Tuesday, July 29, 2008

In the Community from ACEH July 29

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."  … Maya Angelou

 

Herb and Ann

This information is provided by the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony (ACEH).  If you do not wish to receive it in the future, please contact hpweller@comcast.net or editann@aol.com.  Events List is also posted on the ACEH website, www.harmonyalliance.org.


Fri, Aug 1, 6 pm to 8 pm: Opening for "Native Discovery," a Native American exhibit.  Sponsored by the Outdoor Discovery Center.  At Holland Area Arts Council, 150 East 8th St, Holland.

 

Tues, Aug 5, 8 pm: Circle Theatre's production of "Crowns," a "moving and celebratory musical play in which hats become a springboard for exploration of black history and identity, as told through the experience of a young black girl who has moved south."  Gospel music underscores narratives.  Nokomis Foundation will have a display of hats in the lobby.  Proceeds benefit Grand Rapids Area Center for Ecumenism.  Tickets $30; group rates available.  Call Lisa Mitchell at (616) 643-0227 or lmitchell@graceoffice.org for tickets.  At Aquinas College Performing Arts Center, 1607 Robinson Rd SE, Grand Rapids.

 

Sunday, Aug 10, 1:30 pm: 10th annual Potluck in the Park of the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony (ACEH).  Public is invited.  Please bring a dish to share, from your family's ethnic background; ACEH will provide beverages and table service.  Music, children's activities including a piñata, fellowship and good conversation, and great food.  Invite your neighbors, newcomers and "old-timers" in the community, co-workers, friends and family. Extra lawn chairs are appreciated.  392-5086 or email aceh@harmonyalliance.org  At Ransom Park on Holland's north side (west of Butternut between 160th and 168th streets, north of Quincy and south of New Holland).

 

Tues, Aug 12, 5 pm: REGISTRATION DEADLINE for entrants to compete in Salsa Showdown at the Holland Farmers Market (see August 16, below) to benefit Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP).  Fees: $15 for amateurs; $20 restaurants. Contact Kara Barney, Farmers Market event coordinator, at (616) 928-0676, email salsa@hollandfarmersmarket.com; website: www.hollandfarmersmarket.com

 

Tues, Aug 12, 7 pm: Forum, "Where is the Moral Outrage in our Church Community Today?" led by Henry Idema III, PhD, pastoral assistant at Grace Episcopal Church, Holland; discussion to explore what issues of peace and justice people want to see addressed by today's church community.  Sponsored by Lakeshore Women for Peace, (616) 335-2686; www.ls-women-for-peace.blogspot.com  At Herrick District Library auditorium, 300 South  River, Holland.

 

Sat, Aug 16, 10 am to 1 pm: Salsa Showdown at Holland Farmers Market, with entries prepared by pre-registered amateurs (individuals and teams) and restaurants in the categories of mild, hot, and inferno.  Farmers Market provides free vegetables for 2 gallons of salsa; entrants can add others.  Prizes for top competitors.  Public will be charged $3 fee for unlimited chips, salsa tasting tickets, and judging form.  Sponsored by City Flats Hotel, CityVu Bistro.  Proceeds of the event go to Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP). At Holland Famers Market, Pine Ave at 8th Street (by Holland Civic Center), Holland.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

In the Community from ACEH July 16

"I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops."  ... Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002), American paleontologist, biologist and widely read writer of popular science.

 

Herb and Ann

This information is provided by the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony (ACEH).  If you do not wish to receive it in the future, please contact hpweller@comcast.net or editann@aol.com.  Events List is also posted on the ACEH website, www.harmonyalliance.org.


Thurs, July 17, 3 pm to 7:30 pm: Lakeshore Latino Outreach Center open house.  At the Center office, Ferris Building, 345 East 16th St, Suite 241, Holland.

 

Sat, July 19, 11 am to 3 pm: Neighborhood Park Celebration, to meet neighbors and learn about city and youth programs and resources; family events, children's games, youth basketball, face painting, etc.  Sponsored by City of Holland Neighborhood Liaison Program and Police Department Community Relations Commission.  At Holland Heights Elementary School Park, north of 16th St at Hope Ave., Holland.

 

Sat, July 19, 10 am parking, 11 am, gates open: Great Lakes Irish Music Festival featuring Irish music, dancers, market, food and drink.  Performers from Ireland and U.S.  Face painting, tambourine making by Grand Rapids Children's Museum from noon to 7 pm. Tickets $12 adult general admission; kids under 12 free but must have a ticket; $5 car parking.  www.greatlakesirishmusicfestival.com or (616) 784-4131.  At Fifth Third Ball Park, Comstock Park (5 miles north of Grand Rapids).

 

Sun, July 27, 7 pm: Reflections at Holland's Peace Pole.  Sponsored by Lakeshore Women for Peace.  (616) 335-2686 or www.ls-women-for-peace.blogspot.com  At Peace Pole, Smallenburg Park, Fairbanks and 16th St, Holland.

 

Tues, July 29, 11:30 am: Annual Evergreen Hispanic Picnic.  Free, open to all Hispanics over age 50; games, prizes, picnic food, friends and fun.  Reserve a spot by contacting Becky Gezon (335-5103) at Evergreen Commons by July 21.  At Dunton Park (covered pavilion on top of the hill) on Lake Macatawa, Howard Ave, Holland.

