Teens for Jeans Campaign
It never ceases to amaze me when our communities of Cape Cod rally together to support a local and necessary cause. Did you know that Cape Cod has a homeless population of approximately 1,000, with single mothers and children making up the fastest growing segment of the population?
In response to this startling statistic, the freshman students at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School have joined forces with the clothing store Aéropostle and DoSomething.org to help support the 2012 ‘Teens for Jeans’ campaign. From now until February 16th, just drop off your good-quality used jeans at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, 351 Pleasant Lake Ave in Harwich; or the Harwich Police Department located at 183 Sisson Road in Harwich, and they will be donated to homeless teens across the Cape. To thank you for your support and donation, Aéropostle will provide you with a coupon for 25% off a new pair of jeans purchased at their store.
Cape Cod Tech students are involved with this crusade, through the school’s Community Service Learning program: a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic and technical study to enrich learning; teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities.
For additional information about the Cape Cod Tech ‘Teens for Jeans’ drive, contact Karen Small at: 508-432-4500 x 324; and for additional information about the ‘Teens for Jeans’ campaign please visit DoSomething.org.
Wear Red Day at Mashpee Commons
Take Part in Wear Red Day at Mashpee Commons
Mashpee Commons is going RED on Friday February 3, 2012! Wear RED with us to support those who are suffering from or at risk of Heart Disease, the number one killer of women, taking the life of one woman every minute!
Help Mashpee Commons form the largest RED heart on Cape Cod, Friday February 3 at 1:00pm outside Ghelfi’s Candies of Cape Cod. We’ll take a photo and collect donations to support National Wear Red Day. Make a small donation to receive a Wear Red lapel pin. The first 25 people will receive a coupon good for one Free Pilates class at BodyWork Health & Wellness Center! Three lucky participants will also win a therapeutic massage or a custom blend facial! Donations may also be made through our website. Donations may be made through our online Fundraising page. However, participants must come in person to Mashpee Commons on Friday February 3 to be eligible for special giveaways!
For all the details, see our Calendar of Events at www.mashpeecommons.com
Follow us on Facebook @ MashpeeCommons
About Mashpee Commons: Fun, fashion, fresh air… Mashpee Commons offers a refreshing mix of locally inspired boutiques, national names, galleries, eateries and services placed wihin a charming New England Village setting. Mashpee Commons has received national and international acclaim for its traditional downtown approach to mixed use and retail development and was the recipient of the 2009 Business Excellence Reward for Retail from the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. Mashpee Commons was also the recipient of the 2005 Award for Best Downtown Shopping District from the Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM).
Collections Gallery
There is something exceptional about handmade items created by local artisans. Something handmade comes with that inimitable seal of extra thought, touch, care and passion imbued into it by the artists themselves. We hear a lot about shopping local in order to support our community businesses; well how about shopping local for items that are actually made right here on Cape Cod as well!
Collections Gallery is a combination boutique shop and gallery located on Jarves Street right in the historic village of Sandwich. They have been in business for 20 years having resided for their first 17 years in a shop on Route 6A in East Sandwich. An interesting nuance about this shop is that it’s an artist’s cooperative, comprised of 14 members. Each talented member sells and displays their own work in the shop and as part of the membership in the co-op, they must also each work in and contribute to the smooth running of the business. They also do have some consigning artists as well. The artists create and sell a vast variety of handmade pieces including: jewelry; paintings; pottery; quilts; hand-sewn and collage, and other fine art items.
This year the Gallery is also doing something special to help benefit the Sandwich Food Pantry. They have been working on creating 1,000 origami paper cranes and will be selling them all winter, with a generous portion of the proceeds going to the food pantry. There is a Japanese legend that reads if anyone folds 1,000 cranes, they will be granted a wish by a crane. In Japan the Crane is revered as one of many mystical and holy creatures said to live for a thousand years. The Gallery members decided to continue making the cranes in the good spirit which they embody and support a terrific local cause. The shop also had entered and won second place in, the Town’s annual holiday window decorating contest, which as you can see was adorned with the beautiful handmade cranes!
Come and view their unique collection of handmade art. Collections Gallery is located at 23A Jarves Street in Sandwich. Winter hours are: 11-4 Sunday through Friday and 10-5 Saturday. They will be closing on Tuesdays during the month of March. Then in April they will go back to their full time hours of 10-5 daily. They can be reached directly at 508.833.0039.
Custom Nothing Apparel
Cape Cod inspires…the vast open skies and sea offering a contemplative spot to meditate if you will, on what is important to us. Perhaps it is these open spaces, the non-confining feel to the cape that allows us to feel a sense of freedom. We can look out to the sea that appears to never end, with the belief that anything is possible, helping us to fuel our passions and feel a sense of purpose. It is no surprise that with the sea in our back yard, and the open sky as a ‘pallet’, Cape Cod would be home to many talented artists whose personalities shine through their work. (more…)
A Not-So-Polar Plunge
Soon the holidays will have passed and we will have kicked off the season of New Year’s resolutions…quiet January when we are all coming down off the ceiling of holiday buzz and stimulation! How about trying something new and fun to give your 2012 a kick start?
