Show Your Support: Events: Coctails for a Cause

As usual, Social Angst is here to encourage you to engage in simple acts of social activism.

Today's suggestions: Go out and have a drink in the name of educational advancement!!

I read about The Opening Ceremony: Cocktails for a Cause fundraiser over at Jack & Jill Politics today. The event is being given by the Academic, Cultural, Technological - Scientific Olympics (Olympics of the Mind) organization, aka ACT-SO.

A brief overview of ACT-SO:
ACT-SO is an academic and cultural enrichment program that provides high school students an opportunity to enhance their skills in over 26 categories spanning the Sciences, Humanities, Performing and Visual Arts. This national program was founded by award winning journalist and civil rights activist Vernon Jarrett in 1977 to help destroy the cycle of low expectations and low achievement that plagues minority youth. Today over 500,000 minority high school students participate locally in over 500 branches throughout the country. Local winners go on to compete in the national Olympics of the Mind Competition. Famous ACT-SO alumni include John Singleton, Jada Pinkett, Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, Roy Hargrove and Anthony Anderson.

If you are interested in supporting the efforts of ACT-SO and are available to come out tomorrow, head over to Tillman's. See what your $40 donation gets you at http://www.theopeningceremony.eventbrite.com.

For all you single Angsters, this sounds like a nice place to meet some like minded individuals...

For those of you unable to make it, don't forget you can donate without attending!

You want easy social activism? I say it doesn't get much easier than this! :-p

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Support New York Cares

On Saturday, October 18, 2008, I will be joining thousands of other New Yorkers to take part in the annual New York Cares Day - a volunteer event aimed at sprucing up public spaces used by New York City school children. Volunteers armed with paint cans and brushes, seeds and soil, will bring an annual face lift to schools and other special spaces New York students use most. The day of beautification aims to revitalize our city's greatest learning environments, so that in turn those spaces can inspire the children of our communities.

In addition to rolling up my sleeves on Saturday, October 18th, I will also be collecting donations for the New York Cares non-profit organization. The mission of New York Cares is to "meet pressing community needs by mobilizing caring New Yorkers in volunteer service." For twenty years New York Cares has been inspiring and mobilizing volunteers to do just that. Each year they plan and execute a wide variety of events that allow upwards of 30,000 volunteers to get involved with their communities. They are also responsible for annually executing hugely successful holiday drives that deliver clothing and toys to those in need, while allowing even the busiest New Yorkers an opportunity to give back. For more information on the New York Cares organization, please visit them at www.nycares.org and specific information on the New York Cares Day event can be found at www.newyorkcaresday.org

Since this is my first attempt at raising money for the organization, I have set my fundraising goal to a modest $500.00. All donations go towards helping fund New York Cares Day and towards other New York Cares volunteer initiatives throughout the year. Please help me to reach my goal by donating what you can. Request the donation link here

If any of you are interested in volunteering, I would love to put together a Social Angst Volunteer Team. We would need at least 10 people to start our own team. Send an email to Angstism@gmail.com letting me know you are interested, but keep in mind I would register the team to volunteer in a Brooklyn neighborhood (preferably Canarsie).

I thank you in advance for supporting me.

-Peace, Blessings & Social Angst!!

MsBRG722

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