Local Issues

Join us for an evening of good vibes! Whether you’re a local or an expat, Mingle Mania is the perfect place to socialize and make friends or even to practice languages. ‍♂️‍♂️ Join [https://chat.whatsapp.com/GopSuzuFKRBKeYVKQrX4pE](https://chat.whatsapp.com/GopSuzuFKRBKeYVKQrX4pE) The group has many regular members, we intend to do various type of events, the goal is to build a strong community for all sorts of activities. If you have an event idea that you would like to see happen, let us know. We generally have about 20 participants, the age is between 20 and 60 averaging somewhere around 30, language exchange is not strictly enforced, culture exchange happens naturally. **mingle** (verb, intransitive): to move among people and talk to them, especially at a social event. **What We Are:** * A diverse group of locals and expats * ...going out at least every Tuesday **Event Details:** * It is free to join and operated on a voluntary basis! * Please honor the bar by ordering at least one drink.

Vrij binnenlopen en kennismaken met een rustige professionele werkplek in Utrecht. Je kunt de ruimte bekijken, vragen stellen en ontdekken of dit een plek is waar jij je klanten zou ontvangen of zou werken. Geen presentatie of verplichtingen — gewoon even ervaren. Geschikt voor o.a. coaches, behandelaars, zzp’ers en kleine sessies. Koffie en thee staan klaar.

**Welcome to our February UX Beers in Antwerp!** This time, we will host our event on Tuesday the 24th of February with [Ariad](https://www.ariadgroup.com/en) at [Plein Magazijn](https://www.pleinmagazijn.be) in Antwerp. [Ariad](https://www.ariadgroup.com/) and [Creative Skills](https://www.creativeskills.be/) sponsor our events. Follow the event online? We stream live via [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBqyTDAyQBw) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# UX TALKS **Talk 1: Align or Fail: When Brand Meets UX** [Mario Restrepo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-restrepo/), Creative Director Every interaction shape perception and tells a brand story, whether intended or not. In this talk, we explore why UX is the space where brand promises are either proven or broken, and why, in the age of AI, alignment between brand and user experience has become a strategic imperative. Drawing on real-world examples, this talk reframes UX designers as brand storytellers, and UX deciders and stakeholders as guardians of trust. It also introduces an **AI-driven Brand Sentiment Analysis workflow**, showing how teams can translate user signals into actionable insights, and design experiences that don’t just function, but reinforce how a brand is felt, remembered, and believed. **Talk 2: The UX evolution: thriving in the age of intelligent systems** [David Grunewald](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgrunewald/), Founder of Pluginto.ai , AI-Strategist AI is fundamentally changing how UX professionals work, but it's amplifying our capabilities, not replacing them. This 45-minute session explores what's actually happening in 2026. You'll see real implementations from banking, healthcare, and other sectors: proactive systems that anticipate needs, conversational interfaces that adapt to individual patterns, and hyper-personalisation at scale. We'll examine **four trends reshaping UX practice and, more importantly, what they mean for your daily work**. What's being automated? What's gaining value? And what are the five essential skills that set you apart in an AI-augmented world? You'll leave with clarity on how to evolve your practice and confidence that your human expertise remains your competitive advantage. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# SCHEDULE 18:00 - Doors open. Drinks & snacks 19.00 - 19.15 - Introduction to UX Belgium Meetup, announcements 19.15 - 19:45 - Talk #1 19:45 -20:15 - BREAK 20:15 - 20:45 - Talk #2 20:45 - 21:30 - Socialize \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# SLACK CHANNEL We have our own UX Belgium slack channel. [Come join us and say hi!](https://join.slack.com/t/ux-belgium/shared_invite/zt-1bjpnuiog-T4Di4flXYPWgbT9KrZ53CA) \*\*\* \#\#\# YOUTUBE CHANNEL All our livestreams and talks are recorded and available on our [UX Belgium youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCno7V18T-EglYXprgrUZQ7A). \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \#\#\# ABOUT UX BELGIUM UX Belgium is a growing community of User Experience (UX) professionals in and around Belgium. Look for these types of events: UX Beers Periodically, we gather at a different agency or venue to drink beers, network and listen to speakers on various themes in the world of UX and digital design. UX Antwerp: Each last Tuesday of the month UX Brussels: Each second Tuesday of the month, 4x per year UX Hasselt: 4x per year UX Workshops Now and then we organize events to dive deeper into specific skills and techniques in UX. These are smaller, hands-on workshops designed to boost your UX toolbox. \*\*\* The UX Belgium Meetup Team

