We still have some slots to fill - specifically:

• Ballroom set-up, Friday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
• Hotel Lobby Greeters, Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• Registration, Saturday from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m.
• Hotel Lobby Greeters, Saturday from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
• Workshop Runners, Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 7 p.m. (one hour shifts)
• Registration, Saturday from 9:00 a.m to 7 p.m (one hour shifts)
• Greeters, Sunday from 9:00 to 10:45 a.m.
• Ushers, Sunday from 10:30 to noon

Spending a few hours as a volunteer at District Assembly is a great way to meet and greet hundreds of UU's from across the Pacific Central District. In addition, you'll get the most coveted of all the name badge ribbons, the one that says Volunteer!

If you would like to volunteer, please contact District Administrator Chuck Rosene at: pcd@pcd-uua.org or (510) 601-1437.

This year's survey will be done electronically, using SurveyMonkey, so it will be very easy to respond. The trickiest part will be to get it to the right person who has the information about salaries and benefits: it will come as an email notice to every congregation, using the contact information on file in Boston. Since volunteer and staff positions vary considerably between congregations, it will need to find its way to your Church Administrator, Treasurer, or Personnel person.

So, chat among yourselves, and be sure those most likely to receive this survey are on notice to watch for it and forward it on appropriately. Your cooperation with this helps all our congregations! Please contact our Compensation Consultant, Dawn Bateman, with any questions.

Our Coming of Age program is designed to help our young people

• Explore their own spiritualities;
• Develop a deeper understanding of Unitarian Universalism;
• Continue the lifelong process of values clarification;
• Recognize and accept responsibility for the consequences of their decisions;
• Explore their options for service, to both the church and their communities;
• Deepen their relationships with each other, and with the adults in their congregations;
• Come to a positive understanding of their own capabilities; and,
• Test themselves against their own preconceived limits.

Are you or do you parent a youth who will be in 8th, 9th, or 10th grade in the 2008-09 school year, who would benefit from experiences such as a ropes course, a Faithful Fools mini-street retreat, or a nature vigil? Would you like to have the rich experience of being a mentor to one of our youth? Then plan on attending an orientation session for families and potential mentors, led by Riley McLaughlin, on Sunday, April 13, from 3:30 to 5:30, at the First Unitarian Church in San Jose. For more information contact Sonya Sukalski, (510) 886-5931.

Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible - Our Sunnyvale congregation invites you to participate in the interfaith video and discussion workshop on Saturday, April 19, from 1:30-5:30. The video explores white identity development, but is designed for people of any race, culture, creed or gender. It features the experiences and reflections of white women and men as social justice advocates as they face conflicting emotions about race, racism, culture, and white identity development in the United States. Contact Marla Yonamine for more information.

Did You Know - Thanks to Laura Osborne of our Community Church of Sacramento, I just learned that congregations interested in purchasing assistive listening devices may get a demo kit on loan to try it out! A good sound system is a good start to help the estimated 10% of adults with hearing difficulties (a figure that rises to 25% for those over 65), but they also distort the sound. Assistive listening devices cost about $1,000 each, and can make a tremendous difference. For more information, contact the Rev. Devorah Greenstein, Program Coordinator for our UUA's Office of Accessibility Concerns.

Come one, come all to Oscard's Feast, the annual fundraiser for our Faithful Fools ministry, on Friday, March 28, at 7 p.m, hosted by our San Francisco congregation. The food, the music, the dancing, the clowning and, of course, the company, will all be sublime! Advance registration is $50/person, and you are invited to purchase a second registration for someone unable to otherwise attend, or make a general donation to this very worthy cause. For more information, contact the Faithful Fools at (415) 474-0508.

The Faithful Fools have also sent in some wonderful photos from their recent trip to Nicaragua, where they spent time in the barrios of Managua and the rural community of San Diego, Condega. See the photos of the primary school they supported, the wonderful people they worked with, the beaches, the volcano . . .there's even one of Alex Darr buddying up with George Bush - how foolish. And, for a real treat, check out the YouTube video of the school to fall in love with the children of Managua.

The Berkeley Fellowship will screen Phoenix Dance, a new film by Karina Epperlein, on Friday, March 28, at 7 pm. The film profiles accomplished dancer Homer Avila who, after losing a leg to cancer, returns to the stage without crutches to perform with Andrea Flores, using his "imperfect body" and "one-leggedness" to create a work of transcendent beauty. For more information call (510) 495-5132.

Don't miss our April 1 deadline for this year's Sermon Award contest. As of today, we have seven entries, but all but one are in our Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression category. Our other categories are: Membership Growth, Chalice Lighters, and Fair Share Giving. Let me know if you need the instructions on how to submit your sermon. The contest is open to our lay leaders as well as our religious professionals.