IPEI is participating in this year’s Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair, which offers an opportunity to give charitable donations as holiday ifts for friends and relatives. The Fair will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday, December 5, in two adjacent locations: the First Presbyterian Church, 315 North Cayuga Street, and the First Baptist Church, 309 North Cayuga Street.

Over 55 organizations will be represented at the Fair, which started in 2004 and has grown each year. Gifts at the Fair start at $5, and each gift you buy comes with a free greeting card and an insert about the organization you are supporting. All of the money collected at the Fair goes directly to the participating organizations.

The Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair is sponsored by the Center for Transformative Action and TCAction, with financial support from Alternatives Federal Credit Union.

The gifts IPEI is offering this year are listed below. Additional information on the event and the 33 organizations can be found at www.ithacaaltgiftfair.org , To contact IPEI, use www.ipei.org , ipei@ipei.org, 256-IPEI (4734).

$ 5 Books for elementary students to take home that complement theirKids Discover the Trail! activities.

$ 10 Red & Gold Opportunities Grants fund education needs identified by teachers, administrators, students, and community members.

$ 20 Fine Arts Booster Group grants bring artists, like dancers, into schools, whose art is proven to support literacy and creativity.

$ 25 Teacher Grants give teachers funds for innovative classroom projects which involve a community partner while coordinating with curriculum.

$ Any Amount IPEI facilitates community connections and support for students and teachers through engagement, collaboration, gifts, and grants.

The Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library
Invites you to Not-for-Profit Day at the Book Sale
Wednesday, October 28, 3pm - 6pm
(the day after the Fall Book Sale has ended)

Take away FREE BOOKS for:
- classroom use
- nonprofit organizations
- community charities
- church programs
- homeschooling
Bring a photo ID and a letter on official letterhead from your organization. It should identify you as eligible to take books for your organization and should state what the books will be used for. If you are a teacher, your school photo ID is all that is required. If you are a homeschooler, you must bring a letter on official letterhead confirming that you are a registered homeschooler in the Tompkins county area, along with your photo ID.
All books are free and you may take as many as you wish.
None of these books may be returned to the Friends at a later date.
Children are not permitted at this event.
Bring your own bags or boxes.

For more information, contact:
Friends of the Library
509 Esty Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: 272-2223
info@booksale.org
www.booksale.org

Upcoming music, theater, and art events are now listed on a beautiful
calendar on the Fine Arts Boosters website. Take a look at
http://www.fabgithaca.org/event_calendar, and please let me know if there
are events that should be added or changed.

Lesley Greene
Associate Producing Director
Kitchen Theatre Company
116 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 272-0403 / www.kitchentheatre.org

The YMCA of Ithaca and Tompkins County will hold a Special Open House during Health and Wellness Week November 2 to 8, 2009. The week will feature free tours of the facility, including the new Health and Wellness center.

The YMCA is perfectly positioned to provide a wide array of activities and programs for the health seeker in you. If you have thought about starting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, now is the time and the Y is the place for you . The Y offers over 40 fitness classes, 80 swim classes, four on site childcare areas, and new social space and wellness center, to name just a few. Visit the YMCA of Ithaca and Tompkins County this week. Graham Rd West next to the Shops at Ithaca Mall, on the TCAT bus line # 13. Phone 257-0101.

YMCA Colors for Spirit Week: Mon - Blue for honesty / Tues - Red for caring / Wed. - Yellow for respect / Thursday - Green for responsibility / Friday - different colors - RAINBOW

Activities for the week include:

Monday November 2 through Friday November 6 2009 non-member guests can have free admission with a member

Wednesday November 4, at 7:00 p.m. Attend a Meet and Greet overview of the YMCA and the programs offered. One half hour in the new facility addition will include a concise look at the Y programs and how they can benefit you. Open free to the public and Y membership , with a tour of the facility afterward.

Thursday November 5, Senior Lunch and lecture on Core strength and Healthy backs 11:30 - 1:00 pm for members only

Saturday November 7, free admission all day, Wiffleball homerun tournament with prizes for ages 5 to 12; 1:30 to 3:30 in the gym;
Racquetball tournament starting at 9:00 a.m. open to the public and membership; Intro to cycling workshop 2:30 - 3:15 and 3:30 to 4:15 pm open to the public.

Sunday November 8, free admission all day, with tours available.

Frank S. Towner
Associate Executive Director
YMCA of Ithaca and Tompkins County
607-257-0101
www.ithacaymca.com

Family Math Club Sundays Starting 10/25
The Family Math Club begins its second season on Sunday, October 25th
from 2pm to 3:30pm on the third floor of Williams Hall on the Ithaca
College campus and will continue on most Sundays thereafter. Enjoy a
casual brain-tingling presentation by local math enthusiasts of all
types, often followed by a craft activity or a computer activity. We
already have many wonderful presentations lined up:
10/25/2009 Math and Music
11/1/09 Advanced Origami Workshop
11/8/09 The Pantograph
11/15/09 Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes: Exploring
Negative Curvature
12/6/09 Magic Squares
12/20/09 Realistic image synthesis: using math to make pictures of
things that aren’t there.
see http://familymath.org/math-clubs

Family Math Fun Day Saturday 11/7
On Saturday 11/7/09 10am to 1pm expect to find a joyful chaos on the
third floor of Williams Hall as hundreds of kids relate to dozens of
Ithaca College students and local educators on the topic of math,
demonstrating that math is not something anyone can dislike.

