What: Annual Booklovers’ Bash, “Murder, He Wrote,” to benefit the Laramie County Library Foundation

When: 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3

Where: Little America Hotel and Resort, 2800 W. Lincolnway, Grand Ballroom C

Attire requested: Business.

Cost: Individual tickets are $50, which includes dinner of prime rib, salmon or pasta.

Special tables for $2,500 will include sitting with one of the authors, if you are in the first two groups to reserve them – one table with Jeff Parker and seven guests, the other with Chuck and Laura Box and six guests. $1,000 tables also are being sold and will have preferential seating and gifts.

More information: Guest speakers and good friends C.J. Box and T. Jefferson Parker will intrigue you as they chronicle their experiences as best-selling, award-winning authors.

For tickets: Make reservations by e-mailing foundation@lclsonline.org or mail a check made out to Laramie County Library Foundation to Booklovers’ Bash, 2808 Pine Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82001. Questions can be directed to the Foundation Office at 773-7221.

What: Collection point for food items to be donated to Needs Inc.

When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Where: Unified People’s Federal Credit Union, 414 E. 18th St., at the northwest corner of VanLennen

What you can do: Bring any non-perishable food item, but canned fruits, vegetables and soup, as well as pasta and pasta sauce, are especially needed.

For more information: Call 632-1476, ext. 211.

What: Free 3-ounce ice cream creations by Make-A-Wish children Jack and Emily

When: 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25

Where: Cold Stone Creamery, 2316 Dell Range Blvd.

What you can do: Make a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and get a scoop of ice cream.

Also, throughout September, Cold Stone is selling paper Wish Stars for $1 each, with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

What: Connections Corner, a new effort by the Laramie County Community Partnership, a collaboration of more than 60 local organizations

When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29

Where: Laramie County Community College, 1400 E. College Drive, Center for Conferences and Institutes, Room 129

More information: According to the 2008 Laramie County Gaps Analysis, more than 1,100 families lived in poverty in 2006. Connections Corner, through the Circles Initiative, will help people move out of multigenerational poverty by offering people a hand up rather than a hand out.

With Circles, people on the lower rungs of the income ladder develop an individualized plan for self-sufficiency. They are then partnered with an ally – someone from middle or upper income – who can help them as they carry out their plan for self-sufficiency.

Early results from these communities show that when families have more support and structure for getting out of poverty, their lives change for the better in many ways. They often become healthier, more positive, better parents, more able to generate income to meet their needs, and revive a sense of hope about the future.

The Connections Corner initiative is designed to benefit the business community by helping to increase employee retention and by helping to build a stronger workforce in Cheyenne.

What you can do: Scott Miller, co-founder of the Circles model, will present an introduction to Circles for the community. The public is invited to attend this session and learn more about Connections Corner and the Circles model and how they can make a difference in the lives of Laramie County families.

What: Hands in Harmony “Pay It Forward” drive to benefit the Cheyenne Animal Shelter

When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27

Where: Cole Shopping Center Safeway store parking lot, 469 Cole Center (in front of Crossroads Café)

What you can do: Bring your items on Saturday and donate them. Among items being collected are: Non-clumping cat litter, kitten formula, pet shampoo, copy paper, dryer sheets, fabric softener, quality kitten and puppy food, Dawn dishwashing liquid, aluminum pie pans, canned chicken broth, canned pumpkin, alfalfa/timothy hay, garbage bags (all sizes), postage stamps (First Class), dog/cat toys and chews, digital cat scale ($250), digital camera, hot mist humidifiers, stainless litter pans, paper towels, dog/cat beds, bleach (regular only), laundry detergent, fabric softener, flea shampoo, pine bedding and small critter toys.

More information: Hands in Harmony, the local sign-language performance group, is “paying it forward” to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter after holding a similar event earlier this month to benefit the COMEA House homeless shelter, The Salvation Army in Cheyenne and Needs Inc.

