Mothers Day Events 2009

Mothers Acting Up is shaking everything up this year. In this new era, we are turning are attention to more mother leadership and more action!!! We will not have our Mother’s Day Parade down Pearl Street, but hope you will join us on May 29th on a field trip to our Members of Congress! We’ll be riding on the New Era bus!!! Please check out the special events and gatherings that will happen all month long! To volunteer for any of these events, please email kelye_lotz@hotmail.com.

Friday May 1 (M)other presented by Beth Osnes followed by potluck dinner and the workshop: Empowering Mother Voices 5:30pm to 8:30pm Christ Church, 690 Colorado Boulevard, Denver (M)other explores how to get the people of one nation to authentically care about the children of other nations. It is an intimate, funny and provocative look at one mother’s personal transformation, moving from concern to action on behalf of the world’s children. Hosted by Christ Church United Methodist Church and The Gathering Place in partnership with Mothers Acting Up and Philanthropiece, this event will uniquely bring together groups of women who would normally never meet, breaking down stereotypes and reaching across class lines, reinforcing that each of us is part of a global community of mothers. Childcare will be provided; for more info, contact Louana George at westsidebirthservice@juno.com

May 1, FabFacets Jewelry Open House to benefit MAU By Linda Shoemaker 4 to 8 pm This event is in Boulder, RVSP for directions to Claire@lindashoemaker.com FabFacets jewelry is hand-crafted from natural stones by Boulder’s own Linda Shoemaker. 50% of sales will be donated to Mothers Acting Up.

Saturday, May 2 Celebrate Fair Trade and Mothers! 1 to 7pm Momentum 1625 Pearl Street, Boulder Come hear Peruvian artisans Ayde Riveros (finger puppet maven!) and Evangelina Pizaros’ compelling stories of their turbulent lives and how Fair Trade has helped them achieve economic and social stability. They will be at Momentum from 1-3pm creating crafts, selling products, and sharing their stories. Momentum will be honoring the work of Mothers Acting Up (MAU) with 10% of the day’s profits. This extra special May day at Momentum will conclude with a wine and fair trade chocolate reception from 3 to 7 pm for all who believe that each of us can make the world a better place one step at a time. Come celebrate with us!

Saturday, May 9 Longmont Moms Go Green for Mother’s Day! Homemade, organic potluck 6:30pm Contact Holly for to RSVP and for directions in Longmont: hollyaneff at hotmail.com Longmont Moms Go Green, a MAU Chapter, hosts speakers each month on topics such as: green investing and interior design, eco-cooking, permaculture, and zero waste home. Join in some Mother’s Day weekend renewal to the commitment to live a sustainable life for the health of the planet and the future of the world’s children. We’ll watch “The Eleventh Hour” with Leonardo DiCaprio and discuss ways to live more simply, consume less, and preserve nature.

Sunday, May 10 Mother’s Day Walk in Niwot! 9am Beginning at Left Hand Grange Park to Niwot Market, Niwot Join us for a festive morning walk to Stand for the World’s Children, with moms, dads, kids, dogs, friends and neighbors. At the end of the walk we’ll sign and decorate messages to Congress, asking lawmakers to prioritize kids. There’ll be opportunities to help a school in Uganda, ideas for inspiring kids to service, and plenty of coffee & MAU Mother’s Day cake. See you there! For more information email Kathy, Michelle or Linda at niwot@mothersactingup.org

Monday, May 11 Big Screen Premiere The Moment local action . . . global change Monday ~ May 11th 6:30 pm Main Boulder Public Library Gallery, Auditorium & the Channel 8 studio 1000 Canyon Boulevard, Boulder Mothers Acting Up, The City of Boulder’s Office of Environmental Affairs & Channel 8 invite you to celebrate the premiere of our new TV show The Moment The debut of The Moment will be accompanied by comedian Jeff Wozer and the fabulous Beth Osnes, appetizers & dessert, information & door prizes, and live taping in Channel 8 studios. Come celebrate this new show with your kids, grandparents & neighbors and this zero waste reception & event. Get your dose of good news and inspirations for the week!

Sunday, May 17 Awakening the Dreamer Symposium 1 to 5 pm (Limited space available) Center for Conscious Living, 1637 28th Street, just west of the Q’doba in Boulder To RSVP or for more information contact: Register online at www.awakeningthedreamer.org For questions, contact: Erica Shafroth at 303-473-0108 Mothers Acting Up is teaming up with a very exciting grass roots, social/political movement gaining momentum across the country and across the globe. The mission for the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium is to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on the planet. View the introductory video at http://awakeningthedreamer.org/content/view/115/135/

Tuesday, May 19 10:00am Jewelry Show to Benefit MAU! Join Janna for a morning playdate and Silpada show to benefit MAU! Sparrow Gabriel has generously offered to hold this show and donate 10% of all sales this day to MAU!!! Stop by anytime between 10 and noon. You may also check out the catalog on the web at http://www.mysilpada.com/sparrow.gabriel and email orders to Janna. We will also be collecting signature post cards to be delivered to our members of congress on May 29. Please stop by to sign a card if you have not signed one already! These cards will ask our M.O.C. to put children first in public policy! Please also visit the site http://www.standfortheworldschildren.org and sign the online pledge. We will also have some great FREE Mothers Acting Up stuff to give away! Don't miss it! :) Email jannavance at gmail dot com for directions!

