PRESS RELEASE

October 23, 2008

Who:  Planned Parenthood Association of Cameron & Willacy Counties, Inc., Ben’s Liquor and Holiday Inn Express – South Padre Island

What:  3^rd Annual “Wine by the Sea” Wine tasting Fundraiser

Where: South Padre Island Convention Center

Time: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, October 25, 2008 

Ticket price: $40.00 per person thru October 24^th & $50.00 day of event 

Catering by: Shrimp Haus 

Contact for more information:  Terri Lievanos, Director of Community Affairs                                                  956-546-4574, terri.lievanos@ppcwc.net

TEXT:  Planned Parenthood invites all community members to their 3^rd Annual “Wine by the Sea” Wine Tasting Fundraiser Saturday, October 25, 2008 from 7 to 10 p.m. Approximately 300+ wines will be available for tasting and a special weekend package from the Holiday Inn Express is available.

Proceeds from this event will benefit the men and women of our community for family planning services and breast and cervical cancer screenings. In the last year, our health programs – Promesa Salud - have diagnosed 33 breast and cervical cancer victims. Without our programs, these women would have never sought medical care and would have been a statistic rather than a success story. The majority of our patients are low income, uninsured/underinsured women.  We expect to see approximately 19,000 patients at our 4 health centers in Cameron & Willacy counties next year, some with subsidized care and some paying according to a reduced fee schedule. Your help can increase the number of patients we’re able to see.

Tickets are on sale for $40 per person at all Ben’s Liquor locations in Brownsville, Port Isabel and South Padre Island, Holiday Inn Express, Zeste Gourmet Market and Café, Planned Parenthood health centers and EZ-TIXX.com

Tickets also available at the door at $50.00 each.

This Halloween
weekend (October 31^st – November 2^nd), South Padre Island
is expected to be host to 20,000 music fans, once again turning the island into
a true musical paradise. Performing artists for 2008 include Willie Nelson, Los
Lonely Boys, Ghostland Observatory, Foghat, Blue Oyster Cult, Alejandro
Escovedo, Del Castillo, Grupo Fantasma, Fastball, Vallejo, Steel Pulse and many
more. www.spimusicfest.com.

South Padre
International Music Festival was established in 2007, entertaining almost 10,000
festival goers over three days throughout South Padre Island.  More than 60
bands -- from indie rock, jam bands, rock, reggae and country to Latin rock,
hip-hop, funk and jazz – took over the tiny island and established one of the
largest cultural experiences on the Gulf Coast.”

South Padre
International Music Festival announced today the special discounted ticket price
for residents of Rio Grande Valley locals. Festival tickets for the entire 3-day
weekend event will be $75 plus service charges. They will be available from
September 19^th to 28^th under the promotional code
“RGVLOCAL”, but act fast because ticket amount is limited.

To receive the “Rio
Grande Valley Locals” discount when purchasing tickets, buyers must use the
discounted promotional code “RGVLOCAL”. Tickets can be purchased through www.spimusicfest.com, by phone at (956)
668-7740 or the Ticketmaster Express Line (866) 448-7849 and at Ticketmaster
outlets including Macy's and select HEB stores (www.spimusicfest.com has a listing of all HEB outlets
offering SPI Music Fest tickets).

Join us as we honor the “Top Medical
Practioners” for 2008.  Submit your nominations by October 15^th.
See the attached information on Sponsorships and Ad’s for the
Medical Awards Program Book.

56^th Easter Seals Annual Dinner – Tuesday, October 28th

This annual event honors key volunteers who support the Easter Seals mission.  300 local business and community leaders attend the event.  This will be the 56^th year to hold this event and this will be the 3^rd year that a 25-year tradition of auctioning decorated/painted ostrich eggs.  Three years ago, we combined these two traditions, that of the Annual Dinner and of the ostrich egg auction and found we had ‘hit’ upon a winning combination.  Along with the key volunteers, a Humanitarian of the Year is honored for their dedication to Easter Seals and the families we serve.  This year we will honor Oscar Cardenas as our Humanitarian of the Year on Tuesday, October 28^th at the McAllen Country Club.  The evening is from 6:00 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. and there is still time for you to join us.  Please call Marilyn Fox at the Easter Seals office at (956) 631-9171 to make your reservation today.

