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Ruby Tuesday Fundraiser Serves Medically Fragile Child

Categories: charity, events, fundraising, non-profit, people with disabiliites
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“Dining Makes A Difference” is a success.

L-R: John Gibbons, Director of Case Management; Patti Weaver with A2Z; and Mark Gibbons, General Manager for Ruby Tuesday.

January 19, 2012 (Durham, NC) – Ruby Tuesday’s “Dining Makes a Difference” fundraiser for RHA Howell’s Bridges Community Alternative Program for Children program (CAP/C) in December raised enough money to grant a special wish to a medically fragile child.

On Wednesday, December 14, Ruby Tuesday’s near Southpoint Mall in Durham donate 20 percent of its dining receipts that day to grant a wish to a child in the RHA Bridges CAP/C program. The fundraiser was part of Ruby Tuesday’s GiveBack Program.

“Everyone at RHA Bridges wants to thank the restaurant’s general manager Mark Gibbons and his wonderful staff for hosting the Give Back night,” said Debbie Valentine, marketing director for RHA Howell, Inc. “We’d also like to thank Patty Weaver with A2Z Home Medical for sponsoring the Bridges staff lunch, and all of the families and friends who dined at Ruby Tuesday that day to support the Bridges program.”

RHA Bridges serves as a “bridge” between families, needed services, the Department of Social Services, the Division of Medical Assistance, physicians, and therapists. Bridges helps to coordinate the work of home health professionals that make CAP/C services happen for children with medically complex needs through age 20. Bridges is the go-to source for families of children who need help in navigating the system of care and support. For more information visit www.rhabridges.com.

RHA Howell is a non-profit statewide organization that has been supporting children and adults with disabilities and their families for nearly 40 years. For more information visit www.rhahowell.org.

For more information on Ruby Tuesday’s GiveBack program, go to www.rubytuesday.com/giving-back.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for nearly 40 years. Integrity, high standards for quality and hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.

Ceramic Christmas Trees Made by People with Disabilities Now Available Online

Categories: charity, fundraising, health, news, non-profit, people with disabiliites
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RHA Howell announces annual fundraiser.

December 14, 2011 (Greensboro, NC) — RHA Howell has announced that the popular lighted ceramic Christmas trees made by people with disabilities are available again this year for purchase online.

Available in green or white, the ceramic Christmas trees stand about 12 inches tall and feature tiny lights on the branches that are illuminated by a bulb inside the tree.

People with disabilities who are served by RHA Howell’s Greensboro day and community programs made all of the trees. Proceeds from sales will benefit RHA’s developing arts immersion program.

“Our Christmas trees have been a popular fundraiser for many years,” said special events coordinator Debbie Valentine. “They’re a lovely holiday decoration and our clients love making them.”

The ceramic trees are $25 each plus shipping and handling ($15 via UPS ground). Or they can be picked up at RHA Howell Greensboro, 1508 Gatewood Ave., Greensboro, NC, 27405. Orders should be placed online at www.rhahowell.org by clicking on the Christmas trees icon.

For more information contact Kandy John at 336-273-6105, email: kjohn@rhanet.org; or Roger Jones at 252-521-1131, email: rojones@rhanet.org.

The Greensboro day and community programs are part of RHA Howell’s statewide service to children and adults with disabilities and their families. For more information visit www.rhahowell.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc.

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, and hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, please go to www.rhahowell.org.

“Eat For Broad Street” Fundraiser To Be Held in Carteret County

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Participating restaurants help raise funds for the county’s free health clinic.

On Friday, October 21, 40 restaurants in Carteret County will participate in “Eat For Broad Street,” a day-long fundraiser to support Broad Street Clinic, a free health clinic in Morehead City that has served the coastal county for 18 years.

The restaurants will donate 10 percent of their profits that day to the clinic to help it provide medications to patients who are indigent, uninsured, suffer from chronic illness conditions, and can’t afford the cost of doctor’s visits or medications.

Carteret County physicians and other citizens founded the Broad Street Clinic in 1993 as a private, non-profit, free health clinic serving the adult residents of Carteret County and surrounding areas.

Originally located in Beaufort, the clinic is now located at North 35th Street in Morehead City, near Carteret General Hospital.