See you there!

(If you would like to get Family Math announcements like this please
sign up at http://familymath.org/user/register)

HALLOWEEN BALL FEATURES RECYCLED COSTUME CONTEST

A “Green Halloween Masquerade Ball” will be held at the Women’s Community Building, 100 West Seneca Street in downtown Ithaca, from 8 pm to midnight on Friday, October 30th. The Ball is a benefit for SewGreen youth programs, and features a DJ, break dancing, games, Murder by Chocolate goodie bar, and a Recycled Costume Contest, with judging at 9 pm sharp. This is a no-alcohol event run by teens in the SewGreen youth program and is for all ages. No advance tickets. Pay at the door: $5 for teens, $8 for adults. Free for volunteers and kids 12 and under. For more information, visit the SewGreen website, www.sew-green.org or contact Wendy at 607-277-7611.

Come and join us at the Southside Community Center for an evening of Family Fun.
Dinner will be served-Traditional African dishes
Activities for young children
African Drum and Dance for the entire family
Storytelling and more
Tuesday October 27th
5pm-8pm

For questions please call:

Kirtrina Baxter, Program Manager
Southside Community Center
305 S. Plain St Ithaca NY 14850
607-273-4190 x225
kbaxter@sscc-ithaca.org

ITHACA–Area teens interested in making the Tompkins County Public Library more teen-friendly are invited to join T.A.G., the Library’s Teen Advisory Group.

T.A.G. is a highly-acclaimed group, which allows area youth in grades 6 through 12 to share their feedback, experiences and ideas about improving the Library’s services while meeting new people, fundraising, and reading and discussing books.

Teens interested in joining T.A.G. are invited to attend the group’s first meeting of the year, Tuesday, October 27, from 4:30 to 5:30 PM in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room of the Library’s Youth Services department.

Interested teens and new members are always welcome, but registration is appreciated. For more information or to sign-up, visit: http://www.tcpl.org/teen/tag.html or call the Youth Services Department at 607-272-4557 ext 277 or 275.

ITHACA– The Tompkins County Public Library will host “WordPlay”, a creative writing workshop for teens led by Irene Zahava, Sunday, November 8, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

This event, inspired by the upcoming 2009 Family Reading Partnership’s Kids Book Festival, “Put a Poem in Your Pocket”, will offer teens ages 9 – 15 an opportunity to create and share poems, fiction, or true-life stories.

There is no charge for the program; however, advanced registration is required. To register, or for more information, contact Zahava at 607- 273-4675 or zee@twcny.rr.com

Irene (Zee) Zahava is the director of Emma’s Writing Center and has been leading writing circles since l994. She is a former bookstore owner, the editor of numerous short story anthologies and haiku journals, and the co-publisher of 2 Turtles Press. She is also affiliated with the Durland Alternatives Library at Cornell University, a project of the CRESP Center for Transformative Action.

This workshop is sponsored by the Tompkins County Public Library, the Family Reading Partnership, and the Women’s Community Building Library.

Tompkins Girls Hockey Association (TGHA) announces its plans for the 2009-10 season. TGHA offers ice hockey activities for area girls ages 4-19 including Initiation, House, and Recreation programs, and three girls travel teams (19U, 14U and 12U Ithaca Shooting Stars teams). For more information, contact TGHA0910@yahoo.com or call 539-6920 or visit www.ithacagirlshockey.com .

Two free and fun events at The RINK, 1767 E. Shore Drive, in October will welcome beginners and other newcomers to TGHA as well as give continuing Initiation and House players a chance to get back on the ice. Registration materials are available at both events, too.

Try Girls Hockey on Monday, October 19 is geared to brand new skaters and hockey players who will participate at the Initiation level. It begins at 6:30 p.m. with an introduction to hockey equipment and a chance to borrow some to wear when the on ice activities begin at 7:00 p.m. TGHA coaches and older players will help newcomers to “try hockey” in a fun and safe way.

The annual TGHA Open House is set for Monday, October 26 at 6:00 p.m.. Girls of all ages and levels come together for this event which is a kickoff for the season. This includes newcomers and continuing members. Coaches are introduced and key leaders welcome the TGHA community for the new season.

Hockey equipment is not necessary on October 26 since Open House is more like a open skating session than a hockey practice with sticks and pucks. Helmets are worn by some with their street clothes, gloves or mittens are recommended, too. Music, refreshments, door prizes are features of Open House as well as the opportunity to register for the season.