Beste Java-ontwikkelaar, We nodigen je graag uit voor een fysieke Java Meetup bij de Belastingdienst over **DDD, Event Storming en Hexagonal Architecture** door Arjen Wassink & Cees van der Velde van Quintor. **Programma:** 17:45 Inloop 18:00 Indonesisch buffet (halal, koosjer & vegetarisch) 19:00 Presentatie **Domain Driven Design / Event Storming** 19:45 Pauze (koffie/thee) 20:15 Presentatie **Hexagonal Architecture** 21:00 Drankjes met hapjes 21:30 Afsluiting De presentaties worden in het Nederlands gegeven. **Betere systemen ontwikkelen met hulp van DDD, Event Storming en Hexagonal Architecture** Je hebt het vast wel eens meegemaakt dat je een software systeem onder handen krijgt die niet makkelijk te onderhouden, upgraden of uit te breiden is. Iedere aanpassing lijkt exponentieel veel tijd te vergen. Er kunnen verschillende oorzaken hiervoor zijn, maar vaak zie je dat er te veel afhankelijkheden in de sourcecode zijn, verantwoordelijkheden niet goed belegd zijn of het systeem niet goed aansluit op de werkelijkheid. In deze sessie gaan we in op hoe DDD, Event Storming en Hexagonal Architecture ons kan helpen deze punten te verbeteren aan de hand van een concrete casus, diagrammen en sourcecode. Zo gaan we in op: * hoe Event Storming kan helpen de brug te slaan tussen de ‘business’ en developers, zodat een systeem aansluit op de werkelijkheid * DDD artefacten input leveren voor het bepalen van een systeemarchitectuur met duidelijke verantwoordelijkheden en afhankelijkheden * Hexagonal Architecture handvatten biedt voor een software architectuur met minder functionele- en technisch afhankelijkheden Mis deze inspirerende kennissessie niet en ontdek hoe je jouw softwareprojecten toekomstbestendiger maakt! **Arjen Wassink** Arjen is een architect bij Quintor met 25 jaar ervaring in het bouwen, onderhouden en doorontwikkelen van verschillende soorten systemen met Java technologie. Met zijn brede techniek en vakmanschap interesse is hij instaat enterprise architecturen te vertalen naar systeem- en software architecturen, en werkwijzen die werken. Hiernaast verzorgt hij een minor cloud-native software development aan de Hogeschool Utrecht waarin hij nieuwe vakgenoten leert professioneel software te ontwikkelen voor de cloud. **Cees van der Velde** Cees is een ervaren business- en informatieanalist bij Quintor met een passie voor techniek. Zijn kracht ligt in het helder krijgen en begrijpen van vraagstukken en deze te vertalen naar een concrete oplossingen die aansluiten bij de behoeften van developers, zodat effectief het juiste systeem gebouwd wordt. **Deelname:** Deelname is gratis. **Locatie:** Belastingdienst Stationsplein 50 (naast het bus- en NS-station) 7311 NZ Apeldoorn **Opmerkingen:** * Vergeet uw paspoort of identiteitskaart niet mee te nemen. * Registreer met dezelfde achternaam als op uw paspoort of identiteitskaart. * Geef eventuele dieetwensen door, anders dan halal, koosjer en vegetarisch. * Wij raden u aan om met het openbaar vervoer of de fiets te komen. * Er zijn 30 parkeerplaatsen onder ons kantoor, navigatieadres Sophialaan 22 - 7311 PD Apeldoorn. * Overige parkeermogelijkheden: 1. Parkeergarage Haven-Centrum, navigatieadres: Korte Molenstraat 2 Apeldoorn, 2. P+R, Laan van de Mensenrechten Apeldoorn.