The community rallied around Hands in Harmony earlier this year after the group discovered its treasurer had stolen thousands of dollars worth of money from the group, putting a trip to Washington, D.C. and other programs in jeopardy.

What: Cheyenne Schools Foundation walk/run

When: Check-in begins at 8 a.m., event starts at 9 a.m. today

Where: Check-in for the 1-mile and 5-kilometer walks or run takes place in the Exhibit Hall at Frontier Park. The race starts in the F parking lot next to the Exhibit Hall.

Cost: Registration costs $15, which includes a T-shirt. Students can register for $5, which includes a water bottle.

Who benefits: The Cheyenne Schools Foundation uses the money for Excellence in Education grants to teachers in Laramie County School District 1.

The foundation has raised more than $300,000 in grants for special class programs during the last 12 years.

For more information: Call 634-8112 or 635-5853.

What: Midas Auto & Tire Center’s Casino Night at the Depot

When: 6-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19

Where: Lobby of the former Union Pacific depot, 121 W. 15th St.

Cost: $30 per person

Who benefits: The Cheyenne Depot Museum.

More information: Tickets include a change to win door prizes and free food, beer, wine coolers and other beverages throughout the evening.

Attendees will begin playing with $250 in scrip. Games include Texas Hold ’Em, poker, blackjack, roulette and craps.

All attendees must be 21 years old or older.

Tickets are available at Midas Auto & Tire Center at 2423 E. Lincolnway or the Cheyenne Depot Museum, 121 W. 15th St., Suite 300. Tickets also will be available at the door.

What: Devin Barnhart Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction

When: 5-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19

Where: Allison Hall, First United Methodist Church, 108 E. 18th St.

Cost: $5 per person or $20 per family; kids 5 and under free

Who benefits: In August, Devin Barnhart visited a friend at a house in Littleton, Colo. His friend had just lost his mother to cancer, and Devin – along with some other friends – was going to console him.

Sometime early in the morning of Sunday, Aug. 3, the house caught fire. The details are still uncertain, but the fire killed three people, including the young man who had just lost his mother.

Devin, apparently after escaping the fire, went back inside to find his missing friends. Because Devin can’t speak, he can’t explain exactly what happened. But a neighbor arrived to find Devin burned from head to toe. He is undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit at the University of Colorado burn center.

More information: Auction items include antique furniture, collector dolls, a weekend stay at a cabin in the Black Hills, gift certificates from restaurants and many other items.

What: United Blood Services is offering a new incentive for blood donors who give at the Cheyenne center – a weekly drawing for a $50 gas card.

Where: 112 E. Eighth Ave., Cheyenne.

When: Sept. 15 through the end of January 2009.

Why: Due to the increase in fuel prices and the ever-increasing need for blood, Frontier Refining has made this gift to United Blood Services in the hopes of getting new blood donors while encouraging some former donors to return with the incentive of winning a $50 gas card.

More information: United Blood Services provides blood and blood products to 17 hospitals throughout the state of Wyoming. It takes approximately 500 donors per week to maintain an ample supply of blood for these hospitals.
To donate blood, you need to be at least 16 years old (with parental consent), in good health and bring a photo ID.

What: Shred-a-way Day.

When: 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Sept. 13.

Where: Laramie County School District 1 Administration Building parking lot, corner of Evans Avenue and East Pershing Boulevard.

Cost: Free, but donations to the American Red Cross are welcomed.

Who benefits: American Red Cross of Wyoming, High Plains Branch

More information: Looking for a secure method of destroying your old, outdated personal files? The Red Cross has teamed up with A Thru Z Document Destruction to raise money though paper shredding.
Up to 100 pounds of paper can be brought to the site for shredding.
Funds raised will go to either the National Hurricane Fund or local Red Cross disaster relief operations, including shelter, food and clothing assistance. Wyoming has deployed its Emergency Response Vehicle and a two-man crew to help with the hurricane effort. More deployments of individuals helping with mental health counseling, mass care and sheltering facilities are expected.