Transforming darkness into light
Award-winning journalist Ruth Ebenstein will come to Chattanooga to tell her story, “How to Laugh (and Cry) Through Breast Cancer,” during a brunch on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 11 a.m. at the Jewish Cultural Center (5461 North Terrace).
During her presentation, Ebenstein will Skype with her friend and fellow breast cancer survivor Ibtisam Erekat, a Muslim Palestrina woman living in Israel. Ebenstein’s story has been covered by the BBC, The Atlantic and Alhurra TV.
To register, call (423) 493-0270, email rsvp@jewishchattanooga.com or visit www.jewishchattanooga.com.
Choral Arts of Chattanooga
Choral Arts of Chattanooga will present “Dark and Luminous Nights of the Soul,” a program featuring works by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms Friday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church (700 Pine St.). Donations will be accepted. For more information, call Kim Thompson at (423) 605-6068.
Neighborhood University
The City of Chattanooga’s Department of Economic & Community Development is inviting community leaders to attend Neighborhood University on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4.
Participants will able to choose from three tracts of classes across two days of workshops on subjects ranging from using community assets to improve neighborhoods, to collaborating community-wide to reach decisions in neighborhoods, to including youth in the process of change.
Community leaders who complete Neighborhood University will have an opportunity to apply for grants from green|spaces. Empower Chattanooga, a program of green|spaces, will fund 12 neighborhood projects up $1,000 each to help Neighborhood University graduates implement energy efficiency ideas.
Neighborhood University, which ECD launched in 2014, is a free program for community leaders. For this year’s participants, breakfast and lunch will be provided both days.
For more information, visit connect.chattanooga.gov/neighborhooduniversity, or call (423) 643-7306.
Breakfast of Champions
The Bethlehem Center will host its annual Breakfast of Champions on Thursday, March 9 from 7:30 a.m.-8:45 a.m. at Tyner United Methodist Church (6805 Standifer Gap Road). The event will feature music, other performances and a made-from-scratch breakfast. Table sponsorships and individual seats are available. All proceeds will benefit literacy and enrichment programs for children and families in South Chattanooga.
To reserve a table or an individual seat, or for additional details, email dboggs@thebeth.org or call (423) 266-1384. For more information about Bethlehem Center, visit www.thebeth.org.
Free street festival
Songbirds Guitar Museum will celebrate its grand opening with a series of events beginning on Friday, March 10 and continuing through Sunday, March 12. The family-friendly pop culture museum is located on the grounds of the Chattanooga Choo.Choo.
Throughout the weekend, Songbirds Guitar Museum will host an educational session titled “Les Paul – From Start to Finish.” Longtime friend of the late Paul, Jim Wysocki, will provide insight into the inventor, musician and philanthropist. Attendees will be able to touch and play Paul’s personal guitars and see his earliest inventions. Admission to this event is included in the cost of a museum ticket. Tickets are available at www.SongbirdsGuitars.com.
The weekend will also include a street festival showcasing local entertainment on Saturday, March 11 from noon to 5 p.m. The festival will take place on Station Street between Market Street and Rossville Avenue, and will be free and open to the public.
The outdoor party will feature Gibson Guitar’s traveling museum and a number of live shows, including Chattanooga Girls Rock, The Pool (British invasion rock and roll), The Drew Sterchi Band (blues) and The Communicators (pop, rock and rap). The Station Street restaurants and retailers will be open.
Women Build Breakfast
Tickets are now on sale for the 2017 Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga’s Women Build Breakfast. The fundraiser will be held Saturday, March 11 at 9 a.m. at The Chattanoogan Hotel. Proceeds raised at the event will support the construction of the 2017 Women Build home.
The 2017 Women Build Home will be constructed in Chattanooga’s Glass Farms neighborhood by women for a working mother and her two children. Construction of the home will begin in March and completed by mid-June – weather permitting. Breakfast attendees will be invited to sign up as volunteers.
To purchase tickets or to learn more about the project, call Dominique Brandt at (423) 756-0507 or visit www.habitchatt.org.
Rescues on the Runway
The Humane Educational Society (HES) will host Rescues on the Runway on Saturday, March 25 at 6 p.m. at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Imperial Ballroom. Guests will enjoy a three-course meal as well as complimentary wine and beer. Vegetarian options will be available.
Dinner will be followed by a runway show featuring shelter pets who are available for adoption. Guests will also have the opportunity to bid on live auction items ranging from vacations to artwork. Register at www.heschatt.org/fm/events/detail/id/24.