**3D Workshop** * **Ontwerpen met Fusion360** * **Scannen in 3D** * **Het gebruik van 3D printers** **Je bent nu welkom in de nieuwe locatie NewTechPark** Je kunt ook online aan deze fysieke bijeenkomst deelnemen. De bijeenkomst is dan op de locatie te volgen. Als je [hier](w.j.put@hccnet.nl) vooraf een mailtje stuurt kun je dinsdagavond tussen 19.00 en 20.00 uur inloggen met Jitsi voor vragen, of ter kennismaking met hcc!3D. Online neem je deel aan de bijeenkomst met [https://wij.hcc.nl/3D](https://wij.hcc.nl/3D) [(Alleen toegang als je zichtbaar bent met voor- en achternaam. )](https://wij.hcc.nl/3d)

Every Tuesday, the group 024 Waalrunners goes for a run at a distance of between 5km - 10km. Everyone is welcome to join, you just need to turn up at 20:00 on Tuesday in front of Cafe De Hemel. There are different routes every time, and the group welcomes all new people to join them. After the run we usually stay for a drink at De Hemel. https://waalrunners.activedates.nl https://chat.whatsapp.com/CRXG7x9HQUw4Q1qCrNzXn4?mode=ems_copy_t https://www.facebook.com/024waalrunners-710731759317504

Taucht ein in die Welt von GitOps! Euch erwarten zwei spannende Vorträge rund um FluxCD in der Praxis. Christian Fritz teilt seine Erfahrungen aus zwei Jahren produktivem GitOps-Einsatz – von Erfolgen bis zu Stolpersteinen. Thorsten Wussow zeigt live, wie Progressive Deployments mit Flagger und Istio für sichere und hochverfügbare Kubernetes-Deployments sorgen. Perfekt für alle, die GitOps evaluieren oder ihre bestehenden Setups optimieren möchten! **Dieses Meetup wird ausnahmsweise auf Deutsch sein und HYBRID\. \|** Zoom Link wird ein paar Tage vor dem Event in Meetup zu Verfügung gestellt. **\*\*\* AGENDA \*\*\*** * 18:30–19:00 Uhr \| Einlass mit Snacks und Getränken\. * 19:00 Uhr \| Begrüßung und Einführung \- Start des hybriden Meetups 19:05 Uhr \| GitOps Adventures aus der Praxis: Lessons Learned \- Zwei Jahre GitOps mit FluxCD in Produktion von Christian Fritz \(QAware GmbH\) ca\. 20:05 Uhr \| Flux mit Flagger und Istio \- Progressive Kubernetes Deployments von Thorsten Wussow \(Slix GmbH\) Anschließend: Weitere Snacks und Getränke und viel Zeit zum Networking mit allen Teilnehmern und Referenten. **\*\*\* ABSTRACTS \*\*\*** **GitOps Adventures aus der Praxis: Lessons Learned - Zwei Jahre GitOps mit FluxCD in Produktion von Christian Fritz (QAware GmbH)** Diese Etappe des GitOps Adventures erzählt aus dem wahren Leben: Seit zwei Jahren arbeite ich in einem Projekt, das schon zu diesem Zeitpunkt auf GitOps mit FluxCD setzte. In diesem Vortrag zeige ich unser aktuelles GitOps Setup und wie neue Features über unsere drei Stages in die Produktion gelangen. Dabei zeige ich die Vorteile wie bessere Reproduzierbarkeit und Effizienz, gehe aber auch auf Herausforderungen und Nachteile ein: von komplexen Fehleranalysen bis hin zu organisatorischen Stolpersteinen. Außerdem gebe ich einen Ausblick, wo wir noch Verbesserungspotenzial sehen. Dieser ehrliche Erfahrungsbericht bietet praktische Einblicke und Learnings für alle, die GitOps evaluieren oder weiterentwickeln wollen. **Flux mit Flagger und Istio - Progressive Kubernetes Deployments von Thorsten Wussow (Slix GmbH)** Heutzutage ist eine hohe Erreichbarkeit von Applikationen essentiell, auch bei einem Wechsel auf eine neue Version. Ebenso gibt es eine hohe Kadenz der Bereitstellungen. Dies birgt immer das Risiko, das sich Fehler in der neuen Version einschleichen, oder Ausfälle der Software während der Bereitstellung auftreten. Eine Möglichkeit das Risiko zu minimieren ist das Verwenden von verschiedenen Deploymentstrategien wie z.B. Blue/Green Deployments, Canary-Deployments oder A/B-Testing. Ein Tool das uns hier sehr gut unterstützen kann ist Flagger. In diesem Vortrag wird anhand von Live-Demos gezeigt wie mit Flagger im Zusammenspiel mit Flux, Istio (oder einem anderen ServiceMesh) oder einem IngressController diese Deploymentstrategien umgesetzt werden können. Auch werden die Unterschiede zwischen Canary Deployments, A/B Testing, Blue/Green Deployment und weiteren Strategien erläutert und wann man welche Methode verwenden kann. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* Während unserer Meetups werden Fotos aufgenommen. Falls du nicht auf den Fotos erscheinen möchtest, sprich bitte zu Beginn der Veranstaltung mit unserem Meetup Team.

