“Forever. For Real.” goes back to school on August 28

Summer is flying by and the beginning of school is right around the corner. Take advantage of the  next “Forever. For Real.” workshop and learn how to make your relationship the very best it can be. On Saturday, August 28, Forever. For Real. will hold a a free relationship strengthening workshop designed for dating, engaged, and married couples from 10 am – 4 pm at the EVE Centre in South Oklahoma City. 

Engaged couples will qualify for a $45 discount on their Oklahoma marriage license.

Register at ForeverForReal.com or call Kristin at 405-848-4046 or 877-435-8033.

DEQ Subgrants and Low-Interest Loans

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s Brownfields Program is beginning a new phase in the subgrant and low-interest loan program using ARRA funds. Government and nonprofit agencies are eligible to apply for subgrants and low-interest loans, and there are low-interest loan opportunities available for for-profit entities as well. 

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), DEQ’s Brownfield Program received approximately $1.9 million to be issued as new subgrants and loans through its existing Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund.

To ensure a fair, transparent selection and award process, a Statement of Interest application with information on general eligibility criteria and evaluation and ranking criteria will be used by DEQ to make an award decision. Interested parties that meet the eligibility criteria will be required to submit a completed Statement of Interest application to the DEQ to be considered for a subgrant.

DEQ will accept Completed Statement of Interest applications for subgrants only until August 9th, 2010. Please see the "Frequently Asked Questions" document for more information on applying for loans and subgrants.

Questions may be sent in writing to the email address oklahomabrownfields@deq.ok.govand responses will be posted in the "Frequently Asked Questions" document. The deadline for sending in questions is August 2nd, 2010.

More information can be found at the DEQ Brownfields website.

www.oklahomabrownfields.com or www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields

Why do you love the open internet?

America's Got Net is a nationwide contest seeking small businesses, nonprofits and individuals to create short videos to tell policymakers in Washington, currently faced with some of the most important decisions on the future of the Internet, what the open Internet means to them and why it must be protected.

The web all-stars will award winners in the following categories: best small business, best nonprofit/charitable and best individual user. 

Nonprofit winners will win free advertising and event opportunities, as well as the chance to be featured in an Open Internet Coalition ad campaign.  

Contest Details:

America’s Got Net is open to U.S.-based individuals, small businesses and nonprofit/charitable organizations that demonstrate the benefits of the open Internet. Applications for the contest, which runs through August 15, 2010, are available online at www.youtube.com/americasgotnet2010

Finalists will be announced on September 13, 2010.

About the Open Internet Coalition: The Open Internet Coalition (www.openinternetcoalition.com) represents consumers, grassroots organizations, and businesses working in pursuit of a shared goal: keeping the Internet fast, open and accessible to all Americans.

Brownfields Grant Workshop: How to write a better proposal

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Brownfields Team is holding a workshop to assist local, state and tribal government entities and nonprofits to better understand the grant criteria and selection process for EPA's National Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup, Revolving Loan Fund and Job Training Grants. Specifically, the workshop will include the following agenda topics:

• Brownfields 101

• Ranking Criteria

• Threshold Criteria

Workshop Date: August 5, 2010, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), 707 N. Robinson, Oklahoma City

Who should attend: Entities from local, state and tribal governments and nonprofits interested in applying for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, Cleanup and Job Training Grants are encouraged to attend. The event is free of charge. Attendees will be responsible for their own travel expenses. No registration necessary.

For more information, visit: www.epa.gov.region6/brownfields

Other Upcoming workshop dates include:

July 29 in Tulsa

August 3 in Ardmore

August 5 in Oklahoma City

August 25 in Enid

DON'T MISS! August 31, 2010 Webinar for Non-Profits - Introduction to the Brownfields Program, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

To register and join Webinar: To access audio by phone: 866-299-3188, Conference Code: 214.665.6755#

Phone system available for donation

Infant Parent Intervention Center, a mental health agency in Northwest Oklahoma City with the primary goal of decreasing maltreatment and increasing prevention and the quality of relationships and mental well-being of infants, children and their families, is seeking volunteers for general office duties, including answering phones, filing, scheduling and other duties as needed. Also looking for individual to act as Volunteer Coordinator.

Business hours - 8:30-5:00, Monday-Friday. Flexible hours within business hours.

Requires OSBI background check and other personnel records. Requesting approximately 10 hours per week, minimum.

Also, seeking "as-needed" volunteers to assist with fundraising efforts. If interested, or for further information, please fax cover letter and resume to (405) 602-3226. Please include references.

Daily Deals from Wimgo

NewsOK is partnering with wimgo to bring you an exciting new program that saves you money while allowing you to give back to your community. Daily Deals by wimgo leverages the local buying power of Oklahoma City to bring you a great new offer every Monday through Friday.

Each day on NewsOK.com, we feature a highly discounted deal from a great local business. If you love the deal, sign up to buy it. The deal becomes active as soon as enough people buy so be sure to encourage all your friends to participate. Each day’s deal is only available for that day and will expire at midnight.
For every $20 in deals sold, we donate $1 to local charities like United Way, American Red Cross, Big Brother Big Sisters of Oklahoma and many more, allowing you to make an important contribution to your community.

How It Works:

• You will receive an email notifying you when a new Daily Deal is available.

• Purchase the Deal and tell your friends.

• Once the Deal’s minimum sales have been met, you will receive an email with a link to print your exclusive deal.

• Redeem your coupon at the participating business location.

You will not be charged for the Deal unless the minimum sales limit is met for that day. And remember, the power is in the numbers: the more friends you tell, the more you will save while supporting local businesses and local charities. Click here for more information.