LOCAL ORGAN DONOR TO BE FEATURED ON FLOAT AT ROSE PARADE — Among the donors to be featured on the Donate Life Rose Parade float this year is Reat Griffin Underwood, who was tragically killed in a hate crime outside of the Jewish Community Campus in 2014.
Reat’s portrait is one of the 60 floral portraits, or floragraphs, featured on the float that will appear in the historic New Year’s Day parade (this year on Jan. 2!).
Now in its 14th year, the Donate Life Rose Parade float is the centerpiece of a national effort of more than 50 organizations that have teamed up to reach a broad audience with the simple, life-giving message that organ, eye and tissue donations save and heal lives.
The 2017 Pasadena Tournament of Roses theme, “Echoes of Success,” tells the story of how our character has developed through the selfless contributions of others and celebrates their inspirational gifts. This year’s Donate Life float, “Teammates in Life,” recognizes a total of 96 honorees on a spectacular Polynesian catamaran, including Reat. Just under one year before Reat’s untimely death, the 14-year-old had signed the back of his driver’s permit to be an organ donor. Reat’s donation was coordinated by the Midwest Transplant Network.
The float will be propelled by a team of 24 organ, eye and tissue transplant recipients rowing in unison with strength gained from their donors. The sails of the vessel feature floral portraits of donors interwoven with Polynesian designs and patterns. Just as the donors’ gifts empower the lives of others, the sails help power the catamaran on its journey. Twelve living donors and recipients, including a “kidney chain” of three living donors and their three recipients, will walk alongside the float carrying flowers in celebration of the life they have given to others and the quality of life they continue to enjoy themselves.
The parade is televised on several networks including ABC, NBC and Hallmark Channel and begins at 10 a.m. CST.
HANUKKAH AT PRAIREFIRE — Just in time for Hanukkah, Prairiefire is starting a new tradition by temporarily erecting a large hannukiah by the fire pit near Pinstripes. After a weather delay, the hannukiah was expected to arrive this week and be ready before the first candle is lit at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24. A candle-lighting ceremony will take place each of the eight nights of Hanukkah. This was made possible through the efforts of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City on behalf of the Jewish community, who worked together with Prairiefire’s developers, the Merrill Companies, LLC. Several organizations plan to take part in the candle lighting including Congregations Beth Torah and B’nai Jehudah, BBYO and Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. Members of the Jewish community are invited to attend any and all of the ceremonies and join together to sing Hanukkah songs or share a Hanukkah fact or story.
AWARD NOMINATIONS ROLLING IN FOR ‘BIG SONIA’ — Big Sonia has been nominated for Best Documentary in AARP’s Movies for Grownups awards. Also nominated are “Everything Is Copy,” “Maya Angelou,” “The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years,” “Still I Rise” and “Tower.” The AARP awards will be hosted by Margo Martindale at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Feb. 6.
NEW JEWISH BOOK CLUB LAUNCHES IN JANUARY — Readers around the world will explore together important works of modern Jewish literature through the new Great Jewish Books Book Club, a program of the Yiddish Book Center.
“Modern Jewish literature is a vast treasure house, teeming with intense, strange, surprising and beautiful stories, written all over the world and throughout the great upheavals of modernity,” said Josh Lambert, academic director at the Yiddish Book Center. “These works speak to our own conflicts and challenges, and to the beauty and sweetness of our traditions.”
Members of the Great Jewish Books Book Club, which launches in January, will receive a new book every three months, along with related book reviews, essays, audio and video recordings, and other resources to enrich their reading experience. They’ll also be invited to take part in online discussions, via a private Facebook group, with other members and Yiddish Book Center staff.
The reading list for the inaugural book club includes works in translation and a new selection of stories by one of the most celebrated American authors, among other books. The titles were carefully chosen by Yiddish Book Center staff members, who, Lambert explained “sought out excellent, fascinating, and challenging books in the modern Jewish literary tradition that deserve a place of pride on the shelf of any serious reader.”
The deadline to register for the 2017 Great Jewish Books Book Club is Dec. 31. More information can be found at yiddishbookcenter.org/book-club.
HANUKKAH GELT WONTONS — Want to try an unusual treat during Hanukkah? This recipe from The American Association of Orthodontists caught my eye. It is touted as a “tasty, easy-to-prepare solution that is sure to be a holiday hit for those in orthodontic treatment and those who are not.”
Hanukkah Gelt Wontons
From the American Association of Orthodontists
Recipe Makes 12
Ingredients:
24 round wonton wrappers
12 large chocolate coins (1 ½”)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup cinnamon sugar
Directions:
1. Lay out 12 of the wonton wrappers on a clean work surface.
2. Unwrap the chocolate coins and place one in the center of each wonton wrapper.
3. Lightly brush the edges of each wonton wrapper with water and place another wonton wrapper on top, pressing the edges to seal in the chocolate coin.
4. Place butter and canola oil into a large frying pan and melt on medium heat.
5. Fry each wonton for 2-3 minutes per side.
6. Place the cinnamon sugar in a shallow bowl and dip both sides of the wonton until coated.
7. Let cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.
(Nutrition information: Serving size: 1 piece; servings per recipe: 12; calories per serving: 130; total fat: 6 g; saturated fat: 3 g; cholesterol: 6 mg; sodium: 140 mg; total carbohydrate: 16 g; dietary fiber: 0 g; sugar: 9 g; protein: 2 g)