Heatwave....

Due to continued heat and air quality discomfort, MAU's play and action group for tomorrow, Friday Aug 24, will NOT be at CentennialPark Playground, but at our inclement weather back up locale: the 2nd Floor Children's Area of Nashville's Downtown Public Library-- main
branch, 10-noonish.

There will be a marionette performance of Midsummer Night's Dream for older kids (6+) and Ginger Sands will have a program for the under 6 crowd as well.

If you are gathering supplies for the school kits, bring them to Kate if you've got 'em. We have but one more week to work on these!!

Please pass the word along to others so that if anyone wishes to join us, they know where we'll be....

Potluck update for tonight!

NEW DEVELOPMENT: the filmmaker will not be present. He's had a family situation arise that requires his attention. He'll send his co-conspirator Alex to show the film.

My decision is to show the 38 minute SHORT version of the film.

Schedule:

6 PM Finalizing set up and folks get nametagged and begin their suppers.

6:40ish begin film

7:15 Q & A with Alex

7:40 wash dishes, breakdown tables, general clean up

Nashville MAU will purchase a copy of the Kilowatt Ours DVD and keep in the lending library (at my home office) -- families who care to can check out the DVD to see the long version of the film at their leisure.


(NEXT MONTH'S POTLUCK SOCIAL & SALON will be in celebration of National Food Sustainability month and will consist of locally grown / produced potluck items and an informal panel including a Food Security officer, organic family farmers, a CSA representative, and more.... mark your calendars now for Friday Sept 21)

Friday 8/17:

Heat and Air Quatlity Alert: Alternate plans for weekly play & action group

Due to extreme heat this week and air quality alerts, Nashville's MAU Mobilize the Mamas play and action group will NOT meet at Centennial Park Playground tomorrow, Friday 8/17.

Instead, we will meet at our inclement weather plan place: the downtown public library on the second floor -- 10-noonish. We can free play, snack and roam the courtyard, and also attend a special storytime event with Ginger Sands and Friends: http://www.library.nashville.org/events/show/176

Bring lunch or snacks for post show courtyard time.

This month's action is as follows:

I was in 10,000 Villages the other day and came across these pamphlets distributed by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), www.mcc.org, on how a community can put together school kits for children displaced by war. I thought this would be a great opportunity for our local MAU community to support the world's children in a very concrete way. The pamphlet reads as follows:

"School kits are MCC's most requested item. They are given primarily to refugee children, helping students and teachers add some normalcy to disrupted lives. Countries receiving shipments include Afghanistan, Liberia, Sudan, Bosnia, Haiti, Nicaragua, Colombia, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, North Korea, Iraq and Palestine.

Contents (NEW items only)

4 spiral notebooks or notebooks with perforations (about 21.5 cm x 27 cm/8in x 10.5in; about 70 - 80 sheets each)

4 unsharpened #2 pencils

1 ruler (flat flexible plastic, indicating both 30cm and 12in)

12 colored pencils (in packaging)

1 large pencil eraser

School kits are distributed in a useful double drawstring cloth bag (28cm x 40.6cm/11in x 16in). You may sew the bag yourself (instructions at www.mcc.org/kits/kitbags), request bags from an MCC collection center, or donate contents to be placed in a bag."

10,000 Villages requests that we get the materials to their store no later than August 31, leaving us the rest of the month to get these kits together. Let's aim for 5 complete kits. You can bring the materials to me directly, or bring them to upcoming August Friday gatherings at Centennial, or to the potluck this Friday. If you're interested in contributing, please email me and let me know what you'd like to give and I can coordinate it so we don't all choose colored pencils or erasers.

Kate

kzwingate@yahoo.com

Mothers Acting Up -- Killowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America screening

Friday, August 17, 6pm
Nashville MAU's Bring the Family Potluck Social & Salon held at Nashville Friends Meeting House; 530 26th Ave. N

Nashville MAU invites the community to gather for a potluck supper and a special screening of Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America, an acclaimed documentary designed to help consumers cut their energy bills and improve the quality of the environment through conservation methods and clean, renewable power sources. This is a family friendly venue and filmaker Jeff Barrie will be present! Drinks will be provided, but please bring a dish to share. The suggested $8 donation per family covers both the film and the Friends Meeting House care fee. Come one, come all! Contact Paige at paige@mothersactingup.org or call (615) 495-1879 for more information.

MAU looking for Development Coordinator.

Development Coordinator, Mothers Acting Up

Reply to: Joellen Raderstorf, Executive Director

Starting Aug 15, 2007

If you have an appetite for raising money for social change, this is an outrageously great opportunity: great mission, great organization, great team!

Flexible hours, can work from home.

Volunteer position with potential to move into a paid position.

Become the Development Diva of Mothers Acting Up (MAU), a movement of mothers publicly and passionately advocating for the world’s children. MAU inspires, educates and engages mothers* a gigantic force to be reckoned with to prioritize children in our corporate and public policies. MAU believes that when mothers lead, generations of global citizens will follow. The organization is in its fifth year with a strong foundation and well-connected team.

All the raw materials are in place, awaiting someone who is inspired!

