This weekend: The Wizard of Oz!

This weekend, the talented young people who are part of Rebound's Act II program will stage their production of The Wizard of Oz.

The employees and volunteers at Rebound have helped thousands of youth in our community over the years, and the theatre program is a perfect example of what makes Rebound so successful. According to the Rebound website, the Act II program "provides an artistic approach that allows youth to reach their full potential in a fun and safe environment." 

Michelle Shelswell, a Rebound volunteer and a faculty member at Lambton College, is studying the difference this program makes for those involved. You can read more about Michelle's study in this week's edition of The Sarnia Journal. 

If you'd like to support the life-changing work that happens at Rebound, please consider attending The Wizard of Oz this weekend.

Festival of Good Things

For the third year in a row, the Festival of Good Things will be a chance to celebrate the creative and positive energy that seems to be growing in our community these days.

The folks behind this festival work hard to make sure that it's fun and free. There is a charge for admission to evening concerts ($10 per night), but entrance to the rest of the day's events is by donation. There will be music, vendors selling handmade goods, and this year, the Run of Exploding Colour, a chance to fundraise for your favourite charity. There are lots of activities for kids and families, and all are welcome.

I really admire the idea behind this event. The organizers decided they'd like to see a festival in Sarnia, and they made it happen, and they made it free. If you're in support of creative events like this one, you might consider volunteering to help ensure the festival's success.

The Festival of Good Things takes place on the Friday and Saturday of Labour Day weekend (September 4 and 5) at the Sarnia Bay Marina. To learn more, visit the Festival of Good Things.

Humans of Lambton College

Yesterday, the Sarnia Journal ran a feature story profiling one of Lambton College's recent graduates, Oluwasegun Alawode. Most of us know him as Bisi. You can read the full story here.

The talented Erica Ostojic captured this shot of Bisi 

to cap off the Humans of Lambton College project. 

Over the past year and a half, Bisi has been working with Lois Nantais, a professor at Lambton College, on a project they've called Humans of Lambton College. Together, they've documented stories from dozens of perspectives around this place: Lois asks the questions, and Bisi takes the photographs. You can see the entire collection online here, and for the next month, you can see a selection of the portraits on display in the SAC lounge at Lambton College.

So many of us are grateful for the energy that Lois and Bisi have put into this project. Through these stories, many of us have gotten to know our colleagues and our community a bit better. By helping all of us to feel connected, Lois and Bisi have made this college a better place. Thank you to you both!

Rain cheque

We missed out on hearing from Gilad this week. The huge Monday-night storm shut down power at the college for Tuesday, and we unfortunately had to call Gilad to cancel.

I heard from a lot of disappointed folks, but I have good news: Gilad may be back to Sarnia in the fall! I'll keep you up to date on our plans and progress.

More soon...

Jayu: Using Art to Change the World

Please join us tomorrow to hear again from Gilad Cohen, founder and executive director of Jayu.

Jayu is a human-rights organization based in Toronto, founded with the belief that art can encourage conversation and spark change. Gilad's presentation tomorrow will focus on the communication across cultures that art can make possible.

We will meet in P111 from 1-2. We hope to see you there!

Jayu returns...

The word is out: Gilad Cohen will make a return visit to Lambton College on Tuesday, June 23 at 1pm. Stay tuned for details...