13th Annual Auction & Comedy Night is suggested for adults 16 years and older.

Details:

Date and Time: May 9, 2008

06:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Location: Bingemans Marshall Hall
Kitchener, Ontario
 
Member Ticket: $25 GST incl. 
Future Member Ticket: $30 GST incl. 

What: Kitchener & Waterloo’s Spring Sprint, Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada’s national fundraising walkathon, features a 5km walk or run. Pledges raised are used to fund research and also help to provide education, information and support to the estimated 55,000 Canadians currently living with a brain tumour.

Who:  Santi Family, Kitchener & Waterloo Spring Sprint Honourary Spokespeople
      Stephanie Dorion, Kitchener & Waterloo Spring Sprint Coordinator
      Sue Ruypers, Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada

When: Saturday, May 10, 2008
      Check-in: 11:00 a.m.
      Start: 12:00 p.m.

Where:  Waterloo Park – Picnic Shelter
 
Spring Sprint online registration begins February 15th, 2008 with a great incentive to collect pledges through our website. Visit www.springsprint.ca today!

M & M Meat Shops Charity BBQ

Saturday, May 10, 2008 from 10 am till 4 pm.

Join us for a fun day at your local M & M Meat Shops and get a hamburger or hot dog, a bag of chips and a drink for just $2.50.

All proceeds go to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada.

Saturday, May 10, the United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries is hosting the 2008 Cambridge Mayor’s Walk for Volunteerism. This is a fun, family, fundraising event where you can support your favourite charity or non-profit organization, while celebrating volunteerism in our community.

Volunteer Cambridge does all the work!  All you do is collect pledges and participate in the walk.  50% of the pledges you raise go to Volunteer Cambridge and the other 50% goes to a charity of your choice, including minor sports teams, and schools.

The walk begins at 9:30 a.m. from Dickson arena and continues through historic downtown Galt, along the river. 

Participants are able to register, create a personalized webpage and collect pledges, and track their progress all online. Individuals wanting to make a pledge can go online, search for the person they are pledging for and make a donation through a Pay Pal account or by credit card.

Downloadable pledge forms are also available on the site, as well as other information about the event and Volunteer Cambridge.

http://www.volunteercambridge.dojiggy.com/

Pledge forms can also be picked up from the United Way office, 150 Main St., 2nd Floor, Cambridge, or from any Scotiabank branch in Cambridge.

Make a difference!  Join the fun!

Awesome prizes!

Great food & refreshments!

Cool entertainment!

Enter as an individual or put a team together -  you could even challenge another team!

For more information contact Karin 519-621-1030 x.229 karin@uwcambridge.on.ca.

After nearly two years of construction, St. Mary’s is ready to open its new 100,000 sq. foot building.  Nestled between St. Mary’s existing ‘Tower’ and administration buildings, the new facilities will house brand new operating rooms, surgical recovery space, a multitude of clinics and outpatient programs and important support services.
To celebrate this historic occasion, St. Mary’s is hosting a community open house on Saturday, May 10th, 2008 from 10 am till 2 pm.  The open house will showcase the hospital’s new space and equipment, and will include guided tours from St. Mary’s staff.  Refreshments will be available and parking is free.
Our community has been an important part of our history and growth, and we are excited to show them how their efforts and generous gifts have helped to enhance our facilities.
For more than 80 years, our staff, physicians and volunteers have been providing excellent, compassionate care.  Now we have the first-class facilities to complement the first-class care we provide. 

Date:  Sunday, May 11, 2008

Time:  5km Walk Begins at 10am, Brunch Begins at 11

Place: Bingemans, 425 Bingemans Centre Drive, Kitchener

Heart disease and stroke are the leading cause of death among Canadian women.  Sadly, most don’t know it.  This Mother’s Day, walk with and for, the women in your life and support lifesaving Heart and Stroke Foundation research. 

The Heart & Stroke Walk and Mother’s Day Brunch take place on Sunday, May 11th at Bingemans. 

To register for this 5KM walk, and purchase tickets for the brunch please contact the local Heart and Stroke Foundation office at 519-571-9600.

From May 12 - 14, 2008, the Laurel Centre for Social Entrepreneurship will be presenting the inaugural Social Entrepreneurship Intensive, which we have lovingly termed the "bootcamp." The Intensive will run for three full days at the University of Waterloo and will cover an in-depth exploration of the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for the budding or growing social entrepreneur. Highlights will include presentations from Alan Quarry, CEO of Quarry Integrated Communications, on branding and marketing; John Baker, CEO of Aperio Inc., on revenue generation; Cheryl Rose, director of partnerships and projects for the Social Innovation Generation at the University of Waterloo, on engaging universities; Geoff Malleck, associate director of the Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology at UW, on entrepreneurship; and Bob Copeland, associate vice-president of annual giving and alumni affairs at UW, on seeking sponsorship.
The Social Entrepreneurship Intensive program will be limited to 30 participants. The three-day event costs $250 for students and $450 for community members. Workshop materials, accommodations and meals are provided for all participants as part of the program.
Interested? Want to learn more? Visit http://laurelcentre.ca/bootcamp.html for more information on who should attend and why, the event schedule, the cost breakdown, the venue, and how to register.

 There are all kinds of barriers that exclude people with disabilities from participating in our community. Every time someone is excluded we all lose out. It makes good sense both economically and socially to have accessible neighbourhoods and businesses. In an attempt to help Kitchener-Waterloo become more accessible the Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region has created Sensitivity Training Workshops to help create conversations around this topic.

