What's Happening with 4GOOD- May 2010 Newsletter

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. NEWS & EVENTS ~ Book Drive ~  Sunday, June 6 from 10am - 3pm In partnership with Sweet Harts Sweet Shop ~ (corner of Woodman Ave & Ventura Blvd ~ Sherman Oaks) Click here for Map of location...If parking lot is full, there is 2 hour parking in the surrounding neighborhood) View the Invitation to read about the statistics, fill out the form to RSVP & sign up to volunteer if you can Help 4GOOD raise awareness of the startling literacy gap between low & middle income American families. Donate your gently used books (children's - adult books) & do something 4GOOD to get books into the hands of underprivileged families who don't have access to appropriate reading material.  The books you donate will be distributed through the organization BookEnds. When you donate a book, Sweet Harts will take 10% off your purchase.   In addition, Sweet Harts will donate 20% of the sales proceeds for the day to 4GOOD.  That's a sweet deal! We hope to collect hundreds of books during the 5 hour drive...that's a lot of books. So, join us at Sweet Harts, donate books, have some sweet tasting treats, get a discount and help raise money 4GOOD! What better way to spend a Sunday? PLEASE FORWARD THIS INVITE TO FRIENDS & FAMILY AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS GREAT EVENT!!! FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BOOKENDS & WHY WE CHOOSE TO DONATE TO THIS AMAZING ORGANIZATION. Read the article that inspired this event. www.parenting.com/article/Child/Daycare--Education/The-Early-Literacy-Crisis/2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE NEXT "FEATURED" 4GOOD SPONSORED EVENT We couldn't be more excited about our next sponsored event!!   WHAT: 4GOOD will host a Charitable Concert and Instrument Drive in partnership with Educate Through Music, Los Angeles & Join the Band.  Join us for a fantastic concert to help bring music back to children from an under-served school in Los Angeles. JTB will bring some rockin ' kid bands to perform & if we meet our goal, 4GOOD will be able to sponsor a school for an entire year...more details to come in the coming months. WHEN: Sometime in September (date TBD- daytime weekend is what we are shooting for) WHY: Our goal is to raise $5000 through donations & ticket sales.  Can you believe that is all it costs for ETM-LA to provide a music instructor, instruments, curriculum & a sustainability plan to help the school continue to KEEP the music program going. If your interested - here are some immediate things we need help with: Do you have a connection?  We need a venue!  We are looking for a supper club type vibe, with a small stage and capacity for about 250 people.  The venue also needs to serve food and drinks. Know of a celebrity singer or band? We need one!  Ask if they would be interested in donating their time and talents sometime in September to help us bring music back to a LA school?  We would love to add a "special guest" to the concert.  Got some gently used instruments?  ETM-LA always needs instruments for the kids...we will be having an instrument drive leading up to and at the event.  More info to come on this...just don't give any used instruments away before September!!! If you have any suggestions, questions or connections for any of the above- please email: erika@4goodcommunity.org     Check out the websites of our partners above! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Upcoming "Featured" 4GOOD Participating Event: What: Friends & Helpers Back to School Event Where: Tarzana Community and Cultural Center 19130 Ventura Blvd ~ Tarzana, California. 91436 (Corner of Ventura and Vanalden) When: Friday - Aug 20, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Why: Volunteer with your kids to pack needed school supplies in backpacks so the children of abused families can have what they need to go Back to School. This is the 2nd year 4GOOD is participating in this wonderful event. See the Blog entry and pictures from Last Years Event. http://4goodcommunity.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-to-school-friends-helpers-event.html ~ We LOVE this organization and you will too!  Find out more on their site: friendsandhelpers.com F & H creates a wonderful kid friendly environment - one which you will not want to miss. Check out the list of items needed for the backpacks below.  Start collecting any of the listed items ASAP!!! Updates on how 4GOOD will coordinate collecting the supplies will be coming soon.  Items needed for the Backpacks. ALSO... Check out the  Calendar of Events for great opportunities to volunteer with your kids. Click here Do you have a cause you would like 4GOOD to support?  Please email us and let us know - we are always looking for family friendly events or ideas to create a 4GOOD sponsored event.  So let us know!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Important ways 4GOOD can use your help: Talk us up-  please tell all your friends and family about 4GOOD!  Ask them to come to an event with you.  Sign them up to become a 4GOOD member (click here for membership page).   