Onze meetups zijn speciaal voor testers die verder willen kijken dan alleen scripts schrijven. De talks zijn door testers, voor testers. Interactief, laagdrempelig en gezellig. We doen niet aan basisintro's of verkooppraatjes maar gaan voor scherpe inhoud (én lekker eten en drinken :-)). *[let op: aanmelden op deze pagina https://heeyoo.nl/blog/qa-meetup-utrecht-25-feb/ of email thomas.wattel@heeyoo.nl]* Deze avond wederom twee uiteenlopende talks op de agenda, hieronder beide talks iets verder uitgewerkt: Talk 1: **Van functioneel naar performance testen binnen je team** Performanceproblemen komen vaak pas laat aan het licht. In de testfase, of nog vervelender: in productie. Terwijl je als tester al veel eerder signalen kunt oppikken. In deze talk laat Nico zien hoe je de stap maakt van puur functioneel testen naar performance testen. We kijken naar hoe je bestaande geautomatiseerde testen kunt inzetten om performance inzichtelijk te maken. Wat kun je realistisch automatiseren? Waar ligt de grens? En hoe zorg je dat performance echt onderdeel wordt van het werk van het ontwikkelteam zelf? Praktisch, herkenbaar en gericht op ownership. Concrete handvatten om performance structureel mee te nemen in je dagelijkse testwerk. Talk 2: **Testautomation in een microservice architectuur: uitdagingen en oplossingen** Microservices beloven snelheid en flexibiliteit, maar maken testautomation er niet per se eenvoudiger op. Waar test je precies? Op welk niveau? En hoe voorkom je dat je test suite net zo complex wordt als je landschap? In deze talk duikt Erik in het toepassen van testautomation binnen een microservice architectuur. Wat zijn de meest voorkomende uitdagingen zoals afhankelijkheden tussen services, testdata en het behouden van vertrouwen in je tests. Geen ideale wereld, maar een talk met oplossingen en praktijkvoorbeelden. Vragen waar we mee aan de slag gaan: Wat gaat vaak mis? Welke keuzes helpen juist? En hoe zorg je dat je teststrategie meegroeit met je architectuur in plaats van erachteraan loopt? **Tijdstip:** Inloop vanaf 17:00u, start om 18:00u en we ronden af om 21:00u **Locatie:** Newtonlaan 201. Er is ruim voldoende parkeergelegenheid in de garage vanaf 16:00u. **Aanmelden:** Meld je aan op deze pagina https://heeyoo.nl/blog/qa-meetup-utrecht-25-feb/ of email thomas.wattel@heeyoo.nl

Hi✋ At[ Data Tribes ](https://www.datatribes.nl/)we organise Meetups because we truly care about sharing knowledge both inside and outside the organisation. We believe that it is beneficial to us and to the market as a whole to connect, create, learn and grow together! **The agenda** // Doors open 6.00pm // Drinks and Pizza’s 6.30pm // Start presentations 7.00pm **Henk van der Valk:** "Optimizing the Azure cloud?" ***Who really cares about Cost & Co2?*** // Start networking 9.00pm // End Meetup 9.30pm Greetings, Data Tribes Inc.

