Our efforts to serve the community around us.
Our next packing event is on January 24, a Tuesday, at the Coon Rapids location at 401 93rd Ave NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433. It starts at 6 pm and goes until 7:30 pm, and then we'll find a nice place for dinner. Join us - it's fun! Sign up online at www.fmsc.org under our group: USS Nokomis. As of this writing there are only 6 people signed up, so please join the list now!
Mary
The 29th Edition of Como Friends' ZooBoo is in the history books, and it was a good one. Over four nights just over 16,000 guests passed through the gates to help Como Zoo grow while helping themselves to some goodies.
This
was the Nokomis' 23rd year helping out. The first station, Halloween, is our first stop each year and a great way to spend an evening with a few thousand new, close personal friends. Thanks to everyone who could make it. Special thanks to Art Johnson, our one and only perfect four-night volunteer character.
Next year will be the 30th ZooBoo and if all goes as expected, will be a big party to celebrate. Funds from that event will help to kick off work on the new Pinniped Plaza, replacing the Seal Island and Sparky Stage area with new performance and year-round display spaces.
Come join us next October for ZooBoo 30, and thanks again for all you did to help out in 2016.
Celebrate Halloween without the Fright
All proceeds support the plants and animals of the Como Zoo and Conservatory. The Nokomis has been helping out with this event since 1994 (this is our 23rd year). We really want to help keep one of America's last free-admission zoos free.
Como Zoo will be transformed for Zoo Boo October 22nd, 23rd; and October 29th, 30th. Gates Open: 4:30-7:30 p.m. We're just four nights this year, so let's make them count.
Como Friends are starting to gear up for our annual Como Friends ZooBoo at Como Zoo event and hope that you can join us again! You can register to volunteer at the link below so the Zoo knows you're coming. Drop Phill a line as well so we can let you know about last minute changes.
On the morning of the first event night, Saturday October 15th, we'll be in full-on work to complete setups before the event. We start at 9AM and hopefully we'll be done before the gates open.
Our folks will be heading up the new Halloween station, just inside the front gate. We need to get there early (3PM), but we get done first. Be sure to sign in up on the second floor of the Big Zoo Building - there are goodies for you there, and perhaps a surprise coupon.
Be sure to check with our folks at the first station, we'll get details there about the night's repast! Hope to see you all there, all the time!
Our next blood drive is Saturday, July 2nd from 10am to 4pm. It takes place at the DoubleTree by Hilton during CONvergence. You can sign up online at www.redcrossblood.org using the keyword "CONvergence". There are many appointment times available as of this writing. Make sure to tell your friends at the con to make a life-saving donation, too.
Mary
Our next packing event is on July 19, a Tuesday, at the Eagan location at 990 Lone Oak Road in Eagan, Minnesota. It starts at 6 pm and goes until 7:30 pm, and then we'll find a nice place for dinner. Join us - it's fun! Sign up online at www.fmsc.org under our group: USS Nokomis.
Mary
Emma, Shannon and Harrison just keep getting better and better every year! The Valentine Dinner was enjoyed by twelve lucky attendees on February 20th. The menu included:
The dessert stole the show, as it was a presentation dish in which a globe of white chocolate was melted by hot fudge to reveal triple chocolate cake within. It was really awe-inspiring!
The event raised almost $125 for the club. It was a lovely evening of visiting and enjoying the company and the culinary creativity. Thanks to the chefs for another incredible evening!
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As of this entry, we have only four people signed up to help feed needy children through food packing on January 20th, and we need fifteen! Please come along and help. The event is from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the Coon Rapids location. We will go to dinner at a nearby restaurant when we've finished helping others. Go to www.fmsc.org to register with the USS Nokomis group and for more details.
Mary
Celebrate Halloween without the Fright
All proceeds support the plants and animals of the Como Zoo and Conservatory. The Nokomis has been helping out with this event since 1994 (this is our 21st event). We really want to help keep one of America's last free-admission zoos free.
Como Zoo will be transformed for Zoo Boo October 17th, 18th; and October 24th – 25th. Gates Open: 4:30-7:30 p.m. We're just four nights this year, so let's make them count.
Como Friends are starting to gear up for our annual Como Friends ZooBoo at Como Zoo event and hope that you can join us again! You can register to volunteer at the link below so the Zoo knows you're coming. Drop Phill a line as well so we can let you know about last minute changes. ZooBoo volunteer application link: https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=1906767573
On the morning of the first event night, Saturday October 17th, we'll be in full-on work to complete setups before the event. We start at 8AM and hopefully we'll be done before the gates open.
Our folks will be heading up the new Halloween station, just inside the front gate. We need to get there early (3PM), but we get done first. Be sure to sign in up on the second floor of the Big Zoo Building - there are goodies for you there, and perhaps a surprise coupon.
Be sure to check with our folks at the first station, we'll get details there about the night's repast! Hope to see you all there, all the time!
Wow, that was a big event! This year's Twin Cities Regional Science Fair had more than 180 student projects and nearly as many judges. We had five of our members help out at the Fair this year, thank you very much. Art Johnson, Lucia Johnson, Jim Kline, Rich Perry, Lynne Tauer and Phill Goldman.
This was our 22nd year working with the fair. We've had 10-12 folks (sometimes more) involved every year since March of 1994. Thanks for the literally hundreds of volunteer hours helping to make the future come true.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States for all ages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every day, approximately 105 Americans die by suicide—that’s over 38,000 Americans every year. They leave behind an estimated quarter-million people—spouses, parents, siblings, friends—who become suicide survivors.
For our Chuckwagon Dinner, the U.S.S. Nokomis is directing a portion of the proceeds to SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education), a Bloomington-based organization with a national reach in suicide prevention. SAVE’s mission is “to prevent suicide through public awareness and education, reduce stigma and serve as a resource to those touched by suicide.” We do this in memory of Nokomis member Bill Bredesen, who passed in August 2011.
SAVE’s prevention and education programs are designed to:
SAVE also provides customized training programs for:
Issues such as risk assessment, community-based suicide prevention, environmental safety, gatekeeper training, intervention techniques, and documentation are some of the topics covered in SAVE’s professional education courses.
For every dollar raised, 92 cents goes directly toward programs. SAVE has earned the Independent Charities of America Seal of Excellence, which is awarded to nonprofit charitable organizations that have been independently reviewed annually and certified to meet the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. Of the 1,000,000+ charities operating in the United States today, fewer than 2,500 have been awarded this Seal. For more information about this worthy organization, go to www.SAVE.org.
