If you're interested in Film Cluster activities, please email Nina Hess. See you at the movies!

If you would like to be