To see the list of restaurants participating in “Eat For Broad Street,” visit www.broadstreetclinic.org and click on “future events.”

For more information on the clinic, contact Dr. Mary Katherine Lawrence at 252-241-4154, or email: freeclinic@bizec.rr.com.

Local Bookstores and Shops Support Cary Author’s New Book, Mission

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“Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” now available in retail locations.

September 30, 2011 (Cary, NC) – “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane,” the new humor book by Cary, NC, author and blogger Cris Cohen, was officially released this month, and four Triangle area retail establishments have already signed on to stock it.

The book is now available at All Booked Up bookstore (www.allbookedupsalemst.com) and DownTown Knits (http://downtownknitsapex.blogspot.com) in Apex, and Chambers Arts gallery and studio in Cary (http://chambersart.com), and Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill (www.flyleafbooks.com).

“It is really nice of these stores to support a local writer,” said Cohen, “especially one who doesn’t write about the current hot topic of the undead, such as a zombies, vampires, and members of Congress.”

“Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” is a collection of humor columns Cohen, 40, wrote for several newspapers in California and new ones he’s written since he moved to Cary in 2008. He published the book through his own small press, Tyrannosaurus Max Press.

Janice Monaco, the owner of All Booked Up in Apex, explained why she’s enthusiastic about carrying Cohen’s new book:

“I took a chance a few years ago with opening my store. So with that came a local awareness for my community and what I could do to help other ‘little guys’ like me. Now that I’ve beaten the odds, I want to support local authors and artists in my store. The big chain stores don’t have someone like me, who believes in the author and his or her work. And my space for local authors’ work is showcased prominently. I pushed through the tough times and made it. Now it’s time for me to help others with the same goals. And Cris? He’s taken a chance and has something to say. He’s funny, smart, and his great voice shines through his work.”

About the subject matter of the columns, Cohen says: “Other people have great stories about big things that have happened to them. But for me, it’s like the label on a sweetener packet that just really catches my attention.”

As funny as the content is, the book has a serious purpose. Cohen will donate proceeds from sales to the Miracle League of the Triangle, a local baseball league for kids with special needs, including his own young son, Max.

In the middle of the book, a section of what appears to be advertisements suddenly appears. Cohen, who self-published the book, explains:

“These are not really ads, but sponsorships, acknowledgments of thanks to the business and individuals who gave one to help this book come to fruition. After all, this book was not underwritten by a large publishing house, or a small publishing house, or even a house where people occasionally use the world ‘publishing’ in conversation. Were it not for the help of the nice people on those pages I’m not sure it would have made it to print.”

The Kindle version of “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” is available on Amazon.com.

For more information on Cohen’s new book and to read an excerpt, visit www.stayingcrazy.com.

About Cris Cohen:

Cris Cohen is the author of the humor blog “Nothing In Particular,” the book “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane,” and the humor columnist for the CaryCitizen.com. Born in Buffalo, NY, he grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, eventually graduating from the University of Southern California. After a stint in rock radio in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Cris started writing his humor column for a collection of California newspapers. He eventually gravitated toward the tech world and Silicon Valley, working for companies such as Netscape and Cisco Systems. Cris, his wife Michele, and their young son Max, moved to Cary, North Carolina, in 2008. Cris’ blog is available at http://criscohen.typepad.com. For more information on his book, visit www.stayingcrazy.com.

Modern, Green Playhouse Designed To Inspire Imagination

Categories: architecture, building products, charity, construction, fundraising, green architecture, kids' issues, modern architecture, people with disabiliites
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Frank Harmon Architect PA participates in Playhouse Parade fundraiser, auction.

Color scheme, elevations

September 20, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — Award-winning architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, believes “the best toy is one that allows the greatest freedom. Lego is a good example, a child under a table with a tablecloth surrounding her is another, and nothing is better than a muddy stream.” That’s why the custom-built playhouse his firm has designed for the upcoming Playhouse Parade in Raleigh is about creating spaces that will inspire a child’s imagination.

The Playhouse Parade is a collaboration among the City of Raleigh Parks & Recreation Department, Cameron Village Shopping Center, the Triangle Builders Guild, and a variety of designers, architects, businesses, and individuals to raise funds for the Sassafras All Children’s Playground, a new playground in Laurel Hills that will be accessible for children with special needs.

