Golden String Holds First Fundraiser at Farmer Casey's Ranch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - JULY 28, 2008

COITSVILLE, OH - Farmer Casey's Ranch, Golden String's newest adventure in day habilitative programming, 4738 McCartney Road, will be the setting the evening of Friday, August 29 for a fundraiser benefiting children and adults with disabilities in the Mahoning Valley area.

Golden String is a non-profit organization designed to raise funds to provide recreation and socialization activities to adults and children with multiple disabilities in the Mahoning Valley area. Their primary goal is to enhance the quality of life for disabled individuals in our community by providing opportunities for them to have social outlets and activities.

All proceeds from the event will go directly to enhancing recreation and socialization activities planned for the 52-acre property which currently features a 7-acre fishing lake, arts & crafts barn and agricultural fields for the clients. In addition to ongoing renovations, immediate plans for the ranch include a handicap-accessible fishing deck and ramp along the lake, and a 2,500 square-foot building addition to the farm house equipped with handicap-accessible bathrooms and education and recreation rooms.

Golden String is planning an evening of food, fun and entertainment with all of the food being provided by The Mocha House in Boardman, Rosetta Stone Cafe, The Royal Oaks and Springfield Grille. All beverages are being provided by Sam's Club in Boardman, entertainment will be provided by local bands, and artwork by some of Golden String's clients as well as several items available for auction will be on display.

Tickets for the event are $25.00 per person and can be purchased by calling Jessica at 330.755.4202. Tickets for the auction will be available at the event.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL:
Dini M. Ricchiutti - 330.719.4635

Youngstown Rocks the Arts!

**Photos by Sarah Poulton, Valley24.com**
On July 26, Youngstown rocked the arts! Taking place in the area behind the Purple Cat Champion Street location, Front Street was closed to celebrate independent art native to Youngstown and the surrounding area. Hosted by Art Youngstown, the festival featured a wide array of talent by local artists and musicians, and The Purple Cat crew was on hand with the Touch the Moon Candy Saloon van! We got a chance to hang out all day, sell some art and crafts made by the gang at The Purple Cat and to enjoy alot of the fine art and music that Youngstown has to offer!


Unfortunately, as has been the case with most of Youngstown's summer
festivals this year, Mother Nature was not as kind as she could have been. During 5 Elements' set on the South Stage, the rain began to POUR at about 4:45 or so. And it sure came down hard! Drenching everything and everyone in its path! But, after about a half hour to forty-five minutes later, the sun made it back out again! We battled with rain off and on for most of the day, but in the end, everyone had a blast, and it was worth sticking through the rain to experience such an amazing day of music and art VERY close to home!


We're having a great summer here at The Purple Cat, and are having a blast with all of the amazing entertainment that is happening Downtown! SUPPORT DOWTOWN YOUNGSTOWN!! Come out to these free events, and support the city and its artistic residents! The only way to make more things happen in this town is to support the ones that are already going on. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we'll keep you posted on what continues to unfold at The Purple Cat!

More Summer Fun at The Purple Cat!

Hello again everyone! Summer is moving right along, and we are enjoying every moment of it! From squirt-gun fights outside of the Champion Street Purple Cat to massive kickball games and immaculate cookouts at Farmer Casey's Ranch, to visiting the Greek Fest for some out-of-this-world food, summer is full of fun times! The ranch is now operational, and we have clients visiting on a near-daily basis! Out at the ranch we're able to to do yard work, fish, hike and learn about nature, and enjoy ourselves in a beautiful outdoor setting! It is truly a unique experience, and we're thankful to ISLE for providing us with all of these wonderful opportunities to explore and have fun while doing it! We've been enjoying the Music at the Monument summer concert series on Federal Plaza and we're still in preparations for The Purple Cat talent show! Touch the Moon Candy Saloon is doing very well, and we have more and more new employees with disabilities taking on work-related responsibilities at the store! And plans are still underway to bring you Purple Cat Radio! This would be an online radio station run by the crew at The Purple Cat, and we're working on getting it up and running. Stay tuned for more information!

So, we hope that you will enjoy your summer half as much as we're enjoying ours! Stay tuned for more news and updates from The Purple Cat News crew. Thanks for dropping by!

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Summer brings picnics!!!

Yesterday, June 17 2008, was the Purple Cat Bocce Picnic! It was held at the Pacentrano Club in Youngstown, and was a rockin' good time! It brought together both Purple Cat locations, and was an entire day full of activities for the folks at The Purple Cat. There was Bocce and food; volleyball and food; kickball, Frisbee, cornhole and food! And how could we forget all of the great food?! :) The picnic began around 9am with coffee, donuts, and Bocce! Other games commenced throughout the day, and everyone had an absolute blast! We even had some friends drop by to visit! Stay tuned for pictures from the event! We'll post them soon at http://www.ironandstring.org/!

THEN, this Saturday, June 21, is the Golden String Volleyball Picnic! It's being held at Boardman Park, and it will start around 12 noon! Stop down and come hang out with us! It's sure to be a day full of summer fun! And we will have news and pictures posted at a later date.

Hooray for summer fun! We hope you can come celebrate with us!

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IronandString.org Launches TODAY!!!

The brand new Iron and String Life Enhancement Website has launched today! Check it out at www.ironandstring.org! And be sure to stay close to The Purple Cat Newsroom for all of our news and events!

And tune in to ruKus radio today at 1pm to hear a LIVE radio broadcast from The Purple Cat Downtown!!

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Golden String Golf Outing - June 13, 2008

The 5th Annual Golden String "Drive for the Disabled" Golf Outing will be held on June 13, 2008 at Knoll Run Golf Course in Struthers, OH. This is an 18-hole Four-Person Scramble format. Prices are $260 per foursome or $65 per player. The fees include Greens Fee & Cart, three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), event prizes, and skill prizes (longest drive, closest to the pin, etc). The day's agenda is as follows:

8:00am - Registration
9:00am - Shotgun Start
11:00am - Lunch @ Pavilion
Dinner & Awards upon completion

For information on signing up to play, or becoming a sponsor, please contact Event Chairperson Adrienne Mowry at 330.503.3894.

Proceeds from the Golden String Golf Outing will be used to provide recreation and socialization activities for adults and children with disabilities in the Mahoning Valley area. A portion of the funds will be used for renovations of Farmer Casey's Ranch, our new habilitation facility located on 52 acres in Coitsville. The project will include building a handicapped accessible fishing deck and ramp on our 7 acre lake.

Any support to our project will benefit our clients, making every day even more exciting.

Welcome to The Purple Cat Newsroom!

Hello everyone, and welcome to The Purple Cat Newsroom! This is our very first entry, and we're excited to bring you all of the news and updates on what is happening at The Purple Cat! We always have exciting new events going on at The Purple Cat, and we will be using the newsroom to keep you up to date on all of them. Stop by often to stay informed and to receive your daily dose of miracle.

-The Purple Cat Crew