The Mill Valley City Council made the creation of a new Volunteer Coordinator position within Mill Valley Recreation as one of its 11 "priority projects" for this year, and City officials aren't wasting any time in making that happen.

The City is on the hunt for someone to oversee and coordinate a City-wide volunteer program, a role that local leaders have long suggested was much-needed in town given the array of volunteer opportunities available among City departments and the myriad local nonprofit organizations.

To fill the role, the City seeks "a self-directed problem-solver" with "a proven track record of volunteer management and philanthropic experience" to plan, organize and promote "a City-wide volunteer corps to support a wide range of volunteer opportunities," according to the job posting.

MORE INFO HERE.

With Charlie and the von Trapps in the rearview mirror, the Mill Valley Middle School Cabaret has set its sights of a plucky, unflappable little redheaded orphan with a production of Annie, the musical, based on the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie.

The all-ages production, set for March 3-5, features a cast and crew of approximately 100 students who auditioned to be singers, dancers, and actors or who applied to be stage managers, set designers, costume designers, makeup artists, lighting assistants, and sound assistants.​ The musical is directed, produced, and choreographed by a team of creative professionals with the help of student input. There are three school performances for the entire student body, followed by two evening performances and one matinee for the public. 

The Middle School Cabaret was started by the school's music/choral director Jessica Nicholson in the wake of the 2011 retirement of longtime middle school musical director Joan Deamer. In 2015, the Cabaret took on Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, moving on the the classic Sound of Music a year later.

Now the cast and crew is turning its attention to the famous Broadway musical based on Gray's comic strip, in which Annie longs for a life beyond her dreary orphanage. Those dreams become reality when she's chosen to stay for a week at the mansion of the famous billionaire Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks. Annie wins over her benefactor, and one week turns into many more, despite the best efforts of Miss Hannifin, the boozy orphanage matron. The musical's songs "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard Knock Life" have long been regarded as classics.

With music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan, funding for this production of Annie is partially provided by Kiddo!, ticket sales, bake sales, and private donations. This production is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All tickets proceeds go towards the Mill Valley Middle School Drama Department.

The 411: The Mill Valley Middle School Cabaret's production of Annie features three school performances for the entire student body, followed by one evening performance (Friday, March 3, 7:30pm) and two matinees (March 4 and 5, both 1pm) – all three are open to the public. Middle School Gym, 425 Sycamore Ave. Tix $10-$35. Tickets available online or at the door (cash or check only). MORE INFO & TIX.

Equator Coffees & Teas' founders Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell have long been vocal in their support of inclusion and human rights.

So when Sprudge, the digital hub for the coffee industry, began organizing a nationwide campaign to raise funds for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the wake of the executive order banning refugees from the United States and immigration from 7 majority Muslim nations, they reached out to Equator to be one of the key influencers to get on board and spread the word.

They've done just that, and from Feb. 3-5, Equator's two Mill Valley cafes and three others are among the 500-plus cafes around the United States raising money for the ACLU. Equator is accepting ACLU donations at each of its cafes, and is matching the first $500 raised. Other cafes are donating a percentages of sales or hosting special events.

Sprudge compared the executive order to "a hot mug of drip coffee spilled on a crisp white apron," calling the actions "a dark stain on our national conscience, and as Americans, we feel compelled to stand up against them."

The event looks to assist the ACLU, the "non-partisan guardian of liberty, working tirelessly since 1920 to defend the country’s original civic values, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They have no political affiliation or ideological component to their mission. Today they’re defending innocent refugee and immigrant families impacted by the recent executive orders—tomorrow they could be defending you, because they are committed to defending all of us."

"Not all heroes wear capes, but all lawyers need coffee," Sprudge added.

The 411: Equator's cafes at 2 Miller Ave. in downtown Mill Valley, 244 Shoreline Hwy. in Tam Junction, in downtown Larkspur and its two San Francisco cafes downtown and in SOMA, are participating in the Sprudge fundraiser. Here's a map of the cafes participating in this campaign throughout the U.S.:

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

People of a certain age have a lot to process as they get older, from changing appearance and bodily functions to eating problems and sex or lack thereof.

David Roche and Terri Tate, born with a severe facial disfigurement and a survivor of two bouts of oral cancer, respectively, have had a head start on their peers in processing it all – and they're determined to share their humorous perspective to help others do the same.

They're taking that campaign to the O'Hanlon Center for the Arts with 'Getting Old with Roche & Tate,' a Feb. 11 event in which Roche and Tate will share in conversation "their hard-won wisdom" on aging issues. "Come have your deepest questions answered to ease the adjustment and delight in your dotage," Roche says.

Roche was born with a severe facial disfigurement and and has long been a pioneer in disability culture, appearing all over the world, including at the White House and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a comedian, solo performer, actor, filmmaker, author and storytelling coach. He is featured in the National Film Board of Canada's film Shameless, wrote The Church of 80% Sincerity, for which Anne Lamott wrote the foreword, and has embarked on a new culturejamming project, “The David Roche School of Beauty,” which seeks to radically change the world’s standards of beauty.

Roche and his wife Marlena Blavin recently completed Love at Second Sight, an educational video that seeks to transform attitudes about appearance and encourages students to accept themselves and others. The video was shot at the Mill Valley Middle School.

Tate is a speaker, storyteller, and author whose life and voice were threatened by two bouts of oral cancer from which she had a 2 percent chance of survival. But Tate says that her sense of humor was never in danger. Offering customized keynotes, workshops, and webinars, Tate seeks to move audiences to laughter, tears, and standing ovations by her powerful performances. Her memoir, A Crooked Smile, also contains a foreword by Lamott.

The 411: "Getting Old with Roche & Tate" is on February 11, 7-9pm, at the O'Hanlon Center for the Arts, 616 Throckmorton Ave. Tickets are $15, and proceeds benefit O'Hanlon. MORE INFO & TIX.