signup for email updates Directory Our Archive: 2001-2004 Cover Art Archive Search Mentorship for teen moms Bright Beginnings, a mentoring program at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, Minn., seeks volunteers to meet with teenage mothers. The volunteer mentors provide support, compassion and friendship to the new moms and their babies. "The program provides one-to-one relationships between each mentor and a teen mother," explains Jo Lanne Hanson, Bright Beginnings coordinator. "The teen knows she has someone to help her make the right choices -- or to comfort her when she makes mistakes." In addition to lending a supportive ear, mentors encourage young mothers to complete medical check-ups and immunizations for their baby, offer resources for housing, food and social services, and help the teens return to school or complete their GED. Educational gatherings are held once a month for the teens and their mentors at North Memorial Medical Center to help promote healthy lifestyles for both mom and baby. It also gives the teens a chance to interact and learn from peers in similar situations. Volunteers receive nine hours of training prior to becoming a mentor for Bright Beginnings. All interested mentors must complete a Bright Beginnings application form and an interview prior to participating in the training. The next training session begins at 6 p.m. Monday, April 4, at North Memorial, 3300 Oakdale Ave. N., Robbinsdale. For more information on becoming a Bright Beginnings mentor, contact Jane at (763) 520-7657 or Jo Lanne at (763) 520-5139. Spiritualities of Peace Conference The College of St. Scholastica Department of Religious Studies in Duluth, Minn., will present a conference entitled "Spiritualities of Peace," in the Mitchell Auditorium on campus. Sessions begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 8 and at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 9. The $25 fee includes lunch on Saturday. Scholarship assistance is available. Registration deadline is April 5. Five continuing education credits are available through the Religious Studies Department of The College of St. Scholastica. Keynote speakers will include Kathy Kelly, an internationally known peace activist from Chicago who helped initiate Voices in the Wilderness, a campaign to end the U.N./U.S. sanctions against Iraq. In October 2002 she joined Iraq Peace Team members in Baghdad where she and the team maintained a nonviolent presence throughout the bombardment and invasion. She will give the Friday evening keynote address, "Creating Spiritualities of Peace." On Saturday morning she will present "Seeking Peace: A Gospel Perspective." Sister Anne McCarthy, O.S.B., will present "A Spirituality for the New Millennium." A member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Penn., Sister Anne directs the Center for Social Concerns at Gannon University and is responsible for increasing community service, service-learning and participation in issues of social justice at Gannon. From 1991 to 1994, she served as national coordinator for Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace movement. Currently she chairs the 9/11 Peace Initiative, a coalition to stop the permanent war on terrorism. In addition to the featured conference speakers, numerous presenters will conduct breakout sessions on a variety of topics. The conference will offer suggestions for enhancing participants' personal spiritualities of peace and also address the larger, systemic issues of peace and nonviolence around the world. The conference will help participants engage in theological discourse with well-known experts in the field of social justice and peace and help participants acquire and sharpen skills for becoming agents of the Gospel of nonviolence in working toward change in unjust social structures. The conference is funded in part by The Religious Studies Department of The College of St. Scholastica, an Oreck-Alpern Globalization Grant, a St. Scholastica Monastery Grant, and The College of St. Scholastica Bush Grant. For more information or registration forms, call (218) 723-6659 or (218) 723-7000. Mindful Aging Best-selling author, lecturer and life coach Richard Leider will present "Mindful Aging: Claiming Your Place at the Fire" from 3-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, at McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. S.E., on the East Bank campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Author of Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life On Purpose, Leider will help participants explore the nature of vital aging and answer the question, "What should I do next with my life?" The presentation will help people of all ages prepare for life transitions. Leider says, "The idea that people have less, rather than more, to offer as they age is a myth of our youth-obsessed culture." The annual Ruth Stricker Mind-Body Lecture is presented by the Center for Spirituality and Healing of the University of Minnesota. Admission is free, however space is limited and registration is required by calling (612) 624-9459. Writing for Progressives Bill Lapadat, a local writer and author of the Eden Prairie News' column, "Left Side of the Prairie," will present a hands-on, practical, technique-focused writing workshop from 9:30 a.m. to Noon Saturday, April 23, to help progressive-minded citizens find creative ways to present their thoughts and feelings in writing to local newspapers. In this workshop, he will demonstrate how to "choose your battles," organize your thoughts and write a terrific, clever essay that you can submit with confidence. The workshop will be at the Chanhassen Recreational Center, 2310 Coulter Blvd., Chanhassen, Minn. Registration is $20. To register, contact Beverly Anglum at (952) 270-7972 or e-mail anglum3@mchsi.com Historic Full Moon Tour Henry Fieldseth, who has been involved with Twin Cities co-ops and progressive politics since the mid-1970s and coordinates the Friends School Plant sale in his work with Quakers at their school, will talk about spring plants -- early wildflowers and other vegetation -- in the Coldwater Springs area of Minneapolis, the historical center of Fort Snelling and Minnehaha Parks and the birthplace of Minnesota, during a full moon walk beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 24. On April 24, the sun will set at 8:10 p.m. and the moon will rise at 8:56 p.m. Those interested are to meet at south end of Minnehaha Park in the pay parking lot off East 54th Street. For more information, visit www.friendsofcoldwater.org A Theory of Everything Margaret Lulic, M.A., a consulting philosopher, author and speaker, will present "A Theory of Everything," a workshop that offers an insightful look into how we and others become who we are in unfolding stages of consciousness and how that consciousness creates the reality around us. The workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at Chanhassen Senior Center (1st Floor Chanhassen City Hall), 7700 Market Blvd., in downtown Chanhassen, Minn. Registration is $85. Lulic is considered by many to be a master and pioneer at fusing the practical, the intellectual, the spiritual and the emotional in organizations. She is passionate about guiding people to experience their deeper wisdom and achieve their greatest potential. Lulic has the unique ability to draw out wisdom and foresight to guide individuals to practical and insightful solutions around significant issues of vision, strategy, ethics, values-based culture and executive team effectiveness. The leading edge of consciousness is in an integral understanding of unity-in-diversity, a theory of everything that embraces the whole. To register, contact Beverly Anglum at (952) 270-7972 or e-mail anglum3@mchsi.com Global Love Day It's all about love in global proportions! The Love Foundation is inviting people around the world to join together in celebrating and expanding love during a one-day planetary event encompassing all nations, all people, and all life on May 1. This second annual Global Love Day, featuring the theme "Love Begins With Me," will inspire various celebrations around the globe. Since its initial launch last year, The Love Foundation (TLF) has already received responses from individuals and organizations in more than 60 countries along with more than a dozen proclamations from U.S. mayors and governors endorsing the idea. Awareness for this event is spreading largely by the internet and numerous volunteers. By accessing the Foundation's website at www.thelovefoundation.com, people of all backgrounds including musicians, artists, government and religious leaders, authors, homemakers, students, NGOs and businesses from around the world are sharing their support. "This day is a global recognition of humanity and the power of love within each individual," says TLF founder Harold W. Becker. The Love Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of inspiring people to love unconditionally. Its hope is to assist people by building a practical foundation and understanding of love within individuals and society as a whole. Their purpose and vision is to further the understanding and application of unconditional love through education, research and charitable programs. For more information, visit www.thelovefoundation.com or e-mail John T. Goltz at jtgoltz@thelovefoundation.com