Come to the Big Hair Country Fair

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Director

Grab your dancing boots! Theatre Action Project (TAP) presents the Big Hair Country Fair, Saturday, March 24, 2012. The event features hairdos for attendees provided on site by Birds Barbershop stylists. Guests will also enjoy all the Salt Lick BBQ they can eat, refreshments, carnival games and a vintage photo booth complete with costumes. Musical entertainment is provided by Western Swing band Hot Club of Cowtown and Oliver Rajamani.

The Big Hair Country Fair takes place from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. at the Salt Lick Pavilion, 18300 FM 1826, in nearby Driftwood, Texas. Proceeds benefit Theatre Action Project. TAP artists and educators work in partnership with Austin area schools and communities to lead unique and engaging arts programs allowing young people to learn critical life skills, gain tools for creative expression and have successful experiences that build self-esteem and confidence.

Karen LaShelle, Executive Director of Theatre Action Project touts the fun elements of the event. 

Who can resist Texas Swing music, BBQ, a cake walk, carnival games and big bouffant hairdos? This is going to be a raucous fun time–all for a really good cause–supporting the development of young people through the arts. All of the proceeds will directly support our school programs, which cost as little as $2 per child per hour.

Individual tickets are $75. For information about purchasing a table, call: 512- 442-8773. To purchase tickets online, visit: TAP Big Hair.

P.S. My favorite hairstyle is Tracy Turnbladt’s from Hairspray. See you at TAP’s Big Hair Country Fair on March 24th at the Salt Lick Pavilion! To buy tickets visit: TAP Big Hair. Proceeds benefit Theatre Action Project.

Make Your Bid for VIP Day on the Set “Spring Breakers”

This auction is underway and ends on March 2nd at  12 noon. The highest bidder wins!

Selena Gomez Photo by People.com

Bid on a VIP day on the set of Spring Breakers a feature film directed by Harmony Korine and starring Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, James Franco and Ashley Benson.

The winner of this package will head to St. Petersburg, Florida for one VIP day on the set of Spring Breakers and can chose one day in the following sets of dates to visit the set of this feature film production: March 9, 10, or 19, 20, or 21, 22, or 26, 27, or 28, 29.

• Enjoy lunch with the producer of the film and the crew
• Have an opportunity to be a featured extra in the film, and
• Have VIP access to observe the filming.

With this package you will receive a two-night stay at either the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel or The Post Card Inn, depending upon the date sets you choose. The package does not include airfare. Date sets for 2 night stays: March 9-10, March 19-20, March 21-22, March 26-27, or March 28-29. We will be managing this auction via email with bidders.

For information on the bidding process and to make YOUR bid, visit: TAP VIP Day Auction.

And…if you like this item, be sure to check out our Spring Fundraiser, the Big Hair Country Fair where more great items will be up for bid. Join us on March 24th for all the fun and support Theatre Action Project!

The Clock is Ticking: Visit EcoClean and Support TAP

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Director

This month Austin’s own EcoClean is supporting Theatre Action Project by donating 5% of their Wednesday sales to support TAP programs. Won’t you join us in this endeavor? Your support helps the TAP team as they inspire youth to be creative artists, courageous allies, critical thinkers and confident leaders.

EcoClean touts these benefits about their wet cleaning process:

• Garments are cleaner.
• Wet cleaned garments will never develop that yellow look commonly seen on items that have been repeatedly dry cleaned with perc (tetrachloroethylene)
• Clothes don’t come home with residual amounts of harmful chemicals like perc, which off-gas and contaminate cars and homes.
• Clothes don’t have that stinky “dry cleaned” smell (again, toxic perc).
• Wet cleaning is often able to remove stains a traditional dry cleaner can’t fix.
• Garments fade less and the fabrics don’t incur as much damage from repeated washings.
• Wet cleaning eliminates the risk of perc contaminating groundwater.
• Neighbors are safer from air exposure to perc.
• Wet cleaning is more energy-efficient than dry cleaning, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint.

Visit EcoClean and support Theatre Action Project today. Only two more Wednesdays in February are left.

Recruiting Volunteers – The Creative Process

by Katie Grills, Community Relations VISTA

Don’t you just love Google Doodles? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out this one from Valentine’s Day. While charming and a great way to celebrate Love on Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t help but look at this cute, creative device as a metaphor for recruiting volunteers.

In the world of non-profit organizations, recruiting volunteers is much like finding and wooing your perfect sweetheart. Plan one might seem absolutely brilliant. Surely it will bring in droves of committed, talented volunteers who are in love with the work you do. That witty posting that you put on every volunteer posting site imaginable will break servers because the whole city will flock to it at once! The emails you have sent out to prospective volunteers will be responded, and your inbox will overwhelm you! And don’t even think about being able to answer all of those phone calls.

Support Theatre Action Project: Visit EcoClean in February

by Tanisa Bernard, Social Networking Marketing Assistant Volunteer, Junior League of Austin

Want to get your clothes cleaned, help the environment AND support Theatre Action Project? Eco-Clean does just that! Since 1996, this Austin institution has provided non-toxic professional garment cleaning and laundry service and every Wednesday in the month of February they are donating 5% of their sales to TAP.

Eco-Clean uses a wet cleaning (yes, I said wet) process that is more gentle than hand washing. This environmentally-friendly spot does so without the use of dangerous dry cleaning chemicals like PERC (also known as perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethene) which has been shown to have harmful effects on human health and the environment. In fact, in 1996 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determined that long-term exposure to PERC  increased the risk of cancer and other diseases for dry cleaning workers and that consumers who have repeated exposure to high levels of the chemical can cause adverse effects. Eco-Clean has sought to eliminate this risk and decrease environmental emissions with its “green” dry-cleaning process. All while supporting area non-profits as well.