WBFO Community Billboard

February is Harmony Awareness Month. Share your voice, explore your talent, and experience the fun of female choral a cappella singing with the Niagara Frontier Chord Authority, award-winning WNY Chapter of Harmony, Inc. Open rehearsals on Mondays for females who like to sing beginning February 15th and throughout March. 7:30 pm, St. Stephen’s Bethlehem UCC at 750 Wherle Drive in Amherst. For more information, contact nfcapresident@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook, or visit our web page at nfcaharmony.com.

Junior Achievement of WNY seeks classroom volunteers to teach K-12 students about business and the importance of staying in school! JA programs correlate with the NYS Learning Standards and focus on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness. Volunteer are provided with lesson plans, materials and training. The time commitment is minimal – about an hour a week for five, six or seven weeks depending on the grade level. Volunteers choose the school and age level of their placement. To get started, please contact Shannon Bloomquist at sbloomquist@jawny.org or 716-853-1381 x16. To learn more about all JA has to offer, log on to: http://wny.ja.org.

Thursday, February 11th through Saturday, February 13th: Miracle in Rwanda, a one-woman play will be performed in memory of the internationally-known human rights activist Dr. Alison L. Des Forges who was a victim of the crash of Flight 3407. Based on the book Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza, the play portrays Ilibagiza’s surviving the Rwandan genocide by hiding in a tiny bathroom with seven other women for ninety-one days. 7:30pm in the Student Union Theater on UB’s North Campus. Opening night fundraiser for the Alison Des Forges Memorial Fund--tickets are $125 . Friday and Saturday shows' tickets are $25 general admission, $10 students with ID, available at the SBI ticket office, 221 Student Union or online at www.sa.buffalo.edu/rwanda or www.subboard.com/tickets. Check the site for special lectures and movie screenings related this weekend related to the genocide.

 Beginning Friday, February 12th, The Buffalo Laboratory Theatre company presents Cyrano, Edmund Rostand’s classic tale of romance and adventure. The Theatre has three people playing all of the main roles.  It’s a fast-paced, modernized staging in which the performers use minimalist production techniques and pure, old-school theatricality to engage the 21st Century audience in a unique and exciting way.  Show times are Friday Feb. 12 & Saturday Feb. 13 at 8pm, Sunday Feb. 14 at 2pm, and Thursday Feb. 18 - Saturday Feb. 20 at 8pm at the William E. Swan Auditorium, Hilbert College, 5200 South Park Ave., Hamburg.  General admission $15, students/seniors $10.  Call 716-949-4082 for reservations or visit www.buffalolabtheatre.org.

Friday, February 12th: Valentine Snowshoe Hike from Buffalo Audubon Society. 5pm-8pm: An evening hike through the nature preserve follwed by a warm-up around the fireplace with a bowl of chili and hot cocoa. Snowshoes available to borrow. $20 per couple/$15 members. At the Beaver Meadow Audubon Center. Call to register: (585) 457-3228. www.buffaloaudubon.com

 Saturday, February 13: East Aurora Park Hike with Buffalo Audubon Society, 10am-12pm at Majors Park. "Birding in winter"--Take a stroll through Majors Park to discover signs of wildlife in winter. $5; $3 member; $15 family. www.buffaloaudubon.com. Also, every Saturday 1pm Saturday Snowshoe Trek. Join us for an interpretive snowshoe trek through the woods as we discover nature in winter. (Beaver Meadow Nature Center) Free.

Sunday, February 14th: Buffalo Audubon Society. Every Sunday 2pm Sunday Family Walks. Join us for a walk through the woods as our naturalists help you seek out the natural wonders that abound at Beaver Meadow. (Beaver Meadow Nature Center) Free. www.buffaloaudubon.com

Thursday, February 18th: Life Sciences Commercialization Lecture Series. “Contract Pharmaceuticals Limited (CPL)-Understanding the Pharmaceuticals Industry: How Outsourcing Fits In” 4-5pm. NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, 701 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, 2nd Floor. This free lecture features the Vice President - Business Development and Business Development Manager of CPL, a leading manufacturer and packager of prescription and OTC pharmaceutical products.  Learn more about the trends in the pharmaceutical industry and outsourcing, and how CPL is building strong stakeholder relationships within the Buffalo community. To register for this event, please contact Renata Bator (rmbator@buffalo.edu or 716.881.7588).

Thursday, February 25th: Talking to your children about cancer. Gilda’s Club WNY will host this free workshop, presented by Kathy Kurtz, LCSW, Noogieland Coordinator for Gilda’s Club WNY. This presentation will be a discussion for parents and grandparent living with cancer about talking to your kids about cancer. 6-7pm at Gilda’s Club WNY 1140 Delaware Ave. (Corner of West Ferry), Buffalo. Space is limited. Registration required. Refreshments provided. Call 332-5900 by Tuesday, February 23. www.gildasclubwny.org

  Friday, February 26th: A céili (KAY-lee), an Irish social dance, sponsored by Buffalo Comhaltas. Get ready to dance your cares away with us as we kick up our heels to some great LIVE traditional Irish music from our very own Buffalo Comhaltas musicians. Experience the joy of sets, including Caledonian, Clare Lancers, Derradda, Claddagh, & West Kerry sets. We'll even throw in the Baile Bhuirne Jig and a waltz or two to change it up. Held at the Buffalo Irish Centre, 245 Abbott Rd. in Buffalo from 8pm to Midnight. Admission is $10 adults ($8 Comhaltas members), $5 students, and accompanied children under 16 admitted free. Complimentary refreshments served at intermission. Ongoing set and céili dance classes are held Tuesday evenings from 7:45 to 10pm at the Buffalo Irish Center.

Friday, February 26th: Poverty research workshop. This public workshop of scholars and community groups focuses on Buffalo’s crisis of poverty and will highlight recent scholarship relevant to Buffalo’s poverty and help it to reach a broader audience. Program from 1-4pm with speakers from UB Regional Institute; Buff State College Geography & Planning; UB Urban & Regional Planning and more. A networking hour follows from 4-5pm. Refreshments served. No fee to attend, but to RSVP by February 21 or for more information contact Laura Mangan at Lmangan@buffalo.edu, 645-5376. Merriweather Library, 1324 Jefferson Ave. (cnr E. Utica), Buffalo. Free parking on site.

Saturday, February 27th: Snowflake Basket Auction presented by Niagara Cerebral Palsy at the Elks Lodge on Factory Outlet Blvd. in Niagara Falls. There is no admission fee to the basket auction, which offers a wide assortment of baskets and big ticket items, including a pair of Sabres tickets. 12 noon to 5pm.  Winners do not need to be present for the drawings in order to win. All proceeds to benefit programs for the developmentally disabled, including mental retardation, cerebral palsy, neurological impairment, epilepsy and autism.

Saturday, March 13th: Come watch the Duquesne University Tamburitzans present their exciting show of Eastern European song, music, and dance at 7pm at Hilbert College. See the stage becomes a kaleidoscope of sight and sound! Footwork is articulated in hundreds of styles and songs are performed in many languages and dialects. The Eastern European hand-made costumes are historically accurate, vibrant and beautiful. The show is suitable for all ages. All tickets are reserved seating: $24, $2 senior discount available, $15 student (18 and younger). For tickets and info call 1-877-826-6437.