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Archives for February 2011

AIDS Resource Center Ohio Looking for Young Adults with A Passion To Be An Ambassador For Their Mission

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Why be a part of the ARC Ohio Associate Board?

Young adults are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that as many as half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. occur among those aged 25 years and younger. As a result, AIDS Resource Center Ohio (ARC Ohio) has formed an Associate Board as a method of engaging young adults in the fight against the epidemic.

What kind of members are we looking for?

Young adults between the ages of 21 and 40 who have—or are willing to gain—an extraordinary commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS transmission.   In addition to this commitment, we  are looking for members who complete a matrix of characteristics including skill areas, employment and demographics.     The information gained from completing the next two pages will help us best fill the ranks with people who are not only committed to the cause, but fill the gaps we are looking for to achieve a well-rounded Associate Board.

What is the Value to me as a Joiner?

●   Enhances résumé-building with important community service while gaining a sense of philanthropy.
●   Increases knowledge about ARC Ohio’s vital work including advocacy and the art of fundraising
●  Develops leadership skills and the potential to join the ARC Ohio’s Board of   Trustees in the future.
●  Be part of a group of people that has fun and does interesting activities together.

Interested?

Please take a moment to read the Associate Board Responsibilities and the Time Commitment.  Then, if you still think this is a fit for you, fill out the application in full.  Someone will be in touch with you as soon as possible.  If you have questions or would like more information about the Associate Board or AIDS Resource Center Ohio, please contact Nora Vondrell or 937.461.2437 ext. 2027.

New Organization CultureMASH Already Seeing Vision Come Alive

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A new revolution towards social good..and social change. Where volunteerism meets creativity. CultureMASH is a unified force in the marketing community using their talents and voices to amplify the regions causes, enhance outreach initiatives and transform our younger generation into future leaders.

CultureMASH set out on this mission after seeing the astounding impact social media can have in creating awareness and building community. Though technical aspects apply when building a campaign driven for results, the basic fundamentals of branding still apply. The success of any mission relies on awareness and the key factor in enhancing that awareness is reaching your audience through all mediums.

Frequently, the CultureMASH team shares links, Facebook/ Twitter pages and various articles and videos for non-profits doing great work in and around our region. It is important to all of us that we have a solid understanding of the incredible work being done to improve the lives of thousands of people in Dayton.

Last week, their team was encouraged to follow 30DaysHomeless on Facebook.  Like a good team player Natasha Baker,  immediately went to the page to see what it was all about.

It didn’t take long for her to be deeply moved. If you haven’t heard about this amazing project, Pastor Ryan Riddell of the Shelter Church of Dayton has taken his mission of raising awareness of the homeless in Dayton to the streets-literally. He is living in a van on the streets of Dayton for 30 days.

Through a vlog and Facebook, Ryan is telling the stories of the people he meets and the treatment he receives as an assumed homeless man. And he has gotten the attention of media around the country.

Natasha was inspired by the story of Eddie, a young man who became homeless after aging out of the foster care system at just 18. Ryan helped him get to an interview that resulted in a job for Eddie. And Eddie’s first response to this new opportunity was that it would afford him the chance to go to Sinclair.

Natasha got on the phone and arranged for Eddie to meet with the admissions counselors at Sinclair Community College, secured potential scholarship dollars and funding for supplies and books. “It is the Sinclair way to jump in and help potential students” says, Baker. Eddie is on his way to a college degree and chance at getting life back on track.

Congratulations to Eddie and to thank you to Ryan for the sacrifice and determination to do what you are doing. It is for these kinds of opportunities to help that I joined this team. Natasha stated that she is  “proud to be a part of CultureMASH”..but the organization is just as proud to have her and excited that having only launched in late December of 2010, they are already seeing happen what they knew would.

Jane’s Best Bets (2/2 – 2/6)

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Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

Hello February…and hello icky weather!  If you’re reading this, that means you still have power, which is a great thing!  I hope you also have the power to get up off the couch and enjoy some of these events!

On Groundhog Day (a.k.a. Wednesday), eat lunch at Smokey Bones for their $5 Lunch Special.  Over at the Schuster Center, check out the Visual Voices Art Exhibit:  Dayton Skyscrapers 2011, which celebrates “women and men who stand tall as role models in the Dayton African-American community.”  There will be a sea of food at Dorothy Lane Market as part of their Oyster Bar Happy Hour, as well as at Bonefish Grill for their Bang Bang Shrimp Wednesday.  If you are a fan of environmental causes and would like to know more about the lives affected by the water industry as well as public water rights, then you will want to attend the Environmental Film Series: Tapped at Cox Arboretum.  Enjoy an adult beverage at The Wine Loft for their Happy Hour, The Wine Gallery for their Weekly Wine Tasting, or Bruning’s Wine Cellar for their Taste the Wines of Frog’s Leap event.  If you’re downtown, head to the Schuster Center to see 9 to 5: The Musical (I’m looking forward to it after my 9 to 5 job!) or to The Loft Theatre to see Twelfth Night.  Over at Clark State Performing Arts Center, watch Fiddler On The Roof…I’m hoping he doesn’t fall down with it being icy!  And finally, support the UD Flyers as they play St. Bonaventure at UD Arena…and hopefully get a victory!