On Sunday January 8, 2012 at 9:30am, the First Annual Not-So-Polar Plunge will be held at the Cape Codder Resort & Spa! All proceeds from this event will benefit the Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) of Cape Cod, because “the Cape Codder Resort & Spa believes that everyone should be warm and comfortable all year long.” (more…)
Soldiers’ Angels Care Package Drive
The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, celebrating in ways that are important to us individually. For some it’s a comfort holiday, a warm gathering of people we love, to share a meal and perhaps exchange gifts; enjoy the vibrant holiday music and our decorated homes. Unfortunately not all have the opportunity to celebrate with their friends and families, most specifically the US soldiers deployed overseas. The men and women working hard to maintain the freedoms we enjoy, such as these holiday festivities, will be ‘celebrating’ thousands of miles away without these comforts of home.
At Cape Cod Happening we would like to express our gratitude to our dedicated troops by organizing a local care package drive for Soldiers’ Angels. Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and their families. Founded in 2003 by the mother of two American soldiers, its hundreds of thousands of Angel volunteers assist veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of unique and effective ways. Be sure to follow them on Facebook.
Cape Cod Happening This Weekend 11/18-11/20
Another weekend is here … wow do those weeks fly by! So much to choose from this weekend around the Cape, including some festive holiday happenings; yes the Season is upon us! The weekend weather is supposed to be nice so let’s get out and enjoy! Here are just a few of our favorite picks for this weekend.
On Friday the 18th there are a few holiday happenings going on. The John Wesley United Methodist Church in Falmouth is holding their annual Holiday Fair from 3pm-8pm with local crafts; wreaths and other holiday greenery and baked goods. This will also run on Saturday the 19th from 8:30am-2:00pm. Country Garden in Hyannis is holding their Holiday Open House on the 18th (today) from 5pm-8pm. Lots of holiday craft making and other fun and family friendly events! (more…)
Toys for Tots
It might seem like just another toy to you. But for a child in need, a brand-new toy can deliver a message of hope that will assist them in becoming responsible and productive adults. The mission of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.
On the Cape, it is the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation that coordinates this huge operation every year. There are so many different ways to get involved.
How can you get involved?
1) Become a toy drop site and collect toys at your business location. Ideal locations have lots of customers and foot traffic.
2) Make a monetary donation online. No amount is too small – every donation helps!
3) Donate toys at your local drop off site. Children of all ages need that special gift. Each year, there are certain age/gender groups that do not receive enough toys through donations. Please consider donating a toy for an older boy/girl (12+ years of age) as well as toys for ages 18 months up. (more…)
A Community Gathers
This past Saturday November 5th the first annual Houston Memorial 5K walk/run was held at Barnstable High School. The air was permeated by a cool breeze, and yet the atmosphere was filled with music and warmed by the many people of all ages from various local communities, who came to honor the memory of brother and sister Kevin and Miranda Houston. Kevin was a member of the Navy Seal Team Six whose helicopter was downed last August in Afghanistan, and his sister Miranda passed away from ovarian cancer in 2005.
500 runners and walkers participated to help raise money for Kevin’s wife and three children and the Houston’s mother Jan, who attended and participated in the walk. The morning began with a children’s track run encouraging even the youngest of the bunch to come out and run. T-shirts were given to the first 150 pre-registered participants and then sold during event day registration, with proceeds from that sale going to the family as well. There was also a raffle auctioning off items donated by local businesses. Though event organizers do not yet have an exact total of the money that was raised, it is in excess of $15,000! (more…)
5K Run/Walk to Benefit the Houston Family
EVENT UPDATE: In addition to the 5K run/walk outlined below another fundraising event has been added to benefit the Houston Family. A dinner and silent auction are being held on Saturday November 12. Here are the details:
- Free admission and food
- Food very generously donated by area restaurants
- Cash Bar
- Live music throughout the evening
- Silent Auction
A few of the Silent Auction items available are a 2 night stay at any RITZ hotel; a one day offshore fishing charter for six people on a 60′ vessel; a one week vacation rental in Orleans; Jimmy Buffet tickets and music basket (tickets good for any of his shows in the US); Sports tickets and memorabilia and much more.
Please check back periodically for updates!
On Saturday November 5 please come out and support the First Annual Houston Memorial 5K Walk/Run.
Kevin Houston was a member of the Navy SEAL Team Six and was killed this past August in a deadly helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Kevin’s sister Miranda Houston passed away from ovarian cancer in 2005. In their honor and memory all proceeds from the race will go to Kevin’s wife and three children. Kevin was a Cape Cod native having graduated from Barnstable High School (BHS).
This is a family-friendly event being held at BHS with a race for both children and adults. The kid’s race will begin at 9am on the track with the 5K starting at BHS and looping through Craigville Conference Center. The pre-race entry fee is $20 and there is still time to register with the closing date being Thursday November 3 at 11:59pm. Race day entry fee is $25.
If you cannot make it to the event please consider a donation.
Barnstable High School
744 West Main Street Hyannis, MA
If you have additional questions please feel free to email houstonmemorial5k@gmail.com.
CapeCodHappening.com provides an insider’s view of Cape Cod. Written by locals, Cape Cod Happening shares valuable insights about dining, culture, shopping, entertainment, people and events. Often using their own personal experiences, the Cape Cod Happening team is dedicated to providing reliable information about everything happening on Cape Cod! 