** ABOUT OUR WATERCOLOR PAINTING PARTY / AMERSFOORT** Amersfoort - Utrecht Province / Center of the City / Easy access from train station. Create your very own **portrait, animals, landscape, or figurative** masterpiece in only **2.5 HOURS using watercolor and our secret mixed media techniques!.** This session is not about perfection; it is about capturing emotions and personal expression. **No experience required** **\- trust us\!** our professional artist will guide you step-by-step through this unique self-portrait journey. You can look forward to a fun and exciting evening with other participants, **so it doesn't matter if you want to come with friends or alone - you are very welcome!** This is the perfect after-work or weekend activity where you'll unleash your creativity while creating something deeply personal. You will create a portrait combining painting, drawing, and creative techniques to bring your unique vision to life. When finished, you'll take home your newly created self-portrait artwork to cherish or share with loved ones. Each participant will have pencils, colored pencils, watercolor, acrylic/gouache paints, and a surface. You'll work from an image we will bring. **️ READY TO HAVE FUN?** Get your Ticket and book your seat **✨[HERE](https://buymeacoffee.com/artloversclub/e/430555) ✨** **Questions?** Speak with a member of the team in **[WHATSAPP HERE](https://chat.whatsapp.com/J3Y5yeWUhvbJM98bqty2WP) ** .................................... ** WHAT'S INCLUDED?** All supplies included **2.5-HOUR [TICKET SESSION](https://buymeacoffee.com/artloversclub/e/430555)** ️ **EXTRA BONUS:** **FREE TICKET**️ to participate in our Drawing and Painting Cafes in Amersfoort or Our Online Still-Life sessions if you live far away. New friendships and Conversations Freedom to work at your own pace **English tutored activity** (And of course, you can speak in your local language with your friends!) ⭐ No experience needed **️ BOOK YOUR SEAT IN ADVANCE ✨[HERE](https://buymeacoffee.com/artloversclub/e/430555) ✨!** **Questions?** Speak with a member of the team in **[WHATSAPP](https://chat.whatsapp.com/J3Y5yeWUhvbJM98bqty2WP) ** ** 2026 CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:** First Sunday or every month from 11.00 AM - 1:30 PM. .................................... **️ ART LOVERS CLUB / ABOUT US** **ART LOVERS CLUB** is a community where art enthusiasts come together to explore their creativity and connect with new buddies through various events and sessions ( In-Person and Online) . Whether you're a seasoned artist or just starting, we have something for everyone!⭐ To share with you more about what we do, you can see here the overall atmosphere of our events in Amersfoort and also follow us if you want⭐: **[https://www.instagram.com/art_lovers_social_club](https://www.instagram.com/art_lovers_social_club)** **Questions?** Speak with a member of the team in **[WHATSAPP](https://chat.whatsapp.com/J3Y5yeWUhvbJM98bqty2WP) ** ** 2025 CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:** First Sunday or every month from 11.00 AM - 1:30 PM. **See you soon. We are looking forward to painting and having Fun Together! ‍‍‍‍**

Donderdag **26 februari 2026** is het weer tijd voor onze **Techday**: hét vaste moment waarop we kennis delen, elkaar inspireren en nieuwe ideeën direct in de praktijk brengen. Deze editie komt een spreker van Onyx langs. Onyx is gespecialiseerd in cybersecurity. Tijdens deze techday worden theorie, praktijk en nabespreking gecombineerd met directe toepasbaarheid in jullie dagelijkse werkzaamheden. Tijdens de Techday duiken we hands-on in veelvoorkomende kwetsbaarheden en misconfiguraties binnen moderne softwareontwikkeling. Theorie, demo’s en realistische scenario’s wisselen elkaar af. Met de interactieve CTF‑opdrachten leer je niet alleen hoe deze problemen ontstaan en misbruikt worden, maar vooral hoe je ze direct kunt toepassen en voorkomen in je dagelijkse werk. **Wanneer:** Donderdag 26 februari 2026 **Wat:** Cybersecurity in de Praktijk: Hands-on met Onyx **Voor wie:** Iedereen die nieuwsgierig is en wil leren **Agenda** 14:45 - 15:00 - Inloop 15:00 - 18:00 - Opening en introductie Praktijkvoorbeelden: Wat zijn wij in het echt tegengekomen Security misconfiguration: Gezamelijke spot-de-fout met code-snippets CTF opdrachten 18:00 - 19:00 - Eten en napraten We zien je graag op de Techday!

