NEW - ADRIAN'S ANGELS: WILL YOU PLEASE BECOME ONE?

Adrian Najera, Age 3 Aubrey, TX

Adrian Najera is three years-old. He lives in Aubrey, Texas with his parents and his 8 year-old sister Vanessa. At one week old, he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Adrian has been approved for a life-saving kidney transplant, but we need your help.  

Adrian's Story

Adrian's Angels is a fundraising effort by his friends and family to help give Adrian a chance at life. Adrian was born on June 8, 2008. Everything checked out fine and by the 2nd day they were able to take him home. Over the next week they noticed that he didn't seem to have a big appetite and he was a little jaundice. On Monday morning, June 16 they took him to his Pediatrician and he said the jaundice will eventually go away and his appetite will increase.  

The Najeras felt that there was something else going on with their son and took him straight to the ER. It was at that time that they confirmed something was wrong with Adrian. The ER doctor came in with a very concerned look at told the parents that Adrian's labs were very abnormal. He told them that an ambulance from Children's Hospital was on its way to take Adrian because they did not have the proper equipment to treat him.  

When they arrived at Children's, several members of the medical team were waiting for him to perform several exams including a spinal tap. The next thing was to take a sonogram of his organs; it revealed that Adrian's kidneys were not fully developed. You can imagine the nightmare of such news. Only a week ago they were celebrating the birth of their 2nd child and now they stood in front of a Nephrologist explaining to them that Adrian was going to need dialysis before he left the hospital. After two weeks in ICU and with the Grace of GOD, Adrian was able to go home.

The Road Ahead

Fast forward to the present, although Adrian has defied all challenges and remains stable... the time is nearing where he will need to undergo a transplant. Adrian's mother Rosemary is a match and is currently going through the donor clearing process. Once she is cleared then it's just a waiting game. The power of prayer is real. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer".

Can You Help?

The most important thing you can do is to support the efforts of Adrian's Angels fundraising by giving to the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) in honor of Adrian. COTA is a 501(c) 3 charitable organization, with all donations fully tax-deductible.

While his family has medical insurance, it doesn't cover the full cost of the transplant itself, transportation and lodging costs related to the transplant, follow-up care expenses, and lifelong anti-rejection medication.

These costs have been estimated to be at least $55,000. Please help raise this amount so that Adrian can continue to experience life.

How to Give

* Donate via secure credit card online 

* Mail checks or money orders to Children's Organ Transplant Association, 2501 COTA Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403. Be sure to write "in honor of Adrian N" on the memo line.

UPDATED - PLANO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FALL CONCERT SERIES STARTS THIS SUNDAY:   

The Plano Symphony Orchestra is hosting a fall concert series for children ages 3-12 in the Black Box Theater at the Frisco Discovery Center.  

Sunday, November 6 highlights Strings. Sunday, November 13 emphasizes the Winds section of the orchestra.  

Each event commences with pre-concert activities at 2:15 PM in the lobby. Concerts begin at 3 PM. Purchase General Admission tickets for $7 at planosymphony.org.

The Frisco Discovery Center, located at 8004 N. Dallas Pkwy, Frisco, TX, is managed by Frisco Association for the Arts, a non-profit organization supporting and promoting the arts in Frisco. "Like Us" on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for details on upcoming events.

Contact (972)668-5180 or visit friscoarts.org for more information.  

(submitted by Judie A.)

Our Coffee Houses have been a wondrous medium for people of most different faith traditions to dialogue with each other; learn from each other; and care about each other.

And it wouldn't be what it is without you!

We will be having an Interfaith Coffee House Meeting on Monday, November 7th from 7:30pm-9pm at La Madeleine at 5000 West Park Blvd., Plano, 75093. It's located at the Southwest Corner of Preston and Park Blvd and is visible from both corners.

We meet each month on the 1st and 3rd Monday evenings at 7:30pm - please put it on your calendars.

See you then!