In this three hour workshop participants will gain insight to some of the barriers that exist in the community and discover the benefits and rewards of an inclusive community.

Topics such as language, stereotypes, disability awareness, barriers, ableism, the duty to accommodate and universal design, will be addressed.

Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008

Time: 9 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Place: Zehrs Community Room, Laurentian Power Centre
(750 Strasburg at Ottawa)

Fee: $30.00 Volunteer Action Centre Members/ $40.00 Non-Members

Facilitator: Andrena Lockley, Public Awareness & Education Coordinator,
Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region.

Advanced Registration and Payment is requested.

Volunteer Action Centre
151 Frederick St., Suite 300
Kitchener, ON N2H 2M2
Phone: 519-742-8610
Fax: 519-742-0559

Fan Appreciation Day

Picture yourself with the cup!

Join us in Downtown Kitchener Wednesday May 21st

King Street will be closed 12 - 2pm

Join us to sample food from local restaurants!

Watch the Media Street Hockey Tournament!

See the Cup 2-4pm

FREE admission to The Children’s Museum!

Donate to have your picture taken with the Memorial Cup!

Don’t miss Discovering Chimpanzees

Guelph Musicfest is back with an exciting second season of classical music from Thursday May 8 to Wednesday May 21, 2008 in the Recital Hall of the Guelph Youth Music Centre.

The theme of this year¹s festival is Beethoven & Brahms, and the five-concert series highlights great works by these master composers, played by a powerhouse lineup of performers.

Tickets for Guelph Musicfest 2008 are ON SALE NOW, and the web site is fully updated. You can browse the exciting series, and even download a full media release with info about the concerts and the performers.

www.guelphmusicfest.ca

The Kitchener Soccer Club is hosting a Much Music Video Dance Party on May 23rd at RIM Park - Forbes Hall. 

The profits from the dance will go directly towards the boys uniforms and training facility times.

Invigorate your strategic planning process by building on what works well in your organization. Take time to reflect on the positive at this upcoming workshop!

Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to planning that emphasizes strengths and assets rather than focus on gaps and deficits. In this hands-on workshop, you will be invited to use an appreciative lens to look at the world around you and have an opportunity to explore what your organization does well.

Discover and mine your proven capacity for more effective outcomes and improved sustainability.

Date: Thursday, May 29, 2008

Time: 9 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Place: Zehrs Community Room, Stanley Park Mall
1005 Ottawa Street at River Road

Fee: $30.00 Volunteer Action Centre Members $40.00 Non-Members

Facilitator: Trudy Beaulne M.A., Executive Director
Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo
Advanced Registration and Payment is requested.

Volunteer Action Centre
151 Frederick St., Suite 300
Kitchener, ON N2H 2M2
Phone: 519-742-8610

Hot Shots Tournament ‘Shoots and Scores’ for Kids!
Join the 3rd annual Hot Shots Street Hockey Tournament on May 31st and support camp and recreational opportunities for needy children in this community.  

There are many ways to participate—register a team in one of the many divisions, volunteer or ref.  Or just come out to cheer on your favourite team and enjoy the Hot Shots Kids Street Fair complete with bouncy castle, mini put course, face painting, tattoos and crafts! BBQ, t-shirts, and prizes available for players and volunteers.

To register your team, sponsor the event, donate a prize, or volunteer, ‘shoot over to’  www.HotShotsTournament.com 

May is Speech and Hearing Month!

From the time they are born, children start communicating.  Very early in their lives they learn to understand what you are saying and to make sounds of their own.  Communication skills are critical to your child’s future success because they help your child make friends, learn to read and succeed at school.
About one in 10 children need help to develop normal speech and language skills.  If you are concerned about your preschooler and live in the Waterloo Region, contact KidsAbility at 519-886-8886, ext 214 to refer your child to a Speech- Language Pathologist.  It is never too early to help!

On June 8th 2008 Extend-A-Family is hosting its 2nd annual Wellness Walk & Wheel event at Bingemans. This event aspires to help raise money for our agency, as well as promote wellness among the individuals and families we serve, our workers, staff and the community at large. Participants will be asked to raise pledges, and the top fundraisers will be awarded with prizes. In addition, all participants will have the opportunity to win draw prizes.  We want this to be a family event so please bring along your children, your dog, your relatives and your friends.  You can walk, wheel or turn cartwheels for 3 km or 5 km (trails will be wheelchair accessible). The money raised from this event will be used for projects that support the families and individuals we serve.

For more information about the Wellness Walk & Wheel or Extend-A-Family please contact Michelle Martin by phone (519) 741-0190 Ext. 292 or by email michellem@eafwr.on.ca or check out our website at www.eafwr.on.ca.

What: Stratford Summer Music – Eighth Season
When: Monday, July 21 – Sunday, August 17, 2008

Where: Venues in downtown Stratford, Ontario
 Avon Flats
 Tom Patterson Island
 Knox Presbyterian Church, 142 Waterloo Street
 City Hall, 1 Wellington Street
 Church Restaurant, 70 Brunswick Street
 CTV MusicBarge, Avon River
 Pazzo Ristorante, Bar and Pizzeria, 70 Ontario Street 
 St. Andrew’s Church, 25 St. Andrew’s Street

Admission: Free to $35
Box Office: 1-519-273-1600 or 1-800-567-1600
Web:   www.stratfordsummermusic.ca 

For more information contact:    
Jennifer Lamb       
Tel: 1-866-288-4313      
Email: jlamb@stratfordsummermusic.ca