Thursday, December 10, 2009

Bento Sushi Cafe - New Restaurant in Jacksonville

There is a new Pan Asian restaurant in Jacksonville that is getting a thumbs up from me. My husband and I are always in the St John's Town Center area (as there are such few nice shopping malls in Jacksonville) and when we were there last night we thought we would check out the Bento Sushi Cafe as he was craving sushi and I was just hoping to find some noodles. Well we found so much more! The atmosphere is great with a very urban decor. The food is well priced.. we both ate meal plates and 1 appetizer for around $20 + tip. You order before you sit and they bring the food to your table so service was speedy but good. It is located right next to mochi if you want to get some healthy frozen yogurt late :)

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

CNN Heroes 2009

Watched CNN Heroes 2009 this thanksgiving with my family and I was just amazed at the people who were nominated. It is really amazing to see people rise from tragedy to do good for themselves and others without wanting anything in return. I know when I finished watching it I was googling the names of the nominees that touched me the most to see how I could contribute and help out. Contribution for most of these organizations can come in various forms including monetary donations, time contribution or just providing a skill/asset that they could beneift from.

Here are the CNN Hero Organizations I am presently researching:

1. Doc Hendley - Wine to Water Campaign
Providing clean water to communities worldwide. Attempting to setup sustainable water systems in less fortunate countries. Has already been involved in proving water to more than 25,000 people in five countries.
To Help: http://www.winetowater.org

To order wine for yourself you can call 1.888.446.3569. They are hoping to be selling wine online
soon.

2. Jorge Munoz - An Angel in Queens

This school bus driver and his family provide food to hungry New Yorkers
helping them make it through tough times. Since 2004, he has handed out more than 70,000 free meals from his mobile soup kitchen.

Here is their website http://www.anangelinqueens.org if you would like to send items or donate money.

3. Andrea Ivory - Florida Breast Health Initiative

This is an outreach program dedicated to educating women about the importance of
breast health and providing them with the resources to beat the disease.
They provide free breast health awareness, education and screening through mobile mammography vans that go door to door targeting under served women.
This group has provided more than 500 free screenings in Miami, Florida.

To Help:http://www.flbreasthealth.com/

4. Betty Makoni - Girl Child Network
Provides a safe place for young victims of sexual abuse from the 'virgin myth'.
These girls are victims of a widely held belief that if a man with HIV or AIDS rapes a virgin he will be cured of his disease. This so-called virgin myth, perpetuated by Zimbabwe's traditional healers, has led to the rape of hundreds of girls, according to UNICEF. The girl child network is attempting to educate people about the myth and has rescued more than 35,000 girls since 2001

To Help:http://girlchildnetworkworldwide.org/