Frank Harmon’s design team is well-known for modern, sustainable and regionally appropriate

Exterior under construction

architecture, and this playhouse – like the Dog House the firm designed in 2005 to raise funds for Triangle Beagle Rescue of North Carolina — is no exception.

In modern architecture, form follows function. But in the playhouse, form follows play — to allow children’s imagination the greatest freedom.

Rather than designing a themed playhouse — a pirate ship or a firehouse, for example — Harmon’s playhouse “lets a child use his or her imagination,” he says, “from tea parties to puppet shows and even making mud-pies.”

The tall, narrow structure features a covered porch/stage, a lower-level playroom with two windows, and a loft level with a balcony or ”Juliet” window. On the first level, behind the ladder that rises to the loft, is the “kitchen,” where a shelf with buckets sits ready for mud-pie making. Sliding shutters at both lower windows open for puppet shows but close to keep out rain — and imaginary forces attacking a fort. The

Interior showing upper level loft.

large main door at the front of the playhouse can be thrown open for stage productions. In its closed position, a smaller door-within-a door allows children to enter and exit, and a “peep hole” window above the small door allows sun light in and serves as a “spy portal.” A planter in front of the porch/stage invites children to grow flowers and vegetables.

“How important is it,” Harmon asks, “for children to learn where a tomato comes from?”

In keeping with the principals of green, or sustainable, design, the structure is composed of locally available materials: painted wood (plywood and 2x4s and 2x2s), metal (galvanized pipe), and translucent corrugated polycarbonate for the roof. The windows provide natural ventilation and lighting, and the deep roof overhang protects the interior from the hot summer sun.

Harmon and his design team consulted with a child psychologist and several children during the design process, and built the playhouse to the scale of a three- to seven-year-old child.

“It’s real, but small,” says Courtney Evans, Harmon’s architectural intern, who spearheaded the project.

Twelve design teams are designing, building, and donating playhouses that will be displayed in Cameron Village on two Saturdays, October 8 and 15, then auctioned off on October 22 during the “Night Under

Window with sliding shutter.

The Stars Playhouse Parade Gala.” Proceeds from the auction will be used to restore the city’s one-of-a-kind playground that gives kids, no matter what their abilities, the chance to play. For more information: http://sassafrasplay.org/playhouse.

For more information on Frank Harmon Architect PA, visit www.frankharmon.com.

About Frank Harmon Architect PA

Frank Harmon Architect PA is an award-winning architectural firm that is recognized nationally as a leader in modern, innovative, sustainable and regionally appropriate design. Its competition-winning design for the AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design is currently under construction in downtown Raleigh. The firm’s work has been featured in numerous books, magazines, journals and online magazines on architecture, including ArchDaily.com, Dwell, Architectural Record, Architect and Residential Architect. The firm ranked 21st in Architecture magazine’s Top 50 firms in the nation this year and Frank Harmon, FAIA, founder and principal, was included in Residential Architect magazine’s first “RA 50: The short list of architects we love.” For more information, go to www.frankharmon.com.

Book Launch Party: “Staying Crazy” at Connolly’s with Suicide Blonde

Categories: blogs, books, charity, entertainment, events, fundraising, kids' issues, music, NC musicians, people, people with disabiliites, Triangle music scene
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September 12, 2011 (Cary, NC) — The official book launch party for “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane,” the new humor book by Cris Cohen, will be held on Saturday, September 17, beginning at 6 p.m. at Connolly’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in Cary. The event is open to the public and children are welcome.

“Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” is a collection of humor columns Cohen wrote for several newspapers when he lived in California and new ones he’s written since he and his family moved to Cary in 2008.

The launch party will coincide with a performance at Connolly’s by Suicide Blonde, a local band that plays ‘80s cover tunes. Cohen’s wife, Michele, discovered the band a couple of years ago and “became an instant fan,” he said, adding:

“I thought that a launch party should be energetic, carefree, and fun. Unfortunately I am none of those things. Thus I am attaching myself to Connolly’s Pub and the band. They will provide great food, great drinks, and great music. Meanwhile I will fill whatever need they might have for a guy to sit at a table with books.”

