out of your house every once in a while!

Join the Guild

T. Lyn Fletcher, the author of the upcoming book series Twisted and Turned, and Lynda Chambers, owner of Chambers Arts Interactive Arts Studio, have started the Page Burners Writers Group, an informal guild open to published writers and aspiring writers throughout the Triangle area.

The group is meets on the final Wednesday of each a month (except November and December) in Chambers’ gallery in Ashworth Village, 200 South Academy Street, in Cary from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Lynda Chambers will moderate the meetings.  “We can evolve however the group decides,” she noted. “There’s no membership fee and the gallery provides refreshments. So whatever your genre, if you’re a writer, come and be inspired and supported by writers of all levels.”

The next meeting is September 28, 2011. Hob-nob and mingle there at 7 p.m. and jar loose that writer’s block. For info contact Lynda at lyndachambersart@yahoo.com.

Story by Lindsey Chester. Photos by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – I moved to Cary thirteen years ago from a fairly urban area, 15 miles outside of Manhattan. We didn’t see many birds there beside the common robin, sparrow or occasional bluejay. I did a double take when I saw my first bright yellow gold finch in Cary. I simply had to know what this tropical looking bird was!

That’s when I fell in love with Roger Tory Peterson’s Field Guide to Eastern Birds.

My Life List of Birds in Cary

Our kitchen features a large triple window that gazes out to a wooded backyard. I didn’t know many birds back then, but every time I saw something new, I grabbed my Peterson and flipped through the colorful paintings organized by bird type and habitat.

Being a Virgo (to be discussed at a later date), I keep track of what I have seen through the years, noting when and where I have seen my fair feathered friends. In over thirteen years, I can attest to the wide variety of species that call Cary home at least part of the year.

One of the most colorful surprises are the bright yellow goldfinches that cannot get enough of my native coneflowers out in the sun by my mailbox. When I pull up my drive, they flutter away across the street in surprise.

In the winter we throw handfuls of birdseed onto my back deck. The array this attracts always amazes me. Of course we have our bright red cardinals and duller mates. But a tri-color bird known as the Rufus Sided Towee is different with it’s rusty sides, black head and brown body.

The Carolina Chickadee, Wren and Blue Jay grab dinner outside my window in the winter, and disappear the rest of the year. And of course I quickly recognised the pert look and multi talented singing of the Mockingbird. And no other bird has the striking hue of the Eastern Bluebird.

Some of the more rare finds include a Pilated Woodpecker, a Red-headed Woodpecker (both seen all winter outside my office window on the sides of Loblolly pine trees. I have even seen magestic American Bald Eagles out at Lake Crabtree, one of whom once flew right in front of my windshield as I drove on Aviation Parkway!

Speaking of Lake Crabtree, for years as I cross the bridge by the airport, I look for (at great peril and not recommended) 2-3 great Blue Herons and the occasional Snowy Egrit. You know you have left New Jersey by all this variety!

Tonight in fact, we spotted the first Ruby Throated Hummingbird of the summer. They finally found my feeder stocked with sugar-water.

What else interests me about all this bird life is the fact that we must have a healthy eco-system here in Cary to be able to support all this variety. An urban area simply does not have the varied food sources that these species need to survive.

On our property we have sweet gum, loblolly pines, pyrocanthus, blueberries, apples, cherries, coneflowers, red petunias, lavender, lilies, crepe myrtle and Ligustrum, all of which provide food and habitat for a variety of bird life. Let’s not even get started on the other wild life that calls my 1/3 acre home!

How to Attract Birds to Your Property

The best way to attract birdlife to your property is to plant trees and shrubs that offer nourishment and shelter. Call it Avian Real Estate Development!

You really need trees – birds don’t usually favor any but the largest shrubs as habitat. They like to be up.

Well developed gardens and beds on your property also provide an abundance of food. Different birds like different things. The cardinals love our figs. The blueberries have never once appeared on our table. The dill attracts butterflies, much to the delight of the birds.

Mixed bird seed is okay, too, especially at the end of the winter when food is scarce. Squirrels will get their fair share of any birdseed you toss around. Birds will get to know your home as a place where they can get a meal if you sprinkle the birdseed on a daily basis.

Cary Bird List

Birds you might see around Cary in the course of a year:

• Mockingbirds
• Wren
• Carolina Chickadee
• Rufus Sided Towee
• Blue Jay
• House Finch
• Gold Finch
• Assorted Crows and Ravens
• Barn Owl
• Red Shouldered Hawk
• Broad Shouldered Hawk
• Great Blue Heron
• Snowy Egret
• Red Headed Woodpecker
• Pilated Woodpecker
• Ruby Throated Hummingbird
• Robin
• Bluebird
• Tufted Titmouse
• Cardinal
• Snow Goose

Field Guide To Eastern Birds

It’s easy to identify your backyard birds with a copy of Roger Tory Peterson’s Field Guide to Eastern Birds. You will be surprised at the variety!

Kids love it too, and they have better eyesight than the grownups.