Interested in funding a project for your non-profit organization, or a need in your community? It’s not too late to sign up for my Introduction to Grantwriting course at Wake Technical Community College. This seven-week course is part of the Continuing Education program, and is offered at Athens Drive on Tuesday evenings, 6:30 – 9:30, from October 27 – December 15 (skipping Thanksgiving week).
While my sweetie was conferencing, I tagged along to get in a little adventuring. I found Vancouver to be a rather functional working city, with pretty spots peeking through on occasion. The Stanley Park area was our favorite, particularly watching the rowing club in Coal Harbour. I walked about 45 miles over four days, took the city bus, the Sea bus and the water taxi. All around, a fun week.
Put your thinking caps on … it’s time to sign up for The Business of Writing for Children!
“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!”
– Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
On any given day I’m happy to follow my flights of fancy to see where they’re going. I’m an optimist and an idealist, after all. And loathe though I am to admit, numbers can tell a story as good as words (had I not spent years as a technical writer and grant writer before turning to fiction, I never would’ve admitted it). Here are some numbers for you.
Today is my twenty-first anniversary with Matt.
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So here’s to 21 x 21 to infinity more … I’d still stop the world and melt with him.
PS: It’s not too late to donate to our Pi Day Pi K race team, The Ice Sickles. All proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity of Durham. Thanks!
Over the weekend, I turned 42.
It seems this might be the year that I learn the answer to everything. Which is good, because I have a thousand questions … like, a day.
In case you were wondering, there’s a fun list of 42 things that are focused on 42 on The Independent. Here are some of my favorite 42’s:
– Buzz Lightyear’s ship
– Fox Mulder’s apartment
– Harry Potter discovers he’s a wizard on page 42
– Michael Jackson’s album, Thriller, lasts 42 minutes
– Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland has 42 illustrations
Romance author, Becky Moore, turned 42 this weekend … and so did children’s author, Dolly Dozier!
Got a question?
Lemme know.
I had the best day yesterday.
And it’s all thanks to my friend, Bonnie-Clare, who asked me to photograph a raucous special event at Life Experiences where her niece is employed. A colleague of BC’s has a side entertainment business, and man did he get the crowd going. I left with a smile on my face and lightness in my heart.
Life Experiences is a non-profit organization that offers a choice of satisfying work experiences for adults with varying disabilities, and at the same time allows those adults the self-esteem of earning a wage for their work. According to their Web site, they’re currently accepting applications. If you or someone you know has a disability and is interested in building self-esteem through work, contact them at 919-467-1973 to arrange for a visit soon.
Excited to work with a new group of professionals as my Introduction to Grantwriting class kicks off tonight. Got a community initiative or program you need to fund? There’s still time to join!
I’m boosting the signal for the Apex High School AOIT program. Please help spread the word …
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TODAY Progress Software will host the first Apex High School Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) App Development Challenge at its Morrisville, NC location.
The daylong challenge will be broken into three portions: instruction, development and judging. Thirty AOIT seniors will be introduced to four programming languages—Progress Pacific Platform, Progress Rollbase, JavaScript, and Node.js—and will have to create and program an original application.
“It’s important to get young people exposed to programming early in their academic careers,” said Eduardo Pelegri-Llopart, VP of Technology at Progress Software. “We are impressed with National Academy Foundation and the local Apex High School’s AOIT program. By the end of their first semester of ninth grade, the AOIT students are beginning to earn professional certifications. Progress Software is proud to host our first app development challenge. Who knows—we could be glimpsing the next technology breakthrough.”
The Progress Software AOIT App Development Challenge will be held from 8:00 am – 2:30 pm at 3005 Carrington Mills Blvd, Suite 400, Morrisville NC 27560. Thanks to SAS and IBM, all 30 competitors will have his or her own laptop to use for the day. Students will compete for prizes and publish their results to the app store.
“The academy is constantly looking to connect its students with the business community,” said John Evans, the AOIT Director. “Critical thinking experiences like this expose them to the latest technology and simulate the workplace.”
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The Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) started at Apex High School in 2001, and is one of 15 Career Academies in the Wake County Public School System affiliated with the National Academy Foundation (NAF). While the NAF Academy model inspires students and teachers to greater success, the Academies are bridges between corporate America and local communities. The NAF model works by bringing business people into the public schools and introducing youth to the world of business. Through the Academies, educators and business people are partners for investing in and developing America’s youth. The Apex High School AOIT program was recognized in 2013 as the number one NAF academy in the nation.
AOIT provides students with a rigorous academic curriculum, while exposing them to the varied career paths and opportunities available in the information technology industry. Students engage in a rigorous, project-based learning curriculum focused on providing transferable skills and exposure to the dynamic IT field.
Since 1981, Progress Software has been committed to delivering market-leading technology innovations that empower its partners and customers to dramatically improve the development, deployment, integration and management of its business applications. Its technology is used by nearly 140,000 organizations in over 180 countries.
