'Rock the vote, wild west style, TONIGHT at the Mayoral Showdown (doors open at 6:30 p.m., 701 Whaley)'

'Rock the vote, wild west style, TONIGHT at the Mayoral Showdown (doors open at 6:30 p.m., 701 Whaley)'

Call for Volunteers for the 2010 Urban Tour

Volunteers are needed for the 2010 Urban Tour held on Thursday, May 6 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. City Center Partnership presents the Urban Tour which is a free event showcasing all that Columbia’s downtown has to offer. The self-guided walking tour includes special offers and giveaways from retailers, live entertainment such as street performers and musicians, local artists, carriage rides, a glimpse into downtown living, stories behind some of our historic buildings, food and discounted drinks all along the way. Volunteers will be asked to attend a pre-tour cocktail meeting on Monday, April 19 at 6:05 p.m. at the new Fox Theater ( future Nickelodeon Theatre) located at 1607 Main Street between the former Lourie’s building and Kings Jewelers.

If interested, please contact Steve Varholy at 803.404.5535 or steve@wxryfm.org.

Sponsors for the event include:
City Center Partnership, City of Columbia, First Citizens Bank, M&J Wilkow, Edens & Avant, CarterTodd & Associates, Capitol Places, Budweiser of Columbia and Free Times.

Facebook Event

Help Bring Google Fiber to Columbia, SC

What is Google doing and what does it seek to achieve?

Imagine sitting in a rural health clinic, streaming three-dimensional medical imaging over the web, and discussing a unique condition with a specialist in New York. Or downloading a high-definition, full-length feature film in less than five minutes. Or collaborating with classmates around the world while watching live 3D video of a university lecture. Universal, ultra high-speed Internet access will make all this, and more possible. They've urged the FCC to look at new, and creative ways to get there in its National Broadband Plan – and now they're announcing an experiment of their own.

Google is planning to build, and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the country. They'll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections.

As a first step, they're putting out a Request for Information (RFI) to help identify interested communities. They welcome responses from local government, as well as members of the public from now until March 26th.

Their goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better, and faster for everyone. Here are some specific things that they have in mind:

* Next generation apps: They want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.

* New deployment techniques: They'll test new ways to build fiber networks; to help inform, and support deployments elsewhere, they'll share key lessons learned with the world.

* Openness and choice: They'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with their past advocacy, they'll manage their network in an open, non-discriminatory, and transparent way.

Like their WiFi network in Mountain View, the purpose of this project is to experiment and learn. Network providers are making real progress to expand and improve high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done. They don't think they will have all the answers – but through their trial, they hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone.

We have until March 26 to get our nominations in and prove to Google that Columbia is worthy of their ultra-high speed broadband network, and here's how you can help:

1. Submit a nomination:
http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi

2. Become a fan on Facebook and invite your friends:
http://www. facebook.com/googlecolumbiasc

3. Encourage local government officials to submit government responses:
http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options

4. Post “Google Columbia, SC” to your social media statuses on March 22, as part of our viral campaign: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=391650430148
Google Columbia, SC

5. Create a YouTube video telling Google why they should bring Google Fiber to Columbia, SC using the tagline “Famously Hot. Surprisingly Fast.” Submit it with your nomination and upload it to our YouTube group. If you know local celebrities that can help with this, please let us know!
http://www.youtube.com/googlecolumbiasc

Volunteers Needed for World Beer Festival, Saturday, Jan. 16

Ranked one of the nation's top 10 festivals by USA Today, the World Beer Festival is returning to the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, SC on January 16, 2010 and needs hundreds of volunteers to make it a success. A portion of the proceeds from the event will support two local non-profits, Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR) and The River Alliance. Volunteers can register online through ourcor.org.

Why volunteer? You’ll help two great local causes, make new friends, build your wardrobe with a cool t-shirt, enjoy great beer at the volunteer party, and learn more about beer with a complimentary three issue subscription to All About Beer Magazine.

What do volunteers do? Most volunteers serve as pourers during the festival, pouring samples for festival guests. Some volunteers also work at the entry gates, VIP room, taking tickets and welcoming guests.

