Nominate a Preschool Teacher in the Bay Area

Join us in recognizing the enormous contributions of preschool teachers in the Bay Area.

Eleven outstanding preschool teachers will be selected by a panel of experts to receive:
• A $100 school supply catalog gift certificate.
• A FREE preschool class field trip to Habitot Children's Museum (up to 15 students ~a $130 value)
• One Habitot annual Family Membership (a $115 value) which may be offered at a fundraising auction or used personally
In addition, each of the winning nominators will receive:
• One Habitot annual Family Membership (a $115 value) this spring.

Nominate a preschool teacher March 29 - May 29, 2009


Download the Preschool Contest PDF form.

Mail, Fax or Email Application to:
Habitot Children's Museum
"PRESCHOOL TEACHERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE"
Attn: Lauren Levin
PMB 326 • 1563 Solano Ave. • Berkeley CA 94707
Habitot Children's Museum • PMB 326 • 1563 Solano Ave • Berkeley, CA 94707 • 510-647-1111 • www.habitot.org
Fax: (510) 647-1110
Email: dassoc@habitot.org
Questions? Call Lauren at (510) 647-1111 x 31

Free Hair Cuts For Community Folks Who Have Lost Jobs and Homes

Dawn Renee Salon & Day Spa Announces Hair for Hope. A Plan to Offer Free Hair Cuts & More to Members of the Community Who Have Lost Their Jobs and Homes in This Tough Economy.

Concord, CA March 12th, 2009 – Dawn Renee Salon & Day Spa is teaming up with SHELTER, Inc of Contra Costa County to offer free haircuts to Contra Costa County residents who have lost their homes and jobs due to the troubling economy. On Monday, April 6th, from 9 am to 6 pm, Dawn Renee Salon and Day Spa will open its doors to dozens of displaced residents and offer hair cuts, shampoos, child care, donated food and donated toiletries.

Salon Owner, Dawn Renee, said it was a recent episode of Oprah that inspired her. The show reported on the tent cities popping up across the country due to foreclosures. A homeless woman from a Sacramento tent community was interviewed. She had lost her cashier job and her husband was laid off from his construction job. Next thing you know, they were homeless. The lady being interviewed said the hardest part about living in the tent city was not having her own bathroom. She missed being able to wash her face, fix her hair, put makeup on and feel pretty.

"I just started crying," said Dawn Renee. "I thought, how could I help these people? Then the idea to open up my salon doors and offer them the chance to feel confident and pretty came to me. A haircut may seem like a small thing, but when you are trying to schedule job interviews and find housing, a great haircut and a little TLC might give someone the confidence they need to make it happen.”

Dawn Renee immediately started working on bringing this idea to fruition. She found hairdressers to volunteer their time, a local dentist to donate toothbrushes and toothpaste, church groups to offer up childcare, food donations and more. She also teamed up with SHELTER, Inc. of Contra Costa County, a non-profit organization that works to help people find homes. They agreed to pass out haircut vouchers to those in need.

Resource Coordinator for SHELTER Inc, said she knew dozens of deserving individuals that could really use a day at the salon. "In Contra Costa County people are losing their homes at an alarming rate. We have so many families that need housing and not enough places to put them. I know they will benefit so much from this opportunity."

According to Dawn Renee, she felt she needed to do something and there was no way she could offer a monetary donation. (It has been a daily struggle to keep the salon doors open during these tough times.) "My talent is making people feel beautiful and I want to give it to those in need. The outpouring of support has been inspiring; I want the people who have been affected by the horrible circumstances of this economy to know that the community cares about them."

Hair for Hope is still in need of donations of all kinds and volunteers. Please call 925-825-9585 to learn how you can help.

ABOUT Dawn Renee Salon and Day Spa – Located at 2151 Salvio Street Suite T, Concord, CA 94518. We are a full service salon that offers the latest in creative hair design, perms and color; facial and body treatments; waxing, make-up and nail care services. Our clients will experience the finest products the beauty industry has to offer. Owner Dawn Renee is a Master Hair Designer/Colorist, Makeup Artist and Image Development Designer. She has worked in the beauty industry for 30 years and has owned her own salon for 20 years. www.dawnreneesalon.com

ABOUT SHELTER, Inc. – The mission of SHELTER, Inc. is to prevent homelessness and promote self-sufficiency among Contra Costa residents. www.shelterincofccc.org

Contra Costa Midrasha Benefit Event For Teen Program

Contra Costa Midrasha's 1st annual Benefit
Featuring guest speaker KGO radio host, John Rothmann

Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 2:00 - 5:30pm
Walnut Creek, CA - January 2, 2009 - Contra Costa Midrasha announces a benefit for its program for Jewish teens. The February 22nd event (from 2-5:30pm) aims to engage the community in learning with featured guest speaker, John Rothmann, and to share in its organizational successes.

The event takes place at its partner congregation, Congregation B'nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek at 25 Hillcroft Way. The three and a half hour event, from 2:00 - 5:30pm, features a talk with John Rothmann, speeches from its students and a gourmet appetizer and dessert reception.

John Rothmann is best known in the San Francisco Bay Area as a talk show host on KGO radio. For the event on February 22, Mr. Rothmann will examine the impact of the incoming Obama administration on U.S.-Israel relations and education. A frequent lecturer on American politics and the Presidency, John has spoken at over 150 campuses throughout the United States, Canada, and Israel. He is a political and foreign policy consultant specializing in the United States, Middle East and the former Soviet Union. Mr. Rothmann received his B.A. and M.A. from Whittier College, and studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Tickets for the February 22, 2009 event are $36 for seniors and students, and $45 for adults. Tickets are available online and by phone. For information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.ccmidrasha.org (click on the "buy tickets" link) or by phone at 925/944-4701.

Contra Costa Midrasha (pronounced "mid-ra-sha") provides a space for Jewish teens, 8th through 12th grade, to explore their growing Jewish identity through classes, art, special events, social interaction, volunteer opportunities and mentoring. Meeting on most Wednesday nights (7:15 - 9:15pm) during the school year, Contra Costa Midrasha fosters Jewish community for its teens in a non-denominational, pluralistic environment. The teens come from towns all over Contra Costa County including Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, Alamo, Orinda, Moraga, Danville, San Ramon, Benicia, Concord, and more. For more information, visit us online at www.ccmidrasha.org or contact our office at 925/944-4701.

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Contra Costa Midrasha Benefit
Sunday, February 22, 2009

FACT SHEET

WHO: Contra Costa Midrasha
Guest speaker, KGO radio host, John Rothmann

WHAT: Fundraising event in honor of Contra Costa Midrasha

WHEN: Sunday, February 22, 2009
2:00pm - 5:30pm

WHERE: Congregation B'nai Tikvah
25 Hillcroft Way
Walnut Creek, CA 94597

TICKET COST: $36 (students and seniors) and $45 (adults)

BUY TICKETS: Online at www.ccmidrasha.org or by phone at 925/944-4701

CONTACT: Devra Aarons, Contra Costa Midrasha Director
Office - 925/944-4701
E-mail - office@ccmidrasha.org