**ArnhemJUG** We are excited to announce the second meetup of 2026. OpenValue Arnhem is once again hosting us for the February meetup! **Agenda** * 17:00 CET walk-in * 17:30 – 18:30 Food and drinks * 18:30 – 19:30 talk: **Catching the 137-Killer: A Java Memory Forensics Investigation** by **Martijn Dashorst** * 19:30 – 19:45 break * 19:45 – 20:45 talk: **Building AI Agent Platforms: Architecture, Communication, and Standards** by **Pascal Wilbrink** * 20:45 – 21:30 drinks **Catching the 137-Killer: A Java Memory Forensics Investigation** Your Java application is running smoothly, blissfully unaware of the danger lurking just around the corner. Then—without warning—it vanishes without a trace. Upon investigation, you discover the virtual remains of countless slain JVMs, each marked with the same cryptic number: 137. A serial killer is on the loose in your cluster. This true crime investigation will walk you through the differences between JVM memory areas, the mechanics of container OOMKills, analysing Grafana dashboards for memory and thread anomalies, interpreting heap dumps, and utilising JVM Native Memory Tracking (NMT) to uncover hidden native memory consumption. You’ll master practical forensic techniques and proven prevention strategies—from memory tuning tactics and balancing heap vs. non-heap allocations to leveraging large language models (LLMs) for advanced forensic analysis. These skills will help ensure your applications stay alive—even when something’s out to get them. Just like in a real murder mystery, we may not know whodunnit... but with Martijn Dashorst leading the investigation, you're sure to get closer to the truth. **About Martijn Dashorst** My Java experience is finally old enough to drive, vote and drink a beer (not all at once). One of the remaining Eclipse users, loves Java, relationship with Maven is complicated. Martijn Dashorst has worked since 2004 at Topicus and has used Java since 2002. Loves server-side Java. You might know him from Apache Wicket—he's dabbled somewhat in that framework. Loves his family and cats, finds Douglas Adams' description of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation's technology very apt to the current technology landscape. **Building AI Agent Platforms: Architecture, Communication, and Standards** AI systems evolve from standalone models into connected, agent-based ecosystems, new architectural patterns, protocols, and standards are emerging. Concepts such as AGUI, A2A, A2UI, and MCP-based applications are changing how intelligent systems are designed and integrated. This presentation explains how these approaches affect system structure, responsibilities, and interoperability. Using architectural diagrams, it shows how AI agent applications communicate and collaborate through standardized interfaces, and provides guidance on building scalable and maintainable AI platforms. **About Pascal Wilbrink** Pascal is a senior software engineer at OpenValue with over a decade of experience and a strong interest in applied AI and intelligent automation. He enjoys exploring how technology can make developers’ lives easier and software more resilient. When he’s not experimenting with new ideas or building open-source tools, Pascal likes to learn by doing and turning complex problems into practical solutions.