* mothers and others, on stilts or off, who exercise protective care over someone smaller

Qualifications:

• Love raising money for social change
• Development, Marketing and PR experience
• Familiarity with grant funding sources and processes
• Donor cultivation knowledge and/or experience
• Passionate commitment to a peaceful, child-friendly world
• Excellent communication skills
• Computer savvy
• Event planning knowledge and/or experience

Major responsibilities include:

• Work with MAU team to create development plan
• Pursue sponsorship opportunities for MAU’s 5th annual Handbook
• Support marketing and distribution of MAU Handbook
• Assist in planning, coordination and implementation of fall fundraiser
• Research and apply for grants (corporate and foundation) for MAU
• Maintain and enhance current donor tracking/management systems
• Provide donor cultivation guidance

Check out MAU at www.mothersactingup.org

joellen@mothersactingup.org

PO Box 1244

Boulder, CO 80306

303.474.1286

School Kits for refugee children

I was in 10,000 Villages the other day and came across these pamphlets distributed by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) on how a community can put together school kits for children displaced by war. I thought this would be a great opportunity for our local MAU community to support the world's children in a very concrete way. The pamphlet reads as follows:

"School kits are MCC's most requested item. They are given primarily to refugee children, helping students and teachers add some normalcy to disrupted lives. Countries receiving shipments include Afghanistan, Liberia, Sudan, Bosnia, Haiti, Nicaragua, Colombia, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, North Korea, Iraq and Palestine.

Contents (NEW items only)
4 spiral notebooks or notebooks with perforations (about 21.5 cm x 27 cm/8in x 10.5in; about 70 - 80 sheets each)
4 unsharpened #2 pencils
1 ruler (flat flexible plastic, indicating both 30cm and 12in)
12 colored pencils (in packaging)
1 large pencil eraser

School kits are distributed in a useful double drawstring cloth bag (28cm x 40.6cm/11in x 16in). You may sew the bag yourself (instructions at www.mcc.org/kits/kitbags), request bags from an MCC collection center, or donate contents to be placed in a bag."

10,000 Villages requests that we get the materials to their store no later than August 31, leaving us the rest of the month to get these kits together. Let's aim for 5 complete kits. You can bring the materials to me directly, or bring them to upcoming August Friday gatherings at Centennial, or to the potluck this Friday. If you're interested in contributing, please email me and let me know what you'd like to give and I can coordinate it so we don't all choose colored pencils or erasers.

Kate
kzwingate@yahoo.com

Killowatt Ours Screening 8/17!

Nashville Mothers Acting Up invites the community to gather for a potluck supper and a special screening of Killowatt Ours. This is a family friendly venue and filmmaker Jeff Barrie will be present! Come one, come all. Please share this widely, and contact me at the below numbers for more information.

In spirited partnership,
Paige La Grone Babcock
National Outreach Coordinator & Community Organizer, Mothers Acting Up

---

August 6, 2007 CONTACT: filmmaker, Jeff Barrie (615) 438-5060

OR Nashville Mothers Acting Up, Paige La Grone Babcock (615) 495-1879/ paige@mothersactingup.org

Documentary Screening Helps NASHVILLE Consumers

Lower Heating Bills and Use Energy Responsibly

to Protect Our Health, Environment and Pocketbooks

NASHVILLE – A new documentary film designed to help consumers cut their energy bills and improve the quality of the environment is touring the United States this winter through summer as many Americans face record-high heating and cooling bills. The public is invited to a family friendly viewing of Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America where they can meet the filkmaker during a special MOTHERS ACTING UP (MAU) sponsored screening at the Nashville Friends Meeting House, Friday August 17, 2007. This acclaimed film advocates energy conservation methods and clean, renewable power sources available as alternatives to the high costs of energy.

When: Friday, August 17, 2007; 6 PM
Where: Nashville MAU’s Bring the Family Potluck Social & Salon, held at Nashville Friends Meeting House, 530 26^th Ave N
Admission: a dish to share with other attendees (drinks provided), $8 suggested donation per family at the door covers both the film and the Friends Meeting House care fee

Kilowatt Ours is the story of filmmaker and conservationist Jeff Barrie's 18-month journey across the southeastern U.S. to document our energy-related problems and present practical, cost-saving solutions for consumers. Widespread problems revealed in Kilowatt Ours include mountaintop removal, air pollution, global warming, childhood asthma, and mercury contamination. The film illustrates practical solutions that help homeowners save more than $600 per year on energy bills while helping the environment and protecting human health.

“I hope this film sparks an energy conservation movement across America, while boosting demand for clean renewable power sources,” says filmmaker Jeff Barrie, who will lead a discussion following the screening. “Many people are unaware that we’re still burning coal to generate most of our electricity in America, creating serious consequences to the environment and human health. The need for conservation is urgent,” says Barrie.

According to the Department of Energy, the average American home consumes more than 900 kilowatt-hours of electricity each month. More than 50% of our nation’s electricity is generated in coal-fired power plants, amounting to nearly 6 tons of coal burned to generate electricity for the typical American home each year. By using products marked with EPA’s Energy Star label, purchasing power generated from renewable resources, more effectively insulating our homes, and utilizing natural energy sources like sunlight, wind, and geothermal power, consumers can reduce the impact of their energy usage, while saving money.