The band will take the stage at 6 p.m. Connolly’s will serve food and beverages throughout the afternoon and evening.

Cohen will have plenty of books on hand to sign and sell ($12) during the event, and he will donate proceeds from sales to the Miracle League of the Triangle, a baseball league for kids with special needs.

Pulitizer Prize-winning humor author Dave Barry has called it “a fine book for a fine cause.” The New Yorker’s cartoonist Drew Dernavich says, “If Cris made a lasagna, it would probably be a funny lasagna. If Cris made a chair, it would be a funny chair. Thankfully, he has decided to make a book instead, which I enjoyed reading along with a glass of the most hilarious Merlot.” An excerpt from the book is available on the website www.stayingcrazy.com.

Connolly’s Irish Pub & Restaurant is located at 1979 High House Road, Cary, NC 27519. For more information visit www.connollysirish.com.

For more information on “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” and The Miracle League, visit www.stayingcrazy.com.

Book Facts:

Title: Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane. Author: Cris Cohen. Publisher: Tyrannosaurus Max Press LLC. Genre: Humor, Nonfiction. Editor: Michelle Cohen. Cover illustrator: Darla Yancho. Interior illustrators: Daryl Stephenson, Michelle Zerzanek, Marilyn Berg Cooper. Pages: 178. Price: $14. Website: www.stayingcrazy.com.

About Cris Cohen:

New Book Keeps Readers Laughing and Raises Funds For A Good Cause

Categories: blogs, books, charity, fundraising, kids' issues, news, people, people with disabiliites
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Cris Cohen publishes “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane.”

September 6, 2011 (Cary, NC) – Humor author Cris Cohen takes on everything from credit card offers and his wife’s ultrasound to energy bar addiction, exercise videos, and Southern humidity in his new book “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane,” which is now available online and at select retail locations.

“Other people have great stories about big things that have happened to them,” Cohen, 40, says, “but for me, it’s like the label on a sweetener packet that just really catches my attention.”

The book is a collection of humor columns Cohen wrote for several newspapers when he lived in California as well as new ones he’s written since he moved to Cary, NC, in 2008.

In the section entitled “Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due – Or Not,” for example, he offers:

“Credit card companies regularly offer people cards to use in the hopes that, when it comes to financial issues, you’ll have the brains of a salad bar. After all, if you are good with your money and make all of your credit card payments on time, they only make a small profit. However, if you are bad with your money and miss some payments, they can legally sell your family.” (The full column can be read at www.stayingcrazy.com by clicking on “excerpt.”)

But there’s more to this book, which PEN/Faulkner prize-winning author T.C. Boyle calls “very funny stuff,” than a good belly laugh. Cohen will donate the bulk of the proceeds from sales to The Miracle League of the Triangle, a baseball league for kids with special needs, including his own son, Max. That fact prompted Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist Dave Barry to call it “A fine book for a fine cause.”

“Max’s various physical and mental challenges prohibit him from participating in a lot of fun, regular kid stuff,” Cohen said. “The League is one of the few places where all of those barriers and limitations are magically wiped away. It’s a place where Max gets to have some independence, to leave Mom and Dad in the stands and head out to the field. And we have made a lot of great friends, people who understand the challenges of being the parents of a special needs child and can offer advice, support, etc. After receiving all of that, my wife Michele and I wanted to give something back.”

And he adds: “I have always dreamed of publishing a book, or at least finding a way to make my computer a tax deduction.”

Cohen is selling “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” at Miracle League baseball games in Cary, through CreateSpace (https://www.createspace.com/3638597) and on Amazon. It is also currently available in Chambers Arts, 200 South Academy Street, Cary, NC. An ebook version will be available soon and will be announced on the book’s website www.stayingcrazy.com.

“If you would like a signed copy, I recommend getting someone really famous to do it. Then it might be worth something some day,” Cohen said. “However, if you cannot find someone famous, I am happy to sign them.” Signed copies may be ordered for $14 from: Tyrannosaurus Max Press, 211 Parkmeadow Drive, Cary, NC 27519.

For more information on “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” and author Cris Cohen, go to www.stayingcrazy.com.

For more information on the Miracle League of the Triangle, visit www.miracleleagueofthetriangle.com.