Judie

What:  Newcomer Friends of Greater Plano, November monthly meeting

Where:  5228 Tennyson Parkway, Plano

When:  Tuesday, November 8th;  Refreshments 9:30; Meeting 10:00

Program:  Suzie Humphreys will present "Life is What Happens While You're Making Other Plans."  Guests welcome!

Visit the club's website for further information regarding this women's social club. 

NEW - FRISCO AREA REPUBLICAN WOMEN MEETING:

On Tuesday, November 8th, the Frisco Area Republican Women will honor Veterans during their monthly membership meeting. The meeting is open to members and guests and you are cordially invited to join us and share in this tribute to those you served this fine country. The event will take place at Isabella's Italian Restaurant at 1279 Legacy Drive in Frisco..    

Registration begins at 11:15

Cost is $18.00

Registration is required. RSVP on their Facebook Page   

For more information Please visit their website www.farw.org 

Hungry? Want to help others while you enjoy great food?  

Join us on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at Cristina's Fine Mexican Restaurant, located in the Target Shopping Center, SWC Eldorado @ Tollway, 5105 Eldorado Parkway, #120, Frisco,TX 75034. You can come in from 11 am to 9 pm - no special coupons nor do you need to identify SVdP. Just come, eat and enjoy! Cristina's will donate 10% of all sales to help support the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Francis of Assisi.  

Cristina's is a family-owned restaurant and the owners are members of St Francis. This is a great way to help so many and have great food and fellowship at the same time.    

St. Vincent de Paul is a non-profit organization that assists those who have fallen on hard times and personal crisis by providing assistance with utilities, rent, family budgeting, and guidance to other resources. All funding comes from private donations and fund raising events. SVdP-Frisco was started in 2009 and since that time, SVdP has helped over 400 families, which include more than 1000 children and adults. SVdP distributed over $90,000 in funds to help pay bills of these clients in Frisco and surrounding areas and volunteers have contributed over 6,000 hours in assistance.

St. Vincent de Paul is a 501(c ) 3 non-profit organization and all donations are used directly for those in need. SVdP is staffed by all volunteers ensuring all funds are used to help those in crisis. SVdP finds they are assisting mostly with rent, mortgage payments, utility bills, and sometimes are repairs. Funds are never given directly to the client as SVdP pays al bills directly to the billing agency. The exception may be gift cards for food or gasoline.

To learn more about SVDP and these events, visit the website. Additionally, if you are in need of assistance call SVDP at 214-619-4096 or email Pam. 

Subject: AGENDA - GRINDING AMERICA DOWN - Special Showing

What:   AGENDA - Third in a series of special movie screenings sponsored by the Frisco Tea Party

When:  November 14th  

6:00 PM - Mixer

7:00 PM - Dinner/Movie

Where: Studio Movie Grill

 4721 W Park, Plano (just East of the intersection of Park and Preston)

Donation: $10 (Cash or Check only, Please) to help offset the cost of the theatre rental

Dinner and refreshments are at SMG menu prices.

"AGENDA is the most powerful expose' of the communist, socialist, progressive attempt to take over America produced so far." --Ted Baehr, Movie Guide.  

AGENDA - GRINDING AMERICA DOWN traces communism's influence in America from its beginnings through today. Contrary to the idea that communism died with the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, AGENDA asserts that it is actually alive and well under various other names. Now you can see for yourself the documentary selected as the BEST OF FESITVAL and Jubilee Winner at the 2010 SAIC Film Festival.

Watch the trailer now.

NEW - CELEBRATING A YEAR OF GENEROSITY AT DURKINS PIZZA:

(submitted by Jeanne Rubin) 

YFT Supporters (L to R) Linda Wilkerson, Gene Goodwin, Lisa Mashigian, Jeanne Rubin, Michael Durkins, Michelle Depue, Jim Bagley, and Jay Forte.

