il Vinaio Restaurant and the Arizona World Music Initiative (AZ WMI) will hold a fundraising concert with proceeds going to the organization. The Concert will be held Sunday, March 7 from 4:00 - 9:00 p.m. or later at il Vinaio Restaurant located at 270 W. Main Street in Historic Downtown Mesa, AZ. Twenty five percent of all food and drink receipts will go to the AZ WMI. In addition, a raffle and silent auction will be held with all proceeds going to the charity.

Musical styles in the line-up include Classical Spanish, Flamenco, Latin Jazz, Smooth Jazz and Contemporary Rock. Nationally acclaimed Thano and Dimitri Sahnas of Turning Point, and Sherry Finzer of Dulce VAS, are among the musicians donating their artistry.

Live Music starts at 4:00 pm with the Sahnas Brothers, followed by Nobody Et Al, Jazz-a-tukee, Radiant Sky, Dulce VAS, Jacob Tyler Lucas, Garry Kiggins and more and will finish with a huge jam session.

Raffle and auction items include: CD’s, wine, restaurant certificates, massage certificates, metal artwork, private plane excursion, gift baskets, a weekend in San Diego, a house concert and more. Vendors Partylite and Sashay will also have booths set up in the front of the restaurant.

The regular menu will be served featuring starters, entrees, desserts, and a beer and wine list featuring 6 craft beers on draft, over 30 wines by the glass plus over 100 wines by the bottle.

There is no cover charge but guests are asked to come and enjoy a fine meal or snack along with the music, while helping A WMI raise funds to take the interactive music awareness program into the schools. Free Parking is available on Main Street and Morris as well as in the parking lot beside and behind il Vinaio.

Interested parties can visit www.azwmi.org for more information on the charity and the event itself, or visit www.ilvinaio.com for menus, beer & wine lists, and directions to the event.

Cancer Prevention and Survival Cooking Course

The Cancer Project, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing cancer prevention through education and research, is offering a free cooking course designed to help Mesa residents prevent and survive cancer through proper diet and nutrition.

“The single easiest and best thing most of us can do to prevent cancer or its recurrence is to eat right,” says Jennifer Reilly, R.D., a senior nutritionist for The Cancer Project. “More than a third of all cancer deaths in this country are due to poor diet.”

The Rx for better health? According to Reilly, it is a low-fat vegetarian diet. Load up on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, Reilly says; they’re naturally low in fat, chock-full of fiber, and filled with cancer-fighting antioxidants and phytochemicals. Cut down on fatty foods and added fats and oils, particularly saturated fats, which have been linked to an increased risk of breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Likewise, look for healthy substitutes for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt, which have been implicated in the occurrence of breast and colorectal cancers.
The challenge, Reilly acknowledges, is not only to teach people which foods are good for them, but also to show them how to make the foods taste good. Each class centers on important cancer-nutrition topics as local cooking instructor Katherine Lawrence guides students through the preparation of tasty and easy-to-prepare recipes.

The “Introduction to How Foods Fight Cancer” class will be held March 6 from 10 a.m. to noon.

For more information about Cancer Prevention and Survival Cooking Classes, visit www.CancerProject.org or call 202-244-5038.

Heart and Soul Dining and Dancing Benefit

The Mahnah Club will present its Heart and Soul Dining and Dancing Benefit on March 27. The event will benefit the Child Crisis Center, Save the Family Foundation, Mahnah Club Scholarship Fund and other charities.

The benefit will be held at the Fiesta Inn Conference Center, 2100 S. Priest Drive, Tempe, AZ 85282. Cocktails will be served at 6 p.m. with dinner served at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $115 if purchased before March 6 and $125 if purchased after March 6. For more information, visit www.mahnahclub.org.

Walk United Benefits Mesa Schools and Neighbors

Today’s pop quiz question: How can you help neighbors in need, have a good time with friends and family, make new friends, assist your favorite school, foster good citizenship among our youth, and get some fresh air and exercise, all at the same time?

Answer: Participate in Mesa’s Live United Walk United event on April 10.

The event is a three-mile pledge walk in downtown Mesa that benefits Mesa Public Schools and Mesa United Way’s Community Care Fund, which assists needy individuals and families in our community. Whether you’ll be walking or sponsoring a walker, every step and every dollar will benefit schools and neighbors in need.

Mesa United Way and Mesa Public Schools are partnering in this event as a fun and healthy way to help make up for deep funding cuts to schools and charities. Mesa school kids will be asking parents, friends and neighbors to sponsor them in the event by making a donation. Donations will be split evenly between the child’s classroom and the Community Care Fund.

“The need has never been greater to come together on April 10 and make a valuable contribution through the Mesa United Way that will benefit the schools and quality of life for those less fortunate. I look forward to walking with my family, friends and neighbors in a collective effort to make a difference for those in need,” stated Thomas Schildgen, Mesa United Way board chairman.

Even if you’re not asked to sponsor a participant, you can support the cause by going to www.mesaunitedway.org and clicking on “Walk United”. The site includes event information including time and place, registration and sponsorship forms.

Mesa United Way and school district officials also are using this event as an opportunity to advance civic awareness among our youth. Mesa United Way is sponsoring a picture and essay contest around the theme: “Why it’s important to be involved in your community,” and Mesa Public Schools has developed a corresponding civics lesson for teachers.
Kindergarten through third graders will draw pictures to illustrate the theme, while three other grade-level divisions through high school will write essays. The winning student in each of the four divisions will receive a $300 cash prize, and their teachers will receive a $300 cash award as well.

All prizes and administrative expenses for the Walk United event are being underwritten by corporate sponsors. One hundred percent of donations received in behalf of participants will be split evenly between the care fund and schools.
Registration for the Walk United event will begin at 7 a.m. April 10 at the Mesa United Way building, 137 E. University Drive, between Center Street and Mesa Drive, and the walk will start there at 9 a.m.

Curves Food Drive

Curves of Mesa is holding its Sixth Annual Food Drive for Sunshine Acres Children’s Home. Food donations may be dropped off at the Mesa Curves club located at the southwest corner of Gilbert and McKellips Roads.

To help with the drive, Curves is offering a Food Drive sign up special. If you donate a bag of groceries and sign up for a 12 month commitment, Curves will waive the sign up fee. All donations must be received by March 20 before noon.
Curves of Mesa is located at 1919 E. McKellips Road. Their hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 5 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3-8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3-8 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m.-Noon. For more information concerning the Food Drive or offer, call 480-844-2900.

4th Annual Menlo Park Ward Blood Drive

Give blood at the 4th Annual Menlo Park Ward Blood Drive on Tuesday, March 30 from 3-8 p.m. The blood drive will be held in the Cultural Hall of the LDS church building located at 2618 N. Lindsay in Mesa.

For further information contact Kathy at 602-617-3213.

The Groves Report has made every effort to authenticate the information printed herein; however, we do not assume responsibility for any products or services advertised or information printed.  Views expressed are representative of the author and not necessarily The Groves Report.

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