Book Facts:

About Cris Cohen:

“Staying Crazy” Sponsors Anticipate Book Release

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Cary author receives community support.

August 25, 2011 (Cary, NC) – As humor blogger and columnist Cris Cohen looks forward to the

Cris Cohen

publication of his first book “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” in September, he has many businesses and individuals in the Cary, NC, community and beyond to thank for support.

In March of this year, Cohen announced that he was going to publish a collection of his humor columns – some written while he worked for several newspapers in California, others written since he and his wife, Michele, moved to Cary in 2008 – in book form as a means of raising money for a local baseball league for children with special needs, including his own son, Max. He announced that he would donate proceeds from sales of “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” to the league, where he has been serving as a volunteer.

“We’ve gotten a lot from the League,” Cohen said. “It’s a place where Max gets to have some independence, to leave Mom and Dad in the stands and head out to the field. And we have made a lot of great friends, people who understand the challenges of being the parents of a special needs child and can offer advice, support, etc. After receiving all of that, Michele and I wanted to give something back.”

To offset the expense of publishing the book, he put out a call for sponsorships. And they came – from the Cary community to his native California and points in between.

The primary local sponsors for the book are: The Behavior Exchange, Raleigh; Anfield Inc., Raleigh; The Avilez Family in Iowa; Chambers Arts, Cary; Dr. Ben Schemmel, Cary; Hooper Law Firm PLLC, Raleigh; and The Garden Supply Company, Cary. Primary sponsors outside the Triangle are: Live A Little More Enterprises, Marylin Cooper, Digi-Q and Evantac of California; the Cannata Family of Georgia; the Sadler Family of Virginia; and Mommy and Me Are A Family of Texas.

A host of other individuals have contributed small sponsorships and Cary artist Darla Yancho created the cover art.

“The sponsors really made this book possible,” said Cohen. “Their contributions gave us the extra push we needed and also served as a wonderful vote of confidence.”

Cohen is publishing “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane” through his own small press, Tyrannosaurus Max Press, in early September. To learn more about the book and the baseball league for kids with special needs, visit www.stayingcrazy.com.

About Cris Cohen:

Cris Cohen of Cary, NC, is the author of the “Nothing In Particular” blog (criscohen.typepad.com), the humor columnist for Cary Citizen.com, and the author of the upcoming book “Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane.” Cohen and his wife Michelle are co-owners of Tyrannosaurus Max Press and regular volunteers with the Miracle League of the Triangle. For more information on Cohen and his book, visit www.stayingcrazy.com.

RHA Howell To Host “Put It On The Table” Design Competition, Fundraiser

Categories: art, business, charity, entertainment, events, fundraising, Interior Design, news, non-profit
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To benefit children and adults with disabilities in the Tar River and Greenville group homes.

July 26, 2011 (Greenville, NC) – Creative holiday table settings and table top design are the themes for a special fundraiser to benefit RHA Howell’s Tar River and Greenville Group Homes this year entitled, “Put It On The Table.”

On Thursday, November 3, from 4-7 p.m., local businesses — interior designers, florists, gift shops and jewelry stores, restaurants, and other entrants — will use tables, chairs, linens, dinnerware, center pieces and other elements to capture the spirit of the holidays. The event will promote their brands and work, while raising funds for children and adults with disabilities. Professional designers will serve as judges to select the “Best in Show” winner, while the attending public will determine the “People’s Choice Award.”

Businesses that enter the “Put It on the Table” competition and fundraiser will pay a $100 entry fee and provide a raffle or silent auction donation valued at $100. All items may also be priced for sale. RHA Howell will provide each entrant a 48-inch unadorned table and any number of chairs.

“We can’t wait to see how creative the table top designers will be,” said RHA Howell marketing director and events planner Debbie Valentine. “And we hope those who come to see the results will be inspired to get creative with their own table tops back home for the holidays.”

For their entry fee, participating designers and businesses will receive advertisements in the “Put It on the Table” program, two tickets to the event, their companies’ names in RHA Howell press releases, and a link to their businesses on the RHA Howell website. The event will also have its own Facebook page and Twitter account. The deadline for entering the competition is September 15.

