All For a Good Cause(s)

If you are looking to shake up your morning coffee routine while doing some good at the same time, might I suggest the Salvation Army. Next Thursday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., The Salvation Army in Montclair is hosting “Coffee and a Cause” an event to raise awareness of a horrific global crisis—sex trafficking. 

“Sexual trafficking is the dirty little secret next door and not too many people are talking about it.” says Major Janet Ashcraft, Corps Officer of The Salvation Army in Montclair. “We hope to educate our community about the insidious nature of this problem, which exploits women and children. It is not just the prostitute on the street, but also the distribution of pornography, which leads to this exploitation. Pornography enters even the nicest of neighborhoods.” This event, is eerily timely, in light of the recent arrest of the MKA teacher .

“Coffee and a Cause” will feature several merchants from the Montclair area who will donate 10 percent of the sales from that day to the local Montclair Corps. American Gold and Diamond Buyers are sponsoring the event. There will also be beads for sale, handcrafted in Kenya by women who are suffering from HIV. The proceeds from those sales will benefit the work of The Salvation Army amongst women suffering from the disease in Kenya.

The guest speaker for the event will be Lisa Thompson, the organization’s National Liaison for the Abolition of Sexual Trafficking. Thompson has traveled extensively, speaking to a variety of audiences about the issue of sexual trafficking, is a contributing author for several publications and given expert testimony on this subject before US Congress.

For more information on Coffee and a Cause, go to the website, www.montclaircitadel.org or contact Michele Kroeze at 973.744.3312.

This next event is a great opportunity for young girls to show some patriotic spirit. On May 20, Rock Paper Scissors, Montclair’s “neighborhood  craft store,” is hosting a special evening to honor American troops overseas. Girls ages 7 and up are invited to embroider camouflaged kerchiefs for American soldiers currently deployed. 

The event is in collaboration with Fortune Girls, a multi-cultural lifestyle brand created by Glen Ridge residents 14-year-old Madison Clark-Ruiz and her mom, Barbara. The brand is dedicated to the empowerment of tween girls, ages 7-12, “encouraging them to discover their own unique gifts and talents and begin to think about what they want to be when they grow up.”

Operation Gratitude, a volunteer organization that ships care packages to troops, will be delivering the kerchiefs to the soldiers. Also on hand will be two special guests, local servicewomen who have recently returned from deployment. The women will talk to the young girls about what their gifts mean as well as join in the embroidery fun.

For Rock Paper Scissors owner, Beth Rowan, an event like this is close to her heart, “When Barbara (Clarke-Ruiz) first approached me about hosting this event, I immediately jumped at the chance.” Rowan explains.  “I come from a long-line of military service in my family and am proud to have a son who is currently deployed off the coast of Iraq, so I understand what messages from home mean to the troops.”

“Barbara’s idea of having an event for local girls to embroider the hankies was brilliant and we felt it was a perfect companion to our existing effort to support the troops. And Memorial Day is a great time to remember the sacrifice that all of our troops make every day” Rowan adds.

In addition to the embroidery event, the shop is accepting notes of encouragement, gratitude and support to the troops, as well as toothbrushes and toothpaste—all of which  will be added to the care packages. If you would like to sign up for the event, call the store at 973-337-6759. 

Wannabe screenwriters listen up, this one’s for you...

Before the excitement of lights, camera, action, there’s the screenplay to write (and re-write and re-write.) Montclair State University is offering a “Screenwriting Boot Camp” to help you do just that. This non-credit, intensive eight-week workshop gets down and dirty with one goal on mind—start, or in some cases, finish a screenplay. 

“The main focus of the workshop is to help writers get a good, solid handle on their stories.” says Susan Skoog, the workshop’s instructor and MSU film department faculty member. “Many times a writer will have a great idea for a screenplay, but they get stuck after about 30 pages and they don't know what should 'happen next'. My goal is to get these screenwriters past the 'no-man's land' of the second act or the middle of the movie, and get to the end to finish the script.”

With over 20 years in the entertainment industry as a director, screenwriter and TV producer, Skoog has a breadth of experience to guide hopefuls through what can be a daunting process. But be forewarned, Skoog says, participants should come prepared to work as “the first few weeks will involve an in depth study of story structure as well as exercises designed to build vivid and compelling characters. After that, writers will bring in sections of their scripts to be work-shopped and analyzed in class.  Ideally, at the end of the eight weeks, each writer will have a completed draft of a feature screenplay.”

The workshop runs from June 14 to August 4 and meets twice a week from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. You do not have to be an MSU student to register, but you must be 18 or over. For more information email Skoog at skoogs@mail.montclair.edu.

Tara Chowaniec is a very plugged-in writer, curious wanderer, and mother of two gorgeous girls.