Every 4th Tuesday of the month an eclectic group of families and individuals come together in

McKinney to eat pizza and support Youth First Texas Collin County (YFTCC.) Youth First Texas

is the only non-profit organization in DFW exclusively committed to providing social services,

educational opportunities, and recreational activities to Lesbian, Gay, Bise xual and Transgender

Youth through age 22.

A little over a year ago, Joe Blair, President of Business Network of Collin County approached

Jeanne Rubin, VP of Collin County Gay & Lesbian Alliance, with an idea about delicious pizza, a

great guy, Michael Durkins, and fundraising. Give Back Nites was born. Durkins donates 10% of

all food from 5pm to close including take out. You donʼt fill out a form or say youʼre with YFT,

though many will be sporting a "Proud to Support YFT!" sticker provided on arrival.

On the last Tuesday of October, YFTCC and friends gathered to thank Michael Durkins and the staff of Durkins Pizza , www.Durkins.com, for a year of generosity. Since October 2010 Durkins has donated over $1100 to the organization which has used the funds for field trips, refreshments,

supplies, and to spruce up their meeting space.

A 4th Tuesday regular, 6 year-old Phoebe was on hand to celebrate. She was delighted to share

the anniversary cake, "white please!", along with her "yummy" pizza. David, another regular who

comes from Irving, enjoys a Shiner while waiting for his pizza and says in addition to the

delicious food and supporting a great cause, he enjoys an evening out socializing. "Everyone is

always very friendly and I have met some terrific people."

"Weʼre so grateful to Michael," says Lisa, YFT Volunteer," in this day and age when others are

decreasing their charitable donations, he continues to be incredibly generous."

Give Back Nites are every 4th Tuesday at Durkins Pizza, 8930 Hwy 121, McKinney, TX 75070. Itʼs as easy as eating pizza.

The Mission of Youth First Texas is to provide a safe space for LGBTQ youth and their allied

friends to strengthen opportunities for life skills, leadership development, peer support and

educational advancement.  

NEW - FRISCO OFFICIALLY A 'FILM FRIENDLY' TEXAS CITY:  

Frisco's addition to the list of Film Friendly Texas Certified Communities means the city has a message for motion picture, television, music videos, and digital media productions. The picturesque streets, historic landmarks, high quality suburban and rustic charm, unique downtown district, shopping centers, art and sculptures, hotels, restaurants, venues, and practically everything else about the town is ready to accommodate a wide range of filming requests!

Frisco is an ideal location for a production looking for a small town feel with the amenities of a big city that's just 20 minutes away. Already, the city's rural landscape and the Frisco Athletic Center have been used for Prison Break and The Biggest Loser television shows.

The Frisco Convention & Visitors Bureau took on the challenge for the city to become a film friendly community in 2009. The process started with attending a day-long workshop and from there gathering and sending possible location photos, developing a 3 page application for commercial filming and creating guidelines for filming and taping in Frisco.

Frisco CVB Executive Director, Marla Roe, says, "We are hoping to increase our visibility in the film industry as they are looking at the Metroplex for potential sites, with the end result of bringing economic impact into the community. We'd love to see it get to a point where jobs could be created."  

ABOUT THE FRISCO CVB

Founded in 2003, the Frisco, Texas, Convention & Visitors Bureau has grown in tandem with the extensive growth of leisure travel, sports, and meeting facilities within the city. It's our mission to generate a positive awareness of Frisco as a premiere destination for meetings, sporting events, conventions, trade shows, leisure travel, and to positively impact the economic base of the City of Frisco. Official accreditation recognizing excellence and achievement was awarded in 2009 by the industry organization Destination Marketing Association International. For more information, visit our website or call 877-GO-FRISCO.

The Market, which will also include a bake sale, will take place at the studios of Hathaway Academy of Ballet and will raise money to benefit future performances and productions put on by CCBT throughout the season.

This event is open to the public and admission is free.  

The Market times are as follows:

Saturday, November 5, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 6, 2011, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

No Holiday Season would be complete without spending an unforgettable afternoon in "The Land of the Sweets!" 