Friday, May 29 (1st Day of Summer Vacation) STAND FOR THE WORLD’S CHILDREN: A field trip to our Members of Congress 9:30 to 3:30 pm (possible to join the trip for half a day) Meet at 2025 16th Street, Boulder Get on the BUS with Mothers Acting Up, New Era Colorado, and the local High School Peace Jam Groups as we visit Rep. Betsy Markey and Jared Polis AND Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall. Be a part of presenting this year’s agenda on behalf of the world’s children. Lunch will be provided, bring snacks and a reusable water bottle. Read about the campaign and RSVP for the trip at www.standfortheworldschildren.org.

Mothers Acting Up (MAU) is a locally grown organization uniting 1 million mothers to advocate on behalf of 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. For more info visit www.mothersactingup.org

Meetings This Week

Please join us for our one or all of these local events, coming soon!

• Mothers Acting Up and the Boulder Bookstore will host a panel discussion, "Inspiring Mother Voices." Wednesday, December 3rd at 7:30 pm. Join us for a conversation on what mother* leadership looks like, featuring Shari MacDonald Strong, editor of The Maternal is Political, co-founder Juliana Forbes of Mothers Acting Up and creator of The Moment, a calendar and guide for advocating, and Amie Brooke Nelson, currently writing Inspiring Mothers. Mothers* all over the world are doing incredible work to inspire, educate and engage their communities -- come learn about their work. The Boulder Bookstore is located at 1107 Pearl Street in Boulder.
• What will more than likely be our last planning meeting at PlayGrounds Cafe, before they close their doors, will take place Monday, December 8th at 10:00 am. Please come share your ideas for a sustainable holiday season and your dreams for our newest members of congress and administration! PlayGrounds is located at 4550 Broadway in North Boulder.
• The next meeting of the Longmont Mothers Acting Up chapter, Longmont Moms Go Green, will be Tuesday, December 9th at 7:00 pm at Holly's House. We will share ideas on how to have a green holiday (most of my experience comes from Christmas, but I'd love to hear any ideas on Hanukah, Kwanzah, etc.) We will discuss green gifts, wrapping ideas, etc. We'll also share ideas for recycled/homemade gifts. Please RSVP to and request directions from Holly.

We hope to see you soon!

In spirited partnership,

The MAU Mamas

To order your 2009 MAU Handbook/Calendar, use this link.

Donations Needed This Week for Orphanage

Hello MAU Members,

My name is Lesley. I am a new adoptive mom and just attended my first Boulder MAU meeting. Our adoption agency is starting up a brand new child care home/orphanage in Ethiopia. It is not associated with any church or religion. As you can imagine orphans in Ethiopia typically deal with malnutrition, poverty, lack of material resources and not enough care providers. This child care home would be different and the children would have a higher quality of life. I can personally attest to how poor the conditions are in foreign orphanages. Donations can't be mailed directly to these orphanages as they will disappear due to corruption. A staff member has to accompany a giant humanitarian aid box on an airplane when it can be arranged a few times a year.

You can help and make a difference. Below is a list of items needed that I am collecting for our adoption agency. I will amass all the donations and arrange a pick up date here in Boulder with our agency. For this reason I can't arrange for them to be tax deductible for you. If you want to have them be tax deductible you will have to contact the adoption agency directly and hand deliver the items to the Denver area.

Please e-mail me directly if you have questions, want more details and would like directions to my house where you can arrange to leave your donations. I need all the items by the 12th of November as the staff member is leaving for Ethiopia this month.

In Longmont, donations can be dropped off at the Tuesday meeting at Janna's house (email jannavance at gmail dot com for directions).

Clothes should be clean, in good condition and be suitable for a warmer climate. Toys should be plastic and not have batteries. Medications should be unopened/sealed and in original packaging.

