Acclaimed conductor brings music education to neighborhood kids, and other selections
Acclaimed conductor brings music education to neighborhood kids
Twin Cities Planet – Mckenzie Martin – In 2008, Alsop founded OrchKids, an after-school music education program in low-income neighborhoods throughout the city. Through the program, students learn musicianship with the goal of improving the students’ social, academic and behavioral skills. Last year, 30 students participated in OrchKids, where they received musical theory instruction for the first half of the year, followed by lessons on the instrument of their choice throughout the second half of the program.
Crowd-Sourced Initiatives to Create a More Livable New York City
Inhabitat (blog) – Olivia Chen – When NYC’s Mayor Bloomberg launched the Big Apps competition this past June, he invited individuals and groups to program applications that make government data sets accessible to the public — solidifying that technology can contribute to improved quality of life. Applications created in response to Bloomberg’s decisions will join the crowd-sourced initiatives that offer residents not only information, but a place to gain a sense of community, to exchange ideas and to visualize space digitally.
Building a House and Community Ties With Habitat for Humanity
CBS MoneyWatch.com – Kathy Kristof – Prior to Habitat’s arrival, Tutwiler was best known for the brutal 1950s murder of Emmett Till, a black youth who had the nerve to talk to a white woman. Now, thanks to the donation of several acres of land and the time of hundreds of volunteers, it’s a place where the privileged and impoverished work side by side to construct a neat community of homes within walking distance of a medical clinic and recreation center run by a group of Catholic nuns.
Tradition in large helpings at suppers
BurlingtonFreePress.com – Glenn Russell – “What can be better than sharing a meal with your neighbors?” asked Paulsen. “I find it a great example of what community is all about.” Communities big and small across Chittenden County and beyond will follow Richmond’s lead this weekend by hosting their own chicken pie suppers. The dinners are organized as fundraisers by churches to generate extra income and to support a variety of grass-root projects, nonprofit causes and scholarships.
Photo Gallery: Falmouth event raises funds to help prevent homelessness
Falmouth Bulletin – Sarah Murphy – A sea of people in turquoise T- shirts departed from the village green in Falmouth for an afternoon walk. But it wasn’t just any Sunday stroll. The group was participating in the 24th annual Cape Walk to End Homelessness to benefit the Housing Assistance Corporation. HAC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the housing needs of all Cape Codders. It operates homeless shelters for adults and families, administers rental subsidies, offers education and training, and develops new housing affordable housing.
Initiative to transform public housing project deemed success
Knoxville News Sentinel – Mike Blackerby – The revitalization continues, but Knoxville officials and neighborhood residents deemed the HOPE VI initiative – which transformed the old barrack-style College Homes public housing project into the thriving and vibrant Mechanicsville Commons – a success during a Monday celebration at Danny Mayfield Park. Nance said the project is doing exactly what it was intended to do: enhancing neighborhood pride through home ownership, reducing crime, improving schools through better family engagement, attracting businesses and creating jobs.
Neighborhood Watch Programs Safer Than Before
Loudoun Connection – Martin Casey – In the original Neighborhood Watch programs, volunteer residents took turns cruising the neighborhood in their cars, or even on foot. Volunteers literally stood watch to help keep their neighbors safe. But today, Dep. James Spurlock says, “I don’t want any of you out on the street, possibly putting yourselves in harm’s way. I want you in your homes, but keenly alert to any suspicious activities.”