Nov. 4 Fundraiser Features International Menu, Night of Entertainment

Bloomington’s Breaking Chains Advancing Increase (BCAI) School of Arts is offering a Twin Cities fall date night quite unlike any other: An evening of music and dance with an international menu, a multicultural bar, and a safe and creative place to leave the kids.

BCAI’s Mix.Fuze.Evolve 2 (MFE2) fundraiser is from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at Reality on Monroe, 111 E. Monroe St. in Bloomington. Mix.Fuze.Evolve celebrates BCAI’s thesis that “experiences fuel creativity & fuse into ideas. Ideas unify & bring positive progression.”

The event will showcase culturally-infused live stage entertainment and music with a dance floor, a “culturally diverse” cash bar with 14 alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, a Coffeehound coffee bar highlighting blends from various cultures, and 12 culinary meals from six different cultures.

The event will include multiple raffles. Profits from the event will fund BCAI-supported scholarships.

In conjunction with the event, BCAI is holding a youth event for every age, infant to teenager, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. that night at Illinois Wesleyan University. The program is free for MFE2 ticketholders, but non-MFE parents also are welcome to register youth at a $25 per-child cost.

“We’re giving you five hours of free, constructive child care,” BCAI Director Angelique Racki added. “It’s a no-brainer.”

Tickets are $55 per person 21 or older. Tickets are available at Reality Bites, Coffeehound, or Signature India, or online at http://breakingchains116.wixsite.com/mfe2

BCAI provides an expression platform and arts education to everyone, regardless of income or background. Racki noted “we’re doing huge things at BCAI,” but although youth has always been a special focus, she stressed “BCAI’s vision is to education all generations.”

Guests at the Nov. 4 event will have the opportunity to submit positive “affirmations” for BCAI students and post “I am” statements that express their dreams, talents, and goals.

Entertainment will include performances by BCAI’s fall Indian and African dance classes. Bloomington’s Reality Bites restaurant plans an international menu for the evening, including:

•Akara & Rice

•Ata DinDin

•Tikka Masala Chicken

•Garbanzo & Potato Curry

•Black Beans & Rice

•A taco bar with an assortment of toppings and salsas

•Berry Pudding

•Baked Pumpkin

•Hummus

•Lamb & Toasted Nuts

•Ayam Goreng

•Pork & Vegetables Spring rolls

•Baklava

•Fried Thai Bananas

•Tres Leches Cake

•An assortment of globally inspired candy and treats

The event is co-sponsored by Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal.

Dash Against Discrimination Fundraiser June 26

On June 26, from 2to 4 p.m., YWCA McLean County will hold the inaugural Dash against Discrimination, a 5k and 1-mile walk/run and awareness fair. 

The event will be held at the Corn Crib, 1000 W Raab Road, starting and ending on home plate.  As walkers/runners proceed along their designated routes, they will be doused in color dust!

The event will end with a color blast party, which lots of dust, music, and fun!!  We are seeking people of all ability levels, as this will be a fun event and an opportunity to make a difference in our community!!

All funds raised through this event will support Mission Impact programming to end all forms for discrimination in McLean County, such as Reading to Racism and the Equal Pay Coalition.

Alli: Homeless Emergency Fund Addresses Local Students, Families

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Each year, over 100 students and their families have been identified as homeless in District 87 alone. Our statistics speak from themselves:

2012: 123 homeless students

2013: 106 homeless students

2014: 112 homeless students

2015: 78 homeless students have already been identified

My name is Alli Gray and I have been teaching PE and Health for six years.  This is my first year teaching at Bloomington Junior High School.  

My career is beyond amazing because of the students I come in contact with every day.  I can’t explain how incredible these kids are. Despite many of the hardships that my students and their families face on a daily basis, they continue to preservere. They somehow find a way to see the rainbow in midst of the storm.  I see my students face struggles head on that NO ONE should EVER have to deal with, especially at their young age. 

This year, I was talking to some of my students about hygiene and expressed that everyone needs to look out for one another. I mentioned that some students may not be able to shower every day because they may be homeless so we all need to be accepting of one another and try to not pass judgment because many of us don’t know the lives that our friends lead outside of school. 

At the end of this class, I had a student come up to me and say “Mrs. Gray, I didn’t know you knew I was homeless (which I didn’t), but thanks for everything you said.”  Tears filled my eyes and my heart sunk looking into this innocent student’s face. All I could do was hug this student and let this student know that I would always be there to help and that things would get better. I can’t imagine the struggle my student is facing, but I immediately knew in my heart that I would do whatever I could to help my students in any way that I can for as long as I can.

And that is what brings me here, to creating this account. 

Because of the Bloomington School District Homeless Assistance Fund, staff members are able to provide support, supplies, transportation and care (medical included) for each of these students and their families. 

According to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence are considered homeless. 

 This includes: 

·     Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
·     Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations
·     Living in emergency or transitional shelters
·     Awaiting foster care placement
·     Living in a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
·     Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
·     Migratory children living in the above circumstances
·     Unaccompanied youth living in the above circumstances

Check out the link below for a short video giving insight into the struggles of our homeless children, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO3ec5qRub4

Please consider a donation to the Bloomington School District Homeless Emergency Fund, at https://www.gofundme.com/homelessbjhs. I am so overwhelmed by the generosity and love the community has shown and cannot believe my first goal for the BJHS homeless assistance fund has been surpassed!! This fund would not be possible without your incredible support. THANK YOU!!!

Efforts to raise money for the homeless students and families within Bloomington District 87 will be ongoing as support will continuously be provided to those in need. Please continue to share this page, spread awareness, and donate if possible! All my best! 