Web Site & Other Technical Help-  know about website design and management? we could really use your help Accountant- donate your skill & time to help with our accounting ~ we would be ever so grateful Corporate Funding & Donations- do you have connections with small businesses or larger corporations who would be interested in donating product for future events, advertising on our website or blog, or sponsorship/partnership to help us fund our efforts…keep us in mind when you see future newsletters or news about 4GOOD PR & Marketing- we need help creating press kits, getting our name and message out there with local newspapers and magazines, connections with editors or newsgroups, or any other marketing ideas MESSAGES & INFO A Message to all... from co-founder/executive director Erika Athanas I want to personally thank all of the 4GOOD members who believe in what we are doing and continue to support our mission.  This is our first "official" newsletter where you can learn more about what GOOD things we are doing now and in the future.  Please continue to let me know if you have any suggestions for a 4GOOD volunteering opportunity  or any subjects you would like to see covered in future newsletters. Want to help spread the word about the things we are doing at 4GOOD? Please Forward this email We hope to see you soon at an upcoming 4GOOD event. volunteer with your kids...join the movement!!! All my best, Erika erika@4goodcommunity.org 4GOOD 's mission is to help families actively participate in volunteer activities to foster the values of kindness, compassion, tolerance, community responsibility and good citizenship.  You are receiving this email if you previously signed up to become a member of or are currently following 4GOOD on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, or Idealist. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~SPECIAL THANKS~ Sweet Harts- Thank you for donating the space and partnering with us for the book drive on June 6th. Jinhee & Danny Kim- Thank you for your generous donation!  We are grateful for your belief in 4GOOD! Mike Swords- 4GOOD member for bringing the literacy statistics to our attention and helping us find a way to help. A.J. & Rachel Nassiri- Thank you for choosing 4GOOD as your Tikun Olam project for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah.  A.J. & Rachel have committed to volunteer with 4GOOD and have asked each person attending their party to donate money to 4GOOD. Now that's amazing!!  Thank you Terri Fox-Baumel for helping your kids do something 4GOOD.  4GOOD Members- To all the wonderful people who showed up at the Santa Monica Beach Clean-up with Heal the Bay on April 17th.  Thank you for your support!  What a fun day.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEW PARTNER: ~Looking for ways to save a few dollars? ~Are you a business looking for a unique cost effective way to advertisee? The BLVD Card allows customers to redeem discount offers with a single card, text or e-mail instead of a printed coupon, linking local consumers looking for discounts & offers with neighborhood businesses who are offering them. Check out the website~ www.theblvdcard.com Have a business? Learn more about how theBLVDcard can help. Contact: Steve Brown CEO/Co-Founder Direct: 818-205-5404 E-mail: steve@theblvdcard.com (Don't forget to mention you heard about them through 4GOOD!) You will find great deals and discounts with companies like: 16060 Ventura Blvd, Encino 19960 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills Woodland Hills ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Connect with us: If your not already a member of 4GOOD... ~ click here to receive updates on all the 4GOOD happenings.~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   product you can wear to our next event!!  Click here to go to our Zazzle Store 20% of your purchase will go to help fund our administrative costs & an additional 15% will be matched by Zazzle if you purchase through this link. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Unsubscribe *|EMAIL|* from this list. Copyright (C) *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|* All rights reserved. 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Volunteer Opportunity Saturday - May 15th

What: The Evelyn Gratts Elementary School Native Plant Garden Needs Our Help!

Where: Evelyn Thurman Gratts Elementary School, 309 Lucas Avenue, Los Angeles, 90017.

When: May 15, 8:00 AM - 3:00

Description: The Gratts Elementary School native plant garden is a neglected jewel surrounded by the asphalt and cement of downtown L.A. Last autumn, Gratts students, parents and teachers planted nearly 100 native plants in their new garden. The plants prospered with all the winter rain, but so did the weeds... So come help Gratts students and parents restore the native plant hillside garden through weeding and the spreading of 27 cubic yards of mulch.
Please email Lisa, at lisa@theodorepayne.org if you would like to join in this effort for the children of Gratts and the wider community.
The school is located between 3rd and6th Streets, east of Alvarado. There will be ample parking on the school playground, with the playground gate on 4th street open for parking your car when you arrive.
Please bring a wheelbarrow, a big shovel and weeding tools if you have them. Also, be sure to bring a hat,water, and wear sturdy shoes. There will be food provided, but if you have any special dietary needs you might want to bring your own.