What is required? You must be at least 21 years of age to volunteer. Volunteers are required to attend an hour-long training session the week before the event, and work during at least one of the two festival sessions. Besides that, you just need to smile and enjoy!

How do you sign up to volunteer? Register at ourcor.org. View the event and invite your friends on Facebook.

What is the World Beer Festival? The mission of the World Beer Festival, now in its second year in Columbia, SC, sixth year in Raleigh, NC and fourteenth year in Durham, NC, is to educate the public about beer appreciation and beer quality. In addition, the World Beer Festival is committed to fostering the growth of a positive local beer community. The World Beer Festival features samples of hundreds of different beers from a great variety of breweries from around the country and the world, live music, food from an assortment of restaurants and bars and educational seminars by leading craft brewing industry insiders. The World Beer Festival Columbia will take place at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on January 16, 2010 in two sessions, 12-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m. The festival is produced by Chautauqua, Inc., publisher of All About Beer Magazine, the definitive source of information about craft beer. The company aims to build beer appreciation through information, education and experiences.


About Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR):
COR is dedicated to fostering a greater sense of civic and community involvement in the Midlands through social, political and cultural education, communication, development and action. COR inspires and empowers a new generation of Columbians to make our city a better place. Through ongoing projects, events and campaigns, the members of COR foster a new level of social, political, and cultural engagement among this new generation of Columbia's leaders. For more information about COR, visit ourcor.org, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Flickr.

COR NOW | News of the Week | 12.22.2009

Thank you for supporting Columbia Opportunity Resource COR in our mission to make the Midlands a better place to live, work, learn, play and grow!

Thanks to your support, this year we exceeded our $100,000 community impact goal. In 2010 we'll introduce "COR 2.0," to raise the bar for ourselves, our members and our community.

Until then, all the best this holiday season!

Yours in service,

The COR Board of Directors

info@ourcor.org

Read COR NOW!http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs082/1101856822762/archive/1102896596989.html

Join Our E-mail List

http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1101856822762&p=oi

Your Vote Can Help Bring up to $5,000,000 to Columbia to Help Local Charities & Attractions

Chase is giving away $5 million to local charities around the US based on votes received through Facebook. Please take a minute to help bring that money to Columbia by voting for local nonprofits. You have 20 votes in the first round and can only vote for each charity once each round, so make sure to use all your votes and vote for 20 Columbia nonprofits! To vote for local nonprofits, simply click on the link below.

Vote Here:
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving



Following Round 1, Chase will donate $25,000 to each of the 100 Charities receiving the most votes in Round 1. Following Round 2, Chase will donate $1,000,000 to the Round 2 Charity receiving the most votes and will donate $100,000 to the five runners up. The Chase Community Giving Advisory Board will select one or more nominated Charities to receive donations with a combined total of $1,000,000.

Each person receives 20 votes for round one and 5 for round two, and voting is open through December 11, 2009. Once you vote, you can post it to your wall, tweet it and invite your friends.

Here are the complete rules:
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/home/rules

If you need ideas of Columbia nonprofits to vote for, here's a list of several I found in the database and there are hundreds more. Some I searched for weren't in the database because they didn't qualify for some reason or another -- including United Way of the Midlands, American Red Cross of Central South Carolina and Harvest Hope.

Columbia Opportunity Resource (COR)
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1229419

Home Works
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/220800

Healthy Learners
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1271323

Project Pet
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/504918

United Way Association of South Carolina
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1284682

The Nickelodeon Theatre (Run by the Columbia Film Society)
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/294058

Columbia Museum of Art
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/884247

South Carolina State Museum Foundation
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/705520

Riverbanks Zoological Park Society
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/811725

Historic Columbia Foundation
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/437700

EdVenture Children's Museum
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/743275

The River Alliance
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/15305

South Carolina Philharmonic
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/70617

Keep the Midlands Beautiful
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/227330

Friends of Congaree Swamp (Congaree National Park)
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/910696


Columbia Township Auditorium Foundation
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/317708

Renaissance Foundation
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/280813

Columbia City Ballet
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/848778

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Columbia SC
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/740230

Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/437902

Columbia Childrens Theatre
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1232344

Junior League of Columbia
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/877485

Navigating from Good to Great Foundation
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/234082

South Carolina Hospitality and Tourism Educational Foundation
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/502042

This is by no means a comprehensive list, so please help add to it by posting voting links to other local 501c3 organizations have you found in the database in the comments to this post!

Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week Activities & Press Conference 11/16

United Way of the Midlands
1800 Main Street
Columbia, SC 29201
tel 803.733.7312 or 803.733.5400
www.uway.org

Media Contact:
Joey Wallace
Manager, Communications
803.748.7282
jwallace@uway.org


UNITED WAY OF THE MIDLANDS AND THE MIDLANDS AREA CONSORTIUM FOR THE HOMELESS TO REPORT THE 2009 HOMELESS COUNT RESULTS

What:
United Way of the Midlands and the Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless (MACH) are hosting a press conference to report the results of the 2009 Homeless Count.
All members of the media and the community are welcome to attend this brief presentation for a special announcement about the state of homelessness in our community. Anita Floyd, United Way of the Midlands Vice President of Community Impact, will present the results of the 2009 Homeless Count.

Following the press conference, the Midlands Interfaith Homeless Action Council (MIHAC) will hold a prayer service for people who are homeless.

Who:
Hosted by United Way of the Midlands and MACH
Remarks will be made by
• Donny Supplee, Chair of the Board of Directors for MACH
• Allen Tipping, 2009 MACH Count Coordinator
• Anita Floyd, Vice President Community Impact, United Way of the Midlands

These speakers as well as Jennifer Moore, Director of United Way of the Midlands Financial Stability Council, will be available following the briefing for interviews.

When:
Monday, November 16
11:00 AM

The prayer service sponsored by MIHAC will be held in the Keenan Chapel and will begin at 12:00 PM.

Where:
Trinity Episcopal Church
1100 Sumter St
Columbia, SC 29201

The press conference will be held in Satterlee Hall in the administration building. Enter through the wooden doors from the 1300 block of Sumter Street.

Did you know:
• There are over 1,000 people on a given day literally living on the streets and in shelters
• Many more people experience homelessness during the year or live ‘doubled-up’ with family or friends with no other place to call home
• Homelessness in Richland County has increased 16% in the past two years.
• 1 in 5 homeless adults in the Midlands are veterans.

Another way to lend your hand:
In support of Hunger and Homeless Awareness week November 15-21, United Way of the Midlands and MIHAC are also hosting the Hands for the Homeless Supply Drive. Companies across the Midlands are showing their support by collecting toothpaste, toothbrushes, new socks, new washcloths and other toiletry items that will be used to assemble personal care kits and will be distributed to the homeless during the week of Thanksgiving. (Dates of assembly and distribution are TBD.) There is still time to get involved!

How you can help:
• Collect personal care items until November 25 and drop off completed ‘kits’ in quart or gallon size zip-lock bags.
• Drop off bulk items if you are not able to pre-sort.
• Volunteer to help sort and distribute items.

Donations should be dropped off to Trenholm Road United Methodist Church (3401 Trenholm Road) from November 16-25, Monday-Friday between 8 AM and 4 PM.

Kits will be delivered to the following agencies: Catholic Charities, The Cooperative Ministry, Good Samaritan Clinic, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Lexington Interfaith Community Services, Mental Illness Recovery Center, Inc., Oliver Gospel Mission, Salvation Army, Sistercare, The Winter Shelter and others.

If you have questions about anything in this release, please contact Jennifer Moore at jmoore@uway.org or 803.733.5421.

###

About United Way of the Midlands
United Way of the Midlands is the most organized, efficient and accountable system for investing in the community. With over 80 certified partner agencies, United Way works to identify and respond to the critical human service needs of Calhoun, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg and Richland counties. Funds are raised through workplace campaigns, grant writing and individual donations. For more information, please visit www.uway.org.