Join us for a fun Saturday evening starting with dinner at Ranchero Kitchen at 6:30 PM, where we’ll be supporting an immigrant-owned local business. Pupusas: Beans, Potatoes, Veggie Homemade juices: Passionfruit, Tamarind, Horchata, Pineapple-cashew After dinner, we’ll head to Skate Zone 71 from 8:00–10:30 PM for skating, music, and good vibes. Come hungry and ready to roll! Locations: Ranchero Kitchen 984 Morse Rd Columbus, OH 43229 (Same plaza as Ohio BMV license bureau) Skate Zone 71 4900 Evanswood Dr Columbus, OH 43229

Join us as we get together to get together to help those in need at this CMG Gives Back event! For this event, we’ll help prepare food, serve meals, assist residents, wash dishes and clean surfaces at Fath Mission – Grant Kitchen. We have a great little community of Movie Group friends so rather than see a movie this time, we’ll help “Create a better world” by helping serve those in need. Here are complete details and our plan for this event: FAITH MISSION – GRANT KITCHEN: The Faith Mission kitchen and dining room serves residents 3 meals a day, every day of the year. Our group will help prepare food, serve meals, assist residents in the dining room, wash dishes, and clean surfaces. PLAN: We will be preparing / serving / cleaning for BRUNCH from 10:30am to 12:30pm and have space for a total of 7 volunteers. Please arrive at 10:15am and wear closed-toe shoes and long pants. LOCATION: Faith Mission – Grant Kitchen is located at 245 N. Grant Ave. Enter the kitchen at Dock 1, indicated in the attached map. On-site and street parking are available in the surrounding area. Below are some links / attachments with additional info/details: \* LSS Volunteer Guidelines: Uploaded to photos. \* Parking Map Info: Uploaded to photos. \* LSS Faith Mission Orientation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp46_6ay6iA \* Link with Additional Details / Info: https://lss.vomo.org/opportunity/faith-mission-grant-kitchen-2025 IMPORTANT REMINDER: Our group will be providing the all of the volunteers on this day so a firm RSVP count is essential. Please only sign up if you are certain you’ll be able to attend. If something unavoidable comes up, please update your RSVP no later than one week prior to the event. With very few exceptions, no shows or cancelations within 1 week of the event will not be eligible for future CMG Gives Back events. I appreciate your understanding as we try to ensure the agencies have the volunteers needed to provide the essential services they provide to the vulnerable population they serve. THANK YOU: This CMG Gives Back event provides an opportunity for YOU to get involved in helping others! Benefits go well beyond the help we give to others. Volunteering provides a wide range of personal benefits, including positive effects on mental and physical health, reduced stress/depression/anxiety, increased happiness and improved purpose, life-satisfaction and personal well-being! Plus, the opportunity to get involved, connect with others and help those in need. PARTNER AGENCY: This event is hosted by Lutheran Social Services (LSS), which serves thousands of people in need each day in 27 Ohio counties by addressing the four core societal issues of food, shelter, safety and healing. LSS offers food through the LSS Food Pantries, housing and supportive services through LSS Faith Mission and LSS Faith Mission of Fairfield County homeless shelters, domestic violence services through LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence, senior living and health care, affordable housing communities, and other services that uplift families and strengthen communities. Look forward to seeing you there, Dan

Our next much-awaited **COLUMBUS** meetup is **Tuesday February 24 from 7-10 pm at ACE OF CUPS**. Meet patients, cultivators, processors, dispensary managers/staff, physicians, home growers, educators, activists, nonprofits, artists, attorneys, business owners, writers, students, and supporters to network, share our knowledge, collaborate, support each other and make new friends! WE HOPE TO BE COLLECTING SIGNATURES TO OVERTURN SB56. BRING YOUR FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES AND FAMILY MEMBERS TO JOIN US AND SIGN! Hope you will be there too! Save the date and pass the word. **Please RSVP** so we know who is coming and how many to expect. Find us to say hi and we will introduce you to others. We should be easy to spot. (The happy-looking group wearing cool nametags! See photos from our past events.) Sign in, grab a name tag, start your own bar/food tab, meet old friends and make new ones! Everyone is welcome. SEE YOU THERE!

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. If the weather cooperates we will be meeting in the patio. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who want to discuss international travel and culture, and anyone who enjoys getting together for good conversations."

**Back By Popular Request!** Once you have spent an evening in the studio, you need some refreshments. Join us at Local Cantina in Bridge Park to recharge your energy! **Meeting Schedule:** 1. 7:10 - Chips and Salsa

Coffee and conversation at [Stauf's Coffee Roasters](https://www.staufs.com/) in German Village. Street parking is free on Sundays.