“Put it on the Table” will be held at St. Peters Catholic Church at 2700 East 4^th Street in Greenville, NC. Tickets to the event are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Limited advance tickets will be available from the website at www.rhahowell.org.

Event sponsorships are also available from $250 (“Friends” level) to $2500 (VIP). Benefits for each level of sponsorship will be available soon on the RHA Howell website.

RHA Howell is a non-profit, statewide organization that has been serving children and adults with disabilities for nearly 40 years. Tar River is home to 30 children with complex medical needs who require round-the-clock medical care. The Greenville Group Homes provide care for12 adolescents with special needs.

For more information about RHA Howell Tar River contact Crystal Garman at 252-758-1101 or cgarman@rhanet.org.

For more information about Greenville Group Homes contact Jill Liles at 252-327-2063 or jliles@rhanet.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc.

The Hungry Intellectuals Club Selects Cris Cohen Book for 2011 Dinner Theme

Categories: blogs, books, charity, events, fundraising, news, non-profit, people, volunteer opportunity
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The Raleigh book and supper club plans its 2011 Meals From The Market fundraising event.

July 11, 2011 (Durham, NC) — The Hungry Intellectuals, a book and supper club in Raleigh, NC, will hold another “Meals From The Market” dinner this year to help raise funds for Durham Central Park. And the members have voted Cris Cohen’s upcoming humor book, Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane, as the theme for their 2011 event.

Meals From The Market dinners are annual fundraisers that individuals and groups host in their homes. Ticket sales to the dinners support Durham Central Park’s preservation and cultural activities. Last year’s Hungry Intellectuals fundraising dinner helped buy new red benches for the park.

To make the annual event more fun for book club members, The Hungry Intellectuals select a book around which they create a theme for the dinner.

“The Hungry Intellectuals Book and Supper Club is very excited to use Cris’ book for our Meals From The Market 2011 dinner theme,” said club organizer Heather Curtis. “We are all too familiar with the idea of ‘staying crazy to keep from going insane!’ “

Cris Cohen of Cary, NC, is the humor columnist for the CaryCitizen.com and a prolific humor blogger. He is publishing his new book this year as a means to raise funds for a local baseball league for kids with special needs, including his own son. The book will be a compilation of humor columns he wrote for several newspapers when he lived in California before moving to Cary in 2008 and new ones he’s written since then. Proceeds from sales will be donated to the baseball league.

Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane has already been endorsed by Pulitzer Prize-winning humor author Dave Barry, New Yorker magazine cartoonist Drew Dernavich, and PEN/Faulker Prize-winning author T.C. Boyle.

Cohen was invited to speak to The Hungry Intellectuals, a group of “young professionals who enjoy reading, eating, drinking and debating,” this spring. They chose his book for their dinner theme afterward.

“I am very flattered that they chose my book for this year’s event,” said Cohen. “It is possible that this decision was the result of a computer error or that most members voted while intoxicated. Although, to be fair, I think that is how most bills make it through Congress.”

The Hungry Intellectuals’ 2011 Meals from the Market dinner is scheduled for Sunday, September 18. The group hasn’t determined the exact location yet.

Durham Central Park is a downtown destination that offers a venue for cultural activities. It is also part of a 24-hour, walkable neighborhood for arts, recreation, and locally owned businesses. The Park includes The Great Lawn, The Pavilion (home of the Durham Farmers Market) and The Skate Park. For more information, visit www.durhamcentralpark.org.

For more information on The Hungry Intellectuals, visit http://www.meetup.com/The-Hungry-Intellectuals/.

For more information on Cris Cohen and Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane, visit www.stayingcrazy.com.

About Cris Cohen:

Cris Cohen, the author of the “Nothing In Particular” blog at http://criscohen.typepad.com, and humor columnist for CaryCitizen.com, was born in Buffalo, NY, and grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, eventually graduating from the University of Southern California. After a stint in rock radio in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Cris started writing his humor column for a collection of California newspapers. He eventually gravitated toward the tech world and Silicon Valley, working for companies such as Netscape and Cisco Systems. Cris, his wife Michele, and their young son Max moved to Cary, North Carolina, in 2008. His first book, Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane, is due out in the fall of 2011. For more information visit www.stayingcrazy.com.

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