For more information please email info@KilowattOurs.org or visit www.KilowattOurs.org. Click on “Media Resources” to receive an electronic media kit. DVDs are available for preview.

For more information on sponsoring group Mothers Acting Up; www.mothersactingup.org

###

2007 Gandhi-King Conference on Peacemaking.

MAUs from all across the Southeast (and beyond!) are encouraged to attend this wonderful conference. We plan to have a strong showing of mobilized mamas from across the state and elswhere!! Want to hook up with us? Contact Paige: paige@mothersactingup.org

2007 Gandhi-King Conference on Peacemaking "Building the Beloved Community"
October 26-27


$20 - Students and Low Income ($30 on or after September 15) $50 - Adults ($70 on or after September 15)

Friday, October 26
7:30 am Registration opens in Theatre Lobby (ongoing throughout the conference) 8:30 am - 12:30 pm Youth Conference

Youth Component
The Gandhi-King Conference is teaming up with BRIDGES PeaceJam to bring local high school youth an innovative and interactive youth component which will occur on Friday of the conference weekend. Friday morning will begin with a plenary address by Rosa Clemente, followed by a selection of workshops specifically designed for youth.

Workshop topics include: Influences of Mass Media, Being Creators Not Consumers, Fair Trade, Alternatives to the Military, Voting, Global Citizenship, and Creating Our Communities.

The youth component continues Friday evening with a community performance event to be held at BRIDGES, during which artists will be sharing their messages of peace and visions of beloved community through music, spoken word, visual art, and dance. Youth sessions and Friday evening performance are open to all conference participants.

New Yahoo Group.

Check it out, here.

ACT UP to save SCHIP: Cover the Kids!!

The below action really only takes about three minutes, and could be HUGE if
enough concerned folks do it. I feel like it's imperative that peaceful
parents (AND OTHERS!) speak out for peaceful existences for all children, a large part of
which is access to healthcare when a child needs it.

The recent restoration of budget cuts for our public libraries is a
fantastic example of how mobilized mamas (and daddies) who voice their
concerns really make a difference for good.

(The below email campaign is from friend / colleague Susan McKay
who now works with the Tennessee Healthcare Campaign, just to source it for
you)

Be well.
paige

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY

Tell Rep. Cooper to "COVER the KIDS"

*** URGENT CALL TO ACTION! DO IT NOW! ***
Congressional Vote this Week on SCHIP!

Call Rep. Cooper NOW!
*** Toll-free: 1-800-828-0498 & ask for Rep. Jim Cooper's office ***
Nashville Office: (615) 736-5295
Washington DC Office: 202-225-4311

*** Ask him to vote YES to Reauthorize SCHIP with $50 Billion in
essential funding!

LEAVE a MESSAGE if you get a machine.

It is a matter of getting priorities straight. Tell Rep. Cooper you
want him to SHOW that kids are his priority through ACTION of a YES
vote.

Call Rep. Cooper NOW!
** Toll-free: 1-800-828-0498 & ask for Rep. Jim Cooper's office***
Nashville Office: (615) 736-5295
Washington DC Office: 202-225-4311

*** It is enough to call & ask him to vote YES to Reauthorize SCHIP
with $50 Billion in essential funding.

If you want to say more, here are talking points:

*Priority #1: Health Care for Children

* 84% of Americans strongly support covering children.
That's why reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) with adequate funding of $50 billion is a national
priority.

* Healthy coverage is a vital investment in our children and in our
nation's future.
Today, SCHIP provides high-quality, affordable health coverage to 4
million children who would otherwise be uninsured. Still, there
remains 9 million uninsured children, of whom about 6 million are
eligible for SCHIP, but are not enrolled. $50 billion over 5 years
would protect coverage for the 4 million kids currently enrolled and
expand coverage to other eligible 6 million. Reauthorizing the
program with adequate funding is a priority for the health of our
children and health of our nation!

* Tennessee's CoverKids program at risk! Tennessee has just started
its SCHIP program, called CoverKids, to help insure 150,000 Tennessee
children. Reauthorization by Congress with adequate funding is
essential for Tennessee's new SCHIP program to be successful.

* It's a matter of priorities. We MUST make children a priority. No
child should lose coverage because Congress doesn't properly fund a
sound program. The $50 billion in funding over 5 years means that no
eligible child enrolled in SCHIP today will lose coverage and that 6
million more eligible kids will get coverage. Without this funding,
millions of needy children will be at risk.

Call Rep. Cooper NOW!
*** Toll-free: 1-800-828-0498 & ask for Rep. Jim Cooper's office***
Nashville Office: (615) 736-5295
Washington DC Office: 202-225-4311

YOUR VOICE DOES MATTER!
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

Warm regards,

Susan McKay

Office T: (877) 431-7083 ; (615) 227-7500
Email: smckay@thcc2.org
www.thcc2.org

"Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is
still dark." - Tagore