October 6, 2009 Upcoming Events Saturday, Oct. 10 UT football vs. Colorado Come Drum for Fun 6pm - Chapel Tuesday, Oct. 13 Village B'day Party 7pm-Community Ctr. Bingo - Sr. Dorm 6:45pm Saturday, Oct. 17 Kickball game with National Charity League You can now find the current month's calendar of events at http://www.marbridge.org/calendar/ Looking ahead:  October 22-25 Special Olympics Fall Classic in Bryan/College Station--softball, aquatics, bocce, golf. Teams depart in two groups at 6am and 1pm on Thurs., Oct. 22! October 30 Fall Fest at the Villa! It starts at 6:30pm, and volunteers are still needed to run games and award prizes. To help, contact Kimberly Flores. Mark Your Calendar! Fall Fest at the Villa is Friday, October 30 6:30pm-8:30pm   All Marbridge residents, employees, family members and volunteers are invited to attend! There'll be magic in the air on the eve of Halloween when the Villa will host its annual Fall Fest.  The event features carnival-type games and prizes, as well as costumes, music and a dance. The Marbridge Parents & Families Asociation (MPFA) volunteers will help out with the events. Wear your costumes,  put on your dancing shoes, bring your families, and join us for a great time! If you would like to volunteer to help or donate any party goods, please Contact Kimberly Flores, or 512.282.1811 ext. 1513  MPFA MEETING SCHEDULED     The MPFA will hold a general membership and informational meeting on Friday, October 30 at 5pm, prior to the Fall Fest, in the Village Administration Conference Room. They would welcome interested parents and family members. The group is currently seeking nominations for officers. Join them to discuss this and future events and enjoy a pizza supper.  Please RSVP to Gail Dalrymple.  Our Wishes Have Been Granted! Each issue of our quarterly print publication, Marbridge Life, contains a Wish List of current needs. Over the past year, many generous contributors have granted several important wishes: New horse trailer, donated by Mike Walen. Pots & pans for cooking classes, donated by the Gustafson Family. Gazebo for the Village Carpeting for the miniature golf course, donated by Donald & Judy Buchanan. Many thanks to all who have supported our mission to enable adults with intellectual disabilities to live full and productive lives. For information on how you can help, contact Michelle Levy.    To get involved in a focus group, contact Scott McAvoy, vice president of operations, or Brian Haddock, Ranch director, or call either at 512-282-1144. Local restaurants "cook it up a notch" for Marbridge residents   Restaurant owners in Austin have made a positive impact on Marbridge residents' lives by helping them develop cooking skills. Fired Up!, Inc., which operates Carino's Italian Restaurants, recently sent its top chef to guest teach at Marbridge cooking classes. Iron Cactus Restaurants owner Gary Manley regularly treats residents to a catered lunch with all the trimmings. On their last visit, he and his crew of chefs turned the Winters Dorm kitchen into a culinary training room by getting residents involved in making stuffed tortillas. Our residents LOVE the support--and the great food--provided by our restaurant friends! Thank you, thank you, thank you!  A message from the MPFA president The Marbridge Parents and Family Association is alive and well.  We have been busy sponsoring gifts and activities for the Marbridge Foundation on behalf of the members of the Marbridge Parents and Family Association.  Picture frames have been purchased and donated for the Village residents' pictures. We plan to get frames for the other residential communities in the future. We have hosted several events for all the residents of Marbridge.  Recently, we made a donation in honor of the Parents and Family members so that the Marbridge staff can purchase a new microphone for the Chapel sound system and buy costumes and props for the various programs held in the Chapel and at other events.  Also, we have been encouraging more communication with the senior staff at Marbridge and have seen some very positive results.   Soon it will be time to elect new officers for next year's MPFA which begins January 1st.  I will rotate off the board and, according to MPFA By-laws, the Vice President will move up to become President for next year.  If any member of MPFA is interested in being an officer for next year, please contact Gail Dalrymple, MPFA Secretary, and let her know.  If you cannot come to Austin to meet very often, you might want to consider being a Regional Coordinator from an area outside of greater Austin such as Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston or San Antonio.  These positions will provide critical information to regional MPFA members.  The positions are not considered voting members of the board, but the input from the various ad hoc coordinator team members will be very helpful to the officers. Please notify us of your interest in either being an officer or a coordinator by December 1st.   It has been a great year, and I appreciate you all and the support you have given to MPFA. I especially want to thank and recognize Peter Hubbell, Vice President; Gail Dalrmple, Secretary; and Lana Levins, Treasurer, for their dedicated service to MPFA. I encourage you to maintain your membership and involvement in MPFA and to encourage others to get involved as well. The Board and Officers of the Marbridge Foundation are blessed to have the support of parents and family members from across Texas, other states, and other nations.   Sincerely, Tom Leyden, President MPFA LIFE Lines is published for family, friends, volunteers and staff members of Marbridge, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that provides training and residential care for adults with cognitive challenges.