 

Tues, Aug 5, 8 pm: Circle Theatre's production of "Crowns," a "moving and celebratory musical play in which hats become a springboard for exploration of black history and identity, as told through the experience of a young black girl who has moved south."  Gospel music underscores narratives.  Nokomis Foundation will have a display of hats in the lobby.  Proceeds benefit Grand Rapids Area Center for Ecumenism.  Tickets $30; group rates available.  Call Lisa Mitchell at (616) 643-0227 or lmitchell@graceoffice.org for tickets.  At Aquinas College Performing Arts Center, 1607 Robinson Rd SE, Grand Rapids.

 

Sun,  Aug 10, 1:30 pm: 10th annual Potluck in the Park of the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony.  Everyone is welcome!  Please bring a dish to pass from your ethnic or cultural background.  ACEH provides beverages and table service.  Music, activities for children, piñata, great food, fellowship.  aceh@harmonyalliance.org or 392-5086.  At Ransom Park on Holland's north side (Ransom Street between 160th and 168th avenues, north of Quincy and south of New Holland).

 

COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY:

The African Community Center of Michigan, a service of Humanity for Africa, is sponsoring a summer cross-cultural youth program to empower immigrant youth, with the theme "Courage to Trust."  The Center, a mutual assistance program for African immigrants based in Grand Rapids, offers the youth program two days a week, five and a half hours a day, for youth ages 5 to 17.  Activities include conflict resolution, help with reading and writing, arts, tutoring, sports, etc.  For information or to contribute financially, call (616) 248-3552; humanity.africa@sbcglobal.net

Monday, July 07, 2008

In the Community from ACEH July 7

"While every refugee's story is different and their anguish personal, they all share a common thread of uncommon courage – the courage not only to survive, but to persevere and rebuild their shattered lives. … " Antonio Guterres, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees

Herb and Ann

This information is provided by the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony (ACEH).  If you do not wish to receive it in the future, please contact hpweller@comcast.net or editann@aol.com.  Events List is also posted on the ACEH website, www.harmonyalliance.org.

Tues, July 8, 7 pm: "I Didn't Know How You Would Receive Me: Resettling Refugees in West Michigan," presentation by Elizabeth Smith, coordinator of refugee services for Bethany Christian Services; she will explain how churches and groups can sponsor a refugee individual or family. Sponsored by Lakeshore Women for Peace.  At Herrick District Library, 300 South River, Holland.

Wed, July 9, 11:30 am: Holland Area Chamber of Commerce Business Connections Committee summer picnic.  Please bring a dish to pass; hot dogs, hamburgers, table service provided.  Contact Rosa Lugo, (616) 392-1838.  BCC reaches out to minority- and women-owned businesses.  At Kollen Park, Van Raalte Ave at Lake Macatawa, Holland.

Wed, July 9, 6:30 pm: Free film, "Sunset Story," humorous documentary drama set in a retirement home for political progressives in a central Los Angeles neighborhood of immigrant Latino and Korean families; the film features two women, ages 81 and 95, "whose feisty engagement with life draws them together."  At Herrick District Library, 300 South River, Holland.

Fri, July 11, 7 pm: Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony meeting, public is invited: "Leaving Home Because of War: Refugees Share Their Stories."  Speakers are: Elsa Hyde of Park Township, who was born in a German DP (displaced persons) camp and spent her childhood in an Austrian DP camp, later immigrating after World War II with her mother, brother, and two sisters to New Jersey, and members of the Habib family from Iraq, recently resettled in Grand Rapids after spending two years in a refugee camp in Syria, before they were granted asylum in the United States.  The children's group, UNITY, for ages 4 to 14, also will meet.  Email aceh@harmonyalliance.org; website  www.harmonyalliance.org; 392-5086  At Center for Women in Transition, 411 Butternut, Holland.

Thurs, July 17, 3 pm to 7:30 pm: Open house for Lakeshore Latino Outreach Center, to introduce the agency, interim director, and board to the public and community agencies.  For information, call (616) 399-4077. At the Center's office, Ferris Building, 345 East 16th St, Suite 241, Holland.

 

Thurs, July 17, 7:30 pm: Mariachi Cobre, mariachi band, and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra combine in concert.  Lawn tickets $14; less for students, seniors, kids.  www.grsymphony.org; (616) 456-3333.  At Cannonsburg Ski Area, 6800 Cannonsburg Rd, NE, Belmont; 16 miles from Grand Rapids.

 

EXHIBIT: Through October 12: "America Black and White: Gordon Parks Photography."  34 images by acclaimed photographer Gordon Parks, who had a long career as photographer for the Farm Security Administration and then for Life magazine, the first African American to hold that post.  He later was a fashion photographer for Vogue, wrote poetry and music, and directed the "Shaft" films.  At 1 pm Sundays in July and 1 pm Saturdays in August, there will be a showing of the film "Half Past Autumn: The Life and  Works of Gordon Parks."  Other special events planned also; visit www.gramonline.org or call (616) 831-2920.  Admission fee; children age 6 to 17  free; closed Mondays; hours vary other days.  At Grand Rapids Art Museum, 101 Monroe Center, NW, Grand Rapids.