MCIA Sponsors 5K for Nepalese Relief, Model Village

McLean County India Association (MCIA) is sponsoring a 5K Run/Walk fundraiser for Nepal earthquake relief and Spandana Model Village Saturday, July 18 at Tipton Trails GE Shelter, 2410 GE Road, in Normal.

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MCIA is partnering with Spandana Foundation, Bloomington’s Fleet Feet sports, and various local groups to help fund recovery following the recent massive earthquake in Nepal and to build a model village, Lakshmi Nagar, in India.

The walk/run is scheduled 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.  Registration is $25 per family (a maximum four persons per couple), $15 per individual adult, and $10 per youth up to 18 years of age. Register online at www.signmeup.com/109208, or by calling Uma Kallakuri: 309-310-6527, Ajay Rolla: 309-826-0969, Arun Khurana: 309-287-4226, Shyam Lakshman: 415 -608-9731, Murali Sunkara: 309-706-2386, Srinivas Mikkilineni: 309-825-1159, Jagadeesh Gutha: 309-660-2391, Goverdhan Galpalli: 309-310-1050,Srinivas Shenoy: 309-287-4118, Pritam Kusiyait: 469-450-3348, or Fleet Feet Sports: 309-808-3220.

Attire for the event is a white T-shirt.

Post-event refreshments will be provided by Rangoli Restaurant at nominal prices, with part of those proceeds going to benefit Nepalese relief, as well.

Nepal was hit twice by a massive earthquake with a 7.8 magnitude, effecting 8 million people and devastating innumerable families, with an estimated death toll of 15,000 and $7 billion in destruction. The local Nepalese Association of Bloomington also is actively participating with 5K organizers to raise funds; funds to Nepal will be streamlined and sent through Sewa International Charity.

For more about the earthquake relief work in Nepal, visit http://www.sewausa.org/NepalEarthquakerelief.

Spandana Foundation, a charity organization, adopted the village 'Lakshmi Nagar' in Medak District, Telangana State, India and is turning it into a model village by adopting various projects. With the help of villagers, the foundation plans to establish a water treatment plant, solar water pumps, water and recycling pits, public toilets, improved drainage, a tree plantation, options for generic medicine availability, new programs for skill development within the village’s existing school, a cemetery with proper facilities, village community/meditation hall and sports center, a hospital, a library, a veterinary hospital, and a new agricultural co-op. The project also includes improving Internet bandwidth for the village’s residents.

To find more about the project, please visit http://www.spandana.org/laxminagar.html.

Fund Helps Invest in Tomorrow's Leaders

Want to invest in tomorrow's more diverse, more finely tuned Twin Cities leaders? The Multicultural Leadership Program is seeking help in funding their education.

 MCLP's goal is to "develop diverse leaders with the passion to serve their communities." MCLP classes include composed of  26 individuals who meet for biweekly sessions over eight months, August through March each year. Graduation for the current class is 7 p.m. April 25 at Illinois State University's Bone Student Center Brown Ballroom, following a 6 p.m. social hour.

The MCLP Endowment Fund is a general endowment fund supported by charitable gifts. The fund is invested and managed over time to provide a sustainable income stream for MCLP, while maintaining the gift’s purchasing power in perpetuity. Why is this endowment being established?

The fund will ensure a financially stable base to fund future MCLP classes and participant scholarships. It will allow MCLP to continue developing leaders for our community’s long-term needs.

MCLP achieved last year's initial goal of $100,000 by the end of April, 2014, but the group reports "we still have far to go." All MCLP endowment gifts are tax-deductible. All amounts are welcomed and tax deductible. We thank you for your support.

Endowment gifts can be mailed to:
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation—Attn: MCLP Endowment Fund,
2401 E. Washington, Suite 300B, Bloomington, IL 61704 

Make checks payable to IPCF-MCLP or to “Illinois Prairie Community Foundation” and cite “MCLP Endowment Fund” as the beneficiary.   

You may also endow online at  www.bn-mclp.org. Visit the website to download a copy of MCLP's 2014 annual report and investigate what the program offers,

The MCLP Endowment Fund is a general endowment fund supported by charitable gifts. The fund is invested and managed over time to provide a sustainable income stream for MCLP, while maintaining the gift’s purchasing power in perpetuity. Why is this endowment being established?

The fund will ensure a financially stable base to fund future MCLP classes and participant scholarships. It will allow MCLP to continue developing leaders for our community’s long-term needs.

MCLP achieved last year's initial goal of $100,000 by the end of April, 2014, but the group reports "we still have far to go." All MCLP endowment gifts are tax-deductible. All amounts are welcomed and tax deductible. We thank you for your support.

Endowment gifts can be mailed to:
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation—Attn: MCLP Endowment Fund,
2401 E. Washington, Suite 300B, Bloomington, IL 61704 

Make checks payable to IPCF-MCLP or to “Illinois Prairie Community Foundation” and cite “MCLP Endowment Fund” as the beneficiary.   

You may also endow online at  www.bn-mclp.org. Visit the website to download a copy of MCLP's 2014 annual report and investigate what the program offers.

B-N crowd rises to support Not In Our Town

Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal is making great progress in its fundraising campaign through CrowdRise, aimed at supporting future community education and outreach efforts. Over Christmas, NIOT received a single $500 donation, prompting CrowdRise to donate another $200. As of New Year's Eve, contributions overall had reached $2,200. 

There's still a way to go yet, though, and if you wish to contribute to efforts to fight bullying and bigotry and building community understanding. visit crowdrise.com/NotInOurTownBloomingtonNormal https://www.crowdrise.com/NotInOurTownBloomingtonNormal.

Your NIOT:BN Pledge has no connection to any monetary donation, and is strictly a personal commitment to Not In Our Town principles. You can pledge above at Help Fight Hate.