Each year National Easter Seals holds a contest to select the best art from all of the Child Development Centers and we were notified that 6 children from our center were selected to be included in the 2009 calendar.  We will have these artists there that night and they will autograph their art and hand out advance calendars to all our guests.  

Caption:  Join us for the Easter Seals tradition of auctioning painted ostrich eggs

                by local community artists.

Picture:  This egg was featured at the 2007 Easter Seals Annual Dinner last

               October.

Goodwill Makes Donating Easier in the Valley

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TX—August 14, 2008—Goodwill Industries of South Texas is making it easier for donors in the Rio Grande Valley to change lives through the power of work.  With the opening of three new Attended Donation Centers this summer, the residents of Alamo, Mission, and Pharr, Texas now have more convenient locations to drop off their donations.

Funds generated from the sale of donated items support Goodwill’s mission of helping people in need to reach their fullest potential.  Through the power of work, Goodwill believes individuals can take charge of their own destiny, improving their own circumstances, and making our community a better place. 

“We are excited to expand our presence in the Rio Grande Valley,” says Dan Owen, Vice President of Operations.  “The support of the community through donations of gently used clothing and household items is what funds our life-changing employment and training programs.”

The new Alamo donation site is located at 316 Frontage Road in the American Auto Parts’ parking lot.  For donors in the Mission area, a donation site is now open at 501 South Conway Avenue in the Foy’s Supermarket parking lot.  Conveniently situated, the new Pharr donation site can be found at 1044 West Nolana Loop in the parking lot of the Nomad Shrine Club. 

The sites are open to public Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm and on Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.  To find the donation center nearest you and learn more about the programs and services that Goodwill offers, please visit us online at www.goodwillsouthtexas.com.

ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF SOUTH TEXAS

Goodwill Industries of South Texas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of creating life-changing opportunities for people with disadvantages, such as welfare dependency, homelessness, and lack of education or work experience, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities.  Revenue generated through the sale of donated goods is used to fund job training and employment programs for South Texans.  Last year, Goodwill Industries of South Texas provided employment and training services to 3,390 individuals in the community, an increase of 16% from 2006.

Contact: 

Maricel Johns, Public Relations Specialist

Goodwill Industries of South Texas

Phone:  361.884.4068

Fax:  361.884.4090

mmjohns@goodwillsouthtexas.com

www.goodwillsouthtexas.com

Located in the Rio Grande Valley, McAllen is the heart of South Texas. Four hours south of the San Antonio and only 8 miles from the border of Mexico, McAllen is a growing city with all the elements of a metropolitan lifestyle. The progressive arts and entertainment districts allows McAllen to showcase its culturally diverse art.

Going on its second year, the McAllen Art & Film Festival is a competitive film festival created to pay tribute to the art of film and its makers. The Film Festival seeks to discover and support artists who wish to tell a story through the art of film. In seeking new ideas, the Festival provides the community opportunities to discover original thoughts and unique perspectives from around the world through visual images.

For two full days in October, the Film Festival will screen independent features, shorts, documentaries, and every type of film under the Texas sun. For consideration into the 2008 McAllen Art & Film Festival, please submit your film by August 29, 2008.

Categories include:
Narrative Feature
Narrative Short
Narrative Short Student
Animated Short
Documentary Feature
Documentary Short

Please mail screeners to:
McAllen Chamber of Commerce
Attn: Film Festival
P.O. Box 790
McAllen, TX 78505-0790 USA

For more info, please contact Annabell Cortina
call 956.682.2871
acortina@mcallencvb.com