Collin County Ballet Theatre invites you to join us in one of the area's most festive holiday traditions...

Sugar Plum Fairy Tea, Hosted by Collin County Ballet Theatre and The Westin Stonebriar Resort/Frisco 

Sunday, November 27, 2011 & Sunday, December 11, 2011 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased by phone at 214-563-3792 or by email.

Alan Abraham of Frisco

Frisco resident, Alan Abraham turned three years old last week. The youngest of three children of Paul and Stacey Abraham, his birthday party wasn't at the usual places; it was at Children's Medical Center in Plano, where he has been for several weeks now. 

UPDATED - FRISCO WOMEN'S LEAGUE MERRY MARKETPLACE:

NEW - LANDSCAPE DESIGN/DETAIL (Beginning of November):

             SUBMITTED BY: Glenn Everett Kopanski, United States Navy (Retired)

Glenn Kopanski

It looks like our weather has begun to finally get a little cooler so we can get outside and enjoy ourselves in many ways. Doing any Fall cleanup is always welcome when temps are low and we have the energy to do that. What I recommend is to begin thinking about pulling all that old Mulch out of the beds and you can place that Mulch in one of the Manila paper sacks we can buy almost anywhere and they can re-use that Mulch to make new. The reason for saying Mulch needs to be replaced every 1-2 year's is because that Mulch carries Fungi and can strangle your Plants with Mold and Mildew just as if a Pond would create Algae. If you take this recommendation this season I strongly suggest you allow that ground to dry before placing new in. I like to pass on good advice when it comes to my Rock Gardens, Rock may thin over a 4-8 year timeframe but it never needs replacing as air is allowed to penetrate the soil better than Mulch and it looks cleaner. So, for this time in October think about a good fertilization of the Lawn and Plants/Shrubs using a topical type or for Trees fertilizer spikes and as mentioned considering any Mulch bed to be pulled out then to dry for 4-7 days bare ground then replacing the Ground protector like Mulch/Rock after the drying periods of 4-7 days. Need any information on my form of Rock Garden contact me at my home's email address.   As always, my assistance  is Free of charge over email or through Home Visits, if your situation warrants me coming to see for myself.

Topic of the Week: Defining the Edges

If your Lawn/Turf creeps into your Gardens it can cause a wavy, messy look that makes it a constant challenge. Until you install any permanent edging this mess will constantly haunt you requiring a lot of extra maintenance. My solution has always been a form of concrete type of Curbing that can be in just about any shape or form you want these days. Some Landscape Co's do this type of work. Let's say you pick Stone to match the Brick on your home, going one layer or two can truly bring out the beauty of your home and gives you a lot of options and choices as far as Plants etc. A successful Garden if stone is picked will be brought out once Plant selections are complete. You can use existing Plants but I suggest starting from scratch. The reason I say that is you want the taller plants like Crepe Myrtles to be the back drop plant and other selections rotated to the new Curbing for instance Indian Hawthornes would be a good selection in front of those Crepe Myrtles, then you would want Red Barberry to complete this Garden, add in a few flower selections that lay low would be the filler to this Garden. My form of curbing is a little more expensive than other cheaper forms of Curbing but the Curb type I am talking about is permanent and you will find yourself enjoying Family and Friends a lot more due to low maintenance.

My two Landscape terms and Descriptions:  

I am giving to you each week is to teach the Language a good Landscape would talk about and this may help you understand a word and what it means making you about as smart as the best Landscaper. For this week I offer this for you.

Term: FlowerScape

Desc:  A LeafLess flower stalk that grows directly from the soil such as a Tulip.

Term: DeSucker

Desc:  To remove side-shoots or Suckers.

This is my weekly Tree/Shrub/Flower and/or Ornamental Grasses/Groundcovers:

Tree of the Week: River Birch - This is a fast growing moisture needed Shade Tree, great for areas where water collects in your yards. Most noted for its beautiful White Bark that flakes and curls on older Trees and if you're lucky you will pick a Multi-Trunked Birch. Long living Tree here and is Non-Evasive. Hgt: 60ft Spread: 30ft.

