Vote Now! You Could Help Maple Avenue School Win Up To $10,000!

Twenty-six schools will share $80,000 in cash prizes. We asked participating schools to put their creativity to the test by submitting a short video and brief essay explaining why their school is in need of financial support and deserves the $10,000 grand prize. The cash awards include one $10,000 grand prize, three $5,000 first prizes, and twenty-two $2,500 second prizes.

We are turning to America to select the 26 winners! Come back each day from now until July 12 and vote for your favorite video up to 3 times a day. Your votes will determine the winners!

The Crowne Plaza Ballroom in downtown Niagara Falls, NY is the place to be on June 25,2009

The first Niagara Homecoming Kick-Off Reception begins at 6pm at the Crowne Plaza on 3rd Street in Niagara Falls  with Basket Auction, 50/50 and NCCC Culinary Institute serving food at 3 stations in the ballroom.

5 Niagara Escarpment Wine Trail Wineries will be holding wine tasting throughout the evening.

Arrowhead Spring Vineyards

Freedom Run Winery

Eveningside Vineyards

Warm Lake Estate

Leonard Oaks Estate Winery

6 wine tasting tickets are included in the $20 donation ticket price.

Basket Auction will include donations from:

Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bisons, Lasertron, George Edwards Jewelers, Fortuna’s Restaurant,

Delta Sonic, Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, Old Fort Niagara, Darian Lake,

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises, Maid of the Mist, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards,

Niagara Honeymoon Sweets, Village Bakery, Walmart, NCCC Alumni Foundation and more!

Tickets are $20 advance donation—All Proceeds benefit NCCC Foundation Culinary Scholarships—- $25 at the door.

Roy McDowell will be at the piano for the first hour,  at 7:30 The Impressions will take the stage to perform Swing music from the 20’s, 30’s & 40’s.

Niagara Rises, and Mayor Paul Dyster will present the Volunteer of the Year Award. 

Information to all the Weekend Niagara Homecoming events will be available!  

Tickets are available through, NCCC Culinary Dept., Niagara Rises members, NCCC Alumni Office, or by sending a check to:

Niagara Rises

PO Box 673

Niagara Falls, NY  14302

include your name, address, number of tickets requested and email along with your check made out to: Niagara Rises.   memo check to:  Kick-Off

Post no later than June 15, 2009    Once your check is received, you will receive a confirmation email.  Your name (and number of tickets) will be on a “Paid Reservation List” at the Registration Table outside the Crowne Ballroom.

Please make a copy of the confirmation email and bring it with you to the Kick-Off Reception.

The United Way of Niagara is seeking volunteers to help our local Letter Carriers pick up food from their postal routes. Volunteers will be asked to drive along with the Letter Carriers, pick up food donations and return the donations to the assigned Post Office.

You can sign up to volunteer before May 9^th by calling the

United Way of Niagara at 285-8461.

Sign up today to help your local Letter Carrier stock our community food pantries.

You may volunteer at any of the following locations:

LaSalle Post Office – Niagara Falls

Main Street Post Office – Niagara Falls

Lewiston Post Office

Youngstown Post Office

We all know that this year has been fiscally hard for many people.  There are more people then ever in need.  Many of us are stretching the dimes as far into dollars as we can.  As a group, we plan on donating proceeds from the Niagara Homecoming to different charities (TBA).  What I challenge you to do is find a creative way (not just writing a check, although that’s REALLY nice too) to donate to a local charity. 

• Maybe you give up your daily trip to TimHo’s and put the money aside. 
• Maybe packing a lunch once or twice a week
• Maybe you collect your change each day for a week, month, year
• Maybe you have a Christmas Exchange, but ask everyone to also bring in gloves or hats to donate

At my place of work, we have a snack machine that raised their prices this year (due to the high cost of fuel, etc).  We decided that it wasn’t worth a dollar to have that snack fix.  What I do now (because none of us were planning ahead and bringing in the chocolate) is purchase items from the store such as 12 packs of cookies, single serve bags of chips, candy bars and then I sell them to the at only a small profit (maybe a nickel or a dime on each item-we sell the cookies, candy bars and chips at 50 cents).  We have chosen Community Missions for our “Chips for Charity” and since the inception in July, we year to date have $100.00 to donate.  We will be donating the money shortly so that it can be used for Christmas.

It wasn’t hard, but it took thinking outside the box.  We plan to continue this into the new year, and I will donate the money collected to one of the charities we choose for Niagara Homecoming.

I challenge everyone who reads this:  WHAT can YOU do and can you beat US?!