Thank you so much for your help,
Lesley
lesleybird at prodigy dot net

Clothing:
For both genders, age 0-7. Lightly worn OK
Underwear
Socks
Shoes- lightly worn
Jackets
Pants
Shirts- long and short sleeved
Onesies
Pajamas

Linens:
Sheets for twin sized beds
Sheets for cribs
Pillowcases
Pillows
Bath Towels
Dish Towels

Food items:
Formula
Baby Food
Cereal
Fruit Snacks
Granola Bars

Kitchen:
Pots and Pans- big and medium
Eating Utensils
Cooking Utensils
Can Opener
Dishwashing Soap

Bathroom:
Body Wash- Liquid
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Shower Mat
Hand Soap
Shampoo and Conditioner

Medical Items:
Children's chewable vitamins
Children's liquid vitamins with iron
Vitamin C
Band-Aids
Adult Tylenol®
Children's Tylenol®
Motrin® or Advil®
Pedialyte®
Pediasure®
Robitussin®
Children’s Benadryl
A& D Ointment®
Antifungal cream
Cortisone cream
Triple antibiotic cream
Vaseline

Misc:
Diapers
Baby Wipes
Bottles
Bottle Nipples
Toys

Just Vote!

Dear Friend:

We are writing to ask for help in recruiting 400 volunteers on Election Day, November 4, 2008.

Just Vote Colorado (formerly Fair Vote Colorado) established in 2004, is a nonpartisan collaborative election protection program that works with election officials to remove barriers to voting prior to Election Day. JVC engages in voter education efforts, runs a hotline and website where voters can find basic information and report problems, and organizes hundreds of volunteers to serve as poll monitors. After each general election, JVC analyzes voters’ experiences and issues a post-election report with policy recommendations.

Here’s how you can help:

1) Help spread the word! Promote our toll free number: 1-866-OUR-VOTE, post our logo and website on your home page, tell your members, colleagues, friends, and family about Just Vote Colorado.

2) Volunteer-- Be a poll monitor. Give two or more hours on Election Day to help voters and to survey the voting experience. Be a post-election monitor. Observe the post-election voting machine audits and ensure accuracy in processing ballots.

Visit to sign up.

For more information, please contact Just Vote Colorado at 303-292-2163. Thank you!

Warm regards,

Joe Richey, Voting Rights Coordinator
Just Vote Colorado, Colorado Common Cause

JVC steering committee includes Colorado Common Cause, League of Women Voters of Colorado, Colorado Lawyers Committee, the Legal Center for People with Disabilities and Older People, and the Latina Initiative. JVC partners with Election Protection, the nation’s largest non partisan voter protection coalition.

JVC is not affiliated with or promoting any candidate or issue.

Boulder Kick Off Meeting 10/6

Please join us for our first Boulder area meeting of the fall season! We will meet at 10:00 am on Monday, October 6^th at PlayGrounds Café. Light snacks will be provided and admission to PlayGrounds Cafe is free for you and your wee ones when you join us for this meeting. We will be formulating a plan for the upcoming year for MAU in Boulder and we need your help! If you can RSVP to Janna, it will help with set up for the meeting, but it's not required.

How can you get involved?

We need teams of focused volunteers to:

Get the calendar into the hands of every mother! This election season, mothers are engaging on a national and international level like never before. Let's make sure they have the inspiration and tools to move from concern to action on behalf of the world's children. Our goal is to get the calendar into 50 local shops in Colorado. A team of 5 mavens could make it so!

Take your daughter (and son) to the Polls. MAU has joined the White House Project in this campaign and we need volunteers to hand out pledge cards and stickers to moms who pledge to bring their children to the polls. MAU will also provide scorecards from Children's Defense Fund, League of Conservation Voters and the One Campaign. Pass the cards out and your child's school, your stroller fitness class, etc. MAU has also been invited to be part of New Era's Trick or Vote campaign.

Organize Field Trips to our NEW members of Congress in 2009. Help decide when to visit and to set the agenda.

Reclaim Mother's Day! Boulder's BEST event on Mother's Day. Many hands make light work. Sign up to help with tables, the parade, kid's activities, the program, music or the cake!

Tabling Team! Learn to spread the word of MAU at local festivals or talk with potential MAUs in neighboring communities. We'll have one brief get together complete with snacks. Coming up very soon: MAU will be tabling at the Bioneers conference.

PR Team! Spread the word about local gatherings to schools, the press, etc. Two hours a month will go along way!

Action Team! Boulder is long on action and short on time. Help decide which actions Boulder Mamas will engage in over the course of the year. Chalking for Peace! Stand Up to End Global Poverty! Join Up for Education for All children by 2015.

Help organize MAU gatherings! Monthly or weekly play dates at PlayGrounds Cafe? Bookgroup MAU style? Moms night out? The sky's the limit!

MAU is organized around YOU and what you can accomplish with your kids at your hip and your life swirling around you - and what we all can accomplish as mothers working together. All of our actions are peaceful and our motivations are pure. MAU is here to help you find your strengths and facilitate sharing them with the community in order to make children a priority in our communities and in the world. Come hang with us on Monday and help us all discover the fun we can have when we work together to make a tremendous difference in the world in our 08 - 09 season! Questions? Email Janna or Joellen.

In spirited partnership,

The Local Boulder MAU Mamas