Shrub of the Week: American Beautyberry - This is a loose open Deciduous Shrub with mild-green leaves that produces deep pink-red flowers that show's itself off from early Spring to middle Summer. A great addition to any form of Landscape. It pick also produces Red fruit for our feathered friends to enjoy when the weather is cold, so with this one everyone wins even the Birds. Hgt: 7ft Max Spread: 4ft.

Flower of the Week: Blue Sage / Perennial - Violet-Blue Flowers that spike attracting many Hummingbirds contrast wonderfully with its Silvery-Green foliage. Great for Borders, Clay Planters support this one too but hanging in a basket is not recommended as this one would need a little more water and with any elevated surface they get Dehydrated and die easily. Hgt/Spread will not be noted as they variate in size and shape.

Groundcover/Ornamental Grasses of the Week: Creeping Phlow (Perennial GroundCover) - Not noted in the EverGreen families I personally consider this as a form of GroundCover. This is by far the most striking spreading Flower I have ever had, if maintained well this form of GroundCover can spread out 5ft in all directions over time and give you a beautiful deep Purple/White/Pink (coming in three colors) that looks like a Carpet full of color. If planted next to any Boulders or on a Hill can be striking and a topic of conversation of your neighborhood.

That is my report for this week.  

I know everyone may gets tired of my saying this, but we ALL need to pay close attention to our water sources. We do not want this going into an emergency situation due to lower Lake levels and they are mounting fast. As one of the fasted growing areas in the Nation and the same amount of lakes we have had in this part of our Country it requires even more attention. Our warm seasoned Grasses are now dormant and if they are not they soon will be with colder air temps headed our way, my point is our lawns do not need any water at this time, the ample rainfall we just had will sustain our properties, Trees and Shrubs for some time, so all water sprinklers can be taken off of automatic at this time and placed on manual. Many water sprinkler systems do not have moisture control meaning they do not come on while it is raining or has rained. Best method to keep our most important Trees/Shrubs is hand watering. Believe me the Sprinkler Systems water but only topically and not deep into the soil doing any Tree or Shrub any good, Drip systems will get the needed water to any source that truly needs it. Keeping our Community free of trash and cigarette butts is greatly appreciated by all of us, it just makes the City look bad and most of us do not want that. We are still in a Serious Drought any of those Cigarette butts can still start a grass fire that can over take any populated areas and that would be terrible all due to negligence, so don't throw those b utts out of your windows, please.

On another note, I moved 2 months ago to a new home I had built and I have to admit, I have wonderful neighbors here that do not look at me differently than others, and I cannot say how thankful I am. The neighbor at my other home made life extremely difficult and stressful for me, so much so that I had to find a new place to live. I never anticipated having to do that, as I saw that as my final resting place.  

Many of you know I enjoy educating your children about AIDS and what it does to a person and their potential in life, and I have to say Frisco students are the best. They listen to me they ask questions and write me letters like, "Thanks for letting us know the real truth about this virus". What really hurts is when I (or anyone else with this virus) is treated so unfairly and ugly, like my former neighbor. Now retired, I served in Navy combat and I truly care about us all and the condition that our country currently is in. I ask that if you know a person that has AIDS to be kind. I was infected after a combat role in 1983 from the very blood transfusions that were needed to save my life, so I stand no taller then the next. When I pass on, I hope others look back and say that Glenn took a stand for what he believed in.  

I thank my friends Matt & Erika Lafata for allowing me to write for the newsletter the last 6 years, letting me add a few personal comments for each of these articles about what's on my mind and my concerns. I am only doing it as an American who loves his country.  

On that final note, I wish you all of my best always, and remember I'm available anytime (if I am not teaching) to come and help with your garden and landscaping needs at no charge - just contact me at my home email address.   

My Best Regards,  

Glenn 

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