On Thursday, celebrate the Chinese New Year with dinner specials at both The Nanking Inn and Kabuki.  Have you always wanted to dance, but keep putting it off?  If so, boogie your way to Michael Solomon Pavillion for International Folk Dance Lessons.  Over at the Dayton Racquet Club, attend the Go Red for Women/American Heart Month Kickoff.  At The Neon, check out Pecha Kucha Night Dayton, Volume 6, in which there will be several short presentations by noteworthy people around the city about their creative endeavors.  The presentations will be followed by a screening of the documentary DIVE, which is based on the topic of food waste at L.A. supermarkets.  For more information about Pecha Kucha, click here.  If you like meeting new people, head to Cedarville University to meet Dolly… be sure to tell her Hello, Dolly! Also, at the Schuster Center, you will be able to see 9 TO 5: The Musical, and at The Loft Theatre, you can catch Twelfth Night.

On Friday, after you get out of the shower, be sure to put on your red for the National Wear Red Day, in honor of the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” Movement.  If you wish, you can continue to celebrate the Chinese New Year at China Dynasty, The Nanking Inn, or Kabuki.  Get out your dancing shoes and head to the Michael Solomon Pavilion for the Contra Dance Party – Cityfolk.  If you love a good fish fry, head to either the Ascension or the St. Mary Fish Fry.  All you art lovers will want to participate in First Friday, the fabulous art hop which happens the first Friday of each month downtown.  There will also be many wonderful shows going on in our great region, including 9 to 5: The Musical (Schuster Center), The Octette Bridge Club (Beavercreek Community Theatre), The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee (Dayton Playhouse), Twelfth Night (Loft Theatre), The Berenstain Bears Onstage; A Bear Country Musical! (Town Hall Theatre), and True West (University of Dayton-Kennedy Union Boll Theatre).  And finally, listen to The Rocket Man, The Eagles, Diana Ross, and The Beatles as you skate at RiverScape for their event, Peace, Love, and Skate: 60s and 70s.

On Saturday, bring your Valentine and go to the wonderful El Meson for their Cooking Class for Lovers.  For all you techies, head to the Dayton Diode Open House which has been called a “YMCA for nerds”…perhaps I should go then!  When tragedy strikes, it is important for a community to join together.  Over at St. John’s Lutheran Church, bring your friends and participate in the Dodgeball Tournamnet to benefit the Suzanne Waughtel Hopper fund.  In the evening, there are opportunities to support other great causes.  You can attend the 21st Annual Artemis Center Gala ‘Be a Star, a Purple Carpet Event’ at Sinclair or Sing your Heart Out For A Good Cause (the American Heart Association) at The Wine Loft.  All you “pasghetti” lovers (as many kids call it!) will want to go to the American Legion Post 598 for Franco’s FAMOUS Spaghetti.  Over at RiverScape, participate in the Star-Late Skate.  Also on Saturday, there will be a plethora of theatre options, including 9 to 5: The Musical, The Berenstain Bears Onstage; A Bear Country Musical, The Octette Bridge Club, The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee, Twelfth Night, and True West.

On Sunday, consider going to Alex’s for their Jazz Brunch.  Or you can Savor Your Sunday & Support Stivers at Coco’s Bistro.  If it’s not too cold, perhaps you’ll want to learn the Fundamentals of Skating at RiverScape.  Sundays are a great day for the arts, so consider checking out the Wright State University 2011 Faculty Exhibition, Visual Voices Art Exhibit; Dayton Skyscrapers 2011 at the Schuster Center, Folk Art from the Collection of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP at The Dayton Art Institute, or A Student of People Exhibit at Troy-Hayner Cultural Center.  Or check out one of the many theatre productions going on around town.  If you still haven’t done so, be sure to check out DMM’s onStageDayton, where Shane, Katherine, and Russell keep you up to date on the Dayton theatre scene!

And now it’s time for the Dumb Joke of the Week. Drum roll please…

How many pessimists does it take to change a lightbulb?

Nevermind.  Nobody would get the joke anyway.

These are just a few best bets from the DMM Calendar.  There are plenty more events listed there, so if you haven’t, I encourage you to check it out today!  Also, if you have an event to share or promote, please submit it– it’s great marketing and better yet, it’s FREE!  And finally, if you have a dumb joke to share, I’m all ears!

Have a great week Dayton!

YP Roundup – February

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We’ve made it through the longest day of the year and now we’re into the shortest month; fingers crossed that the pesky groundhog misses its shadow and spring is just around the corner.  Groundhog or not, time seems to be flying by, but before it gets too far away from us – we can enjoy a lot of great YP events coming up this month.

Wednesday, February 2: Start off February by making a commitment to better your city!  A way for YPs to get involved is the “Street Level” committee for the Vacant Storefronts Project.  The Downtown Dayton Partnerhsip (in collaboration with many community leaders, businesses, volunteers, and organizations) has been crafting the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan.  They handed over control of this important project to any and all young people in the region who want to make a significant visual impact on the vibrancy of the region.  There are three committees working hard to fill the empty storefronts in different ways.  Contact Sherri to learn how to get involved.

UPDATE:  CANCELLED!  Also, the first Wednesday of the month brings the Ballet Barre/Associate Board meeting at the Dayton Racquet Club.  As always, they start with a social and an opportunity to check out the view from the top of the DRC, then they get into the business of the meeting.

Have you checked out Meetup yet?  If you’re a 30-something in the region and interested in meeting some new people while checking out some fun venues, maybe this is for you.  Their schedule changes often as new events are added as people decide to host a party or schedule a dinner out.  They’re planning a couple fun ones on Friday, February 4 (downtown with First Friday as the setting) and Saturday, February 5 to watch the UFC fight at Champps down south.

To keep with the Meetup spirit, the Dayton Young Professionals are hitting Meadowlark for a fun, social, and casual brunch on Sunday, February 6.

Are you a reader?  Or do you love the social aspect of a book club?  Either way, join Generation Dayton on Monday, February 7 at Books & Co. at the Greene for their monthly book club meeting.  They are discussing The Little Black Book of Leadership written by Dr. Todd Dewett.  Who’s going to be there?  Oh yeah, Dr. Dewett himself!  Don’t miss this chance to get great insights on an inspiring book from the author himself.

Head up north on Wednesday, February 9 from 12-1 PM to have lunch with HYPE.  They’ll be at The Backyard Bistro in Piqua where you can meet some new friends, keep up with some upcoming events, and check out a great location in the northern Miami Valley.  New members welcome!

Thursday, February 10 brings a collaboration for all networking, social, and arts minded YPs.  JumpstART hooks up with Generation Dayton during their monthly “Thirsty Thursday” to make it bigger and better than ever.  Get some free appetizers, happy hour drink prices, and 1/2 off small plates at downtown’s newest hot spot, De’Lish.  THEN head across the street to the Human Race Theatre for half price tickets to Twelfth Night.  Stick around after the show to meet the cast and get a special YP backstage tour.  It’s a big night open to ALL young people in the region.  Details on the whole night here.

Did you know that one of the local YP groups – Generation Dayton – is actually a program of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce?  It just demonstrates how much local businesses value the role of young professionals in the region.  Learn more about it from Phil Parker, the President and CEO of the Dayton Chamber, at the Business and Breakfast Speaker Series on Tuesday, February 15 at the Dayton Racquet Club.  Free to attend, breakfast at your expense.

So, you got your breakfast YP fix – now get those creative juices flowing on the evening of February 15 as the Dayton Creative Syndicate presents speaker Brian Hoff from The Design Cubicle. Time: 6-7 PM – Only $10 for DCS members, $20 for nonmembers, $5 for students.  Learn more about Brian and the DCS here.

Are you a 20-something in the region looking for some new people to hang out with?  There is no shortage of great events with the 20-somethings of Dayton Meetup.  On Wednesday, February 16 they are partying it up at the Soft Rock Cafe for Karaoke and drink specials.  No worries if you’re a non-singer, you can shoot pool, throw darts, or make fun of cheer on the signers.

The 20-somethings love their mid-week get togethers.  Wednesday, February 23 they test how many brain cells they’ve kept since college with trivia at Harrigan’s South.  These and lots more meetups for the 20-somethings at: http://www.meetup.com/20somethings-of-Dayton-Ohio/#upcoming

Generation Dayton often opens its events to all YPs in the region.  But this month’s Lunch Speaker Series on Friday February 25 is for dues-paying Member’s Only.  If you’re a member of GenD or want to consider joining, check out the Web page for details on this lunch topic.

Et. al: Not specifically YP events (oh, no – I’m breaking the rules!) but some great options for YPs include:
Pecha Kucha night on Thursday, February 3 at the Neon, a graffiti party at upcoming downtown restaurant Olive during First Friday, Dayton Diode (self-described as a YMCA for nerds) open house on Saturday, February 5, the YMCA Valentine’s Ball on February 11, WYSO’s silent auction on February 12, and EVERY Sunday in February you can enjoy brunch to benefit Stivers School for the Arts at Coco’s.  For these (and so many more) great Dayton events, keep an eye on the weekly Jane’s Best Bets.

So – those are a handful of events keeping you busy in February and introducing you to lots and Lots and LOTS of new YPs who are active and involved in having a great time in Dayton.  Go to everything and you’ll average an event every other day.  Check out something new and let me know how it goes.

Music Video Monday: January 31, 2011

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Since it’s pretty late on this particular Monday, I tried to choose a music video that would serve you well going into Tuesday.  If the Miami Valley does indeed get the ice storm that’s been forecast, tomorrow would be a good day to stay in and catch up on some local music.  I recommend setting aside about 10 minutes to check out We Do This Every Week.  It’s a documentary by Dayton expats, Angelle Haney Gullett & Steven Gullett about Musician’s Co Op, a Tuesday night tradition at Canal Street Tavern.  It may even inspire you to strap on some ice skates and head over to Canal Street tomorrow night to see Co Op in person.