CommunityView: Five Ways to Be Modesto’s Valentine
by MaryAnn Spikes
- Sign up for a Love Modesto volunteer project at LoveModesto.com/april-8
April 8 Festivities begin at 8:00am on I & 10th Streets, right in front of the Gallo Center (NOT at your project location).
Free “Love Modesto” t-shirts given out to volunteers (limited supply so come early)! Lots of music, free giveaways including Modesto Nuts tickets for all! Free food and refreshments (SaveMart, Starbucks, Pepsi, Blue Diamond Growers, Del Monte, Frito-Lay, Gold’n Fresh Bakery, Noah’s, Yogurt Mill, etc.). Free kid’s area featuring face painting, mascots, games, etc. Free back massages by Armstrong Chiropractic. Free family/friend photos by Platinum Photo Booth. Fire trucks, ambulances, CHP, Sheriff and MPD patrol cars, motorbikes, swat truck, K9 and horses. The Rally starts around 8:45am and then everyone will be sent to meet with their project teams before going to their project locations. It’s going to be an incredible family-friendly atmosphere before over 5,000 of us go out to volunteer in 100+ projects!
- Buy advance tickets to see The Nine at The State (showing March 1) thestate.org/calendar/event/827
The State is hosting filmmaker Katy Grannan and producer Marc Smolowitz during a special screening of The Nine, after which there will be Q&A and open discussion about homelessness, its impact on our community and an update on what’s being done about it.
- Check out Queen Bean’s February Poetry Night featuring Deziree Whitfield and Spill (Feb 7) facebook.com/events/1815737112008870
The Queen Bean and its volunteers are back again with another installment of their first-Tuesday-of-the-month Poetry Night! This is a free event, open to the public, for mature audiences.
- Support Shower Shuttle #2! showershuttle.com/donate
Cleansing Hope Shower Shuttle is leaping into transforming donated shuttle #2. Will you please help them transform this next shuttle bus into the amazing mobile shower system that you know they can build? They’ve proven themselves building the first bus and blessing Modesto’s poorest with 2,562 showers (as of 1/21/17) in five months, and they need YOU to help them make shuttle #2. Even $10 will help!
- Register for Focus on Prevention’s “Strengthening Families: Results and Strategic Direction” (March 2) eventbrite.com/e/focus-on-prevention-strengthening-families-results-and-strategic-direction-planning-tickets-31246596411
Even as work continues on the movement to reduce and prevent homelessness, the Stewardship Council has moved to launch a second related effort under Focus on Prevention. This effort will focus on individuals who are, or have been, engaged in the criminal and juvenile justice systems, and their families. In the March session, we will review additional data about this population, and begin developing plans and structures to move to action. In the meantime, please register as soon as possible so we know how many people to anticipate and can plan accordingly.
