When: Thursday, February 23rd, 2012. 
Panel: 11:30-12:30, Q&A: 12:30-1:00

Where: Congregation Har HaShem, 3950 Baseline Rd., Boulder 80303

*Image courtesy of the US Daily Review*

Facilitator:
Beth Ornstein, Committee Member, Jewish Community Career Network
 
Panelists:
Edwina Salazar, Executive Director, OUR Center Longmont, Alice Swanson, President, Learn to Earn, Isabel McDeVitt,  Program Manager, Ready to Work, Sarah Wilson,  Workforce Boulder County

Please join us at our free Forum. Snacks are provided or please bring a vegetarian lunch, as our host site is kosher. 

Restoring the Soul’s monthly Forums are presented by local experts who are personally involved with the topics. You may listen to the Forums regularly from 8:35-9:30 on KGNU 88.5 FM. Forum broadcasts will continue on the fourth Thursday of the following months:  January, February, April, May, July, August, October and November.

Check out this video to see how an  inmate feels about his yoga practice.  Courtesy of Elephant Journal.

Please Help Us Win $1000:

Every month Precision Plumbing runs a drawing for a local charity or good cause. The charity that receives the most votes in one month wins $1,000.  With one click, follow this link to the nomination page. For the organization name, enter “FOCUS/Restoring the Soul.”  Thank you for helping our program prosper and thrive.

 ”Creating the Culture for Community Transformation: Maximizing Resources and Funds.”

Restoring the Soul’s monthly Forums are presented by local experts who are personally involved with the topics. You may listen to the Forums regularly from 8:35-9:30 on KGNU 88.5 FM. Forum broadcasts will continue on the fourth Thursday of the following months:  January, February, April, May, July, August, October and November. 

Panelists:

Patrick Monacelli, Foothills United Way, Kathy Fedler, City of Longmont, LHOT, Edwina Salazar, ED of the OUR Center, Ken Miller, Project REVIVE

WHEN: Thursday, January 26th

TIME:  11:30 a.m.-1 p.m

HOST: Congregation Har HasShem

3950 Baseline Road, Boulder 80303

* Free of charge * All are welcome * Free and easy parking * Snacks provided * Panelists TBA *

Here are some interesting articles on our January Forum topic:

• Foundation Center Database: This database holds tons of information about ways nonprofits can collaborate to achieve their missions. This database also serves as a real-life example on  how 650 nonprofit collaborations are maximizing their resources.
• Non-Profit Collaboration: Doesn’t It Make the Pie Bigger? This article discusses how collaboration makes the resource pie bigger, so that various programs can benefit.
• For Non-Profits, Collaboration is the Name of the Game: Grants are becoming harder to apply for, but non-profits are not having a pity party. Instead, programs are realizing the benefits of working together to increase their funds and discover more resources.
• Collaboration increases the community’s social capital. You can check out our Collaborative Community website to learn more!

You may also bring a vegetarian lunch as our host site is kosher.

January is the month for mentoring! January 26th is the official day to show gratitude to all the wonderful mentors out there. Here is a list that may give you some ideas on how to celebrate the benefits of mentoring:

•  Become a mentor in your community.
•  Learn more about mentoring.
•  Partner with a mentoring organization.
•  Join “I Am a Mentor” Day.
•  Think about the mentors in your life and post a tribute to them online.
•  Read the latest research and find resources on mentoring.
•  Serve your community on MLK Day of Service by deciding to become a mentor.
•  Make a donation to a mentoring organization in your community.Go to YouTube on Thank Your Mentor Day™ (January 26) and make the National Mentoring Month videos the most popular of the day.
•  Explore ways to help children succeed academically through mentoring

*This list was found at www.nationalmentoringmonth.org.

We are always looking for more mentors! Our January trainings are coming up. Don’t miss out on this experience if you have any interest in mentoring. Check out the mentoring page for more information and volunteer applications.

Our mentor trainings focus on Motivational Interviewing. Here is a short video that describes the process:

Fleet Maull is the Founder and Board President of the Prison Dharma Network. He was sentenced to prison for 14 years (1985-1999). It was in prison that he helped start the first prison hospice program that provided daily care to dying prisoners. In 1991, he founded the National Prison Hospice Association, which has been launched in 75 state and national prisons. To learn more about Fleet Maull and his program, click here.

This image is from this website. http://prisonphotography.wordpress.com/

I encourage all readers of this blog to check out this photography website. Blogger, Pete Brook, is on a 12 week journalism trip  between the dates of October 1st and December 20th, 2011. By the end of this excursion he will have  interviewed two dozen photographers who have documented prison life. His goal is to expose the conditions of overcrowded prisons and express the reasons for pursuing a prison reformation.

The staff at FOCUS are planning the next mentor training. We are excited to meet all our new volunteer mentors for the month of January and we are always looking for more! If you are interested in participating in this rewarding opportunity please contact us. We would love to hear from you. Call us at (720) 304 6446, or email us at meghan@thecollaborativecommunity.org.

We are excited to introduce you to some information about our upcoming forum panelists. First, we would like to thank Tom Robichaud, President of Precision Plumbing, for co-sponsoring the event and participating as a panelist. Our other speakers include: Joshua Onysko, Owner of Pangea Organics, John Tayer, Public Affairs and Communication Director of Corden Pharma, Rich Lotterhos, Owner of Urban Mattress, and David Page, Owner of David Page Photography.

Here is some information about each panelist:

Tom Robichaud: Precision Plumbing is a business that encourages the financial sustainability of local non-profits. They are giving back to the community by donating $1,000 a month for the next 12 months to a Boulder County non-profit. Those that have won the drawing include: Colorado Sled Hockey, Boulder County Audubon Society, Boulder Chorale, Veterans Helping Veterans, Mercy Project Colorado, CareConnect, and the Boulder Institute for Psychotherapy and Research.

John Tayer: Corden Pharma is supporting the Boulder County community in a number of ways. First, Corden contributes a great deal of financial and in-kind resources to charitable causes and will match dollar-to-dollar employee contributions toward the annual Boulder County United Way Campaign. To boost civic engagement, employees of Corden are encouraged to invest work hours on community service projects. They are also conscious of how they are operating their plant and facilities so that is it safe for the environment, their employees, and the community as a whole.

Joshua Onysko: Pangea Organics is a socially and environmentally conscious business. Pangea Organics is a company that takes special consideration in creating earth-friendly beauty products that are free of harmful artificial ingredients. Joshua also supports the work of Women for Women International that helps women survivors of war. As quoted by Joshua, “What we consume today directly impacts how we—and future generations—will live tomorrow.”

Rich Lotterhos: Urban Mattress is a technically advanced corporation dedicated to helping us all sleep soundly. However, they reach far beyond that. Urban Mattress supports the “Lost Boys of Sudan,” by donating and by helping the boys with employment. They have also taken special care in protecting the environment by offsetting their carbon footprint. This is done by offering products that are eco-friendly and bio-degradable.

David Page: David Page Photography is a Longmont based image company dedicated to portraits and photographic art. David Page photographs weddings, high school portraits, and engagement photos. His vision is to create a fun atmosphere for his customers and build relationships with his community. Currently, David is working on a book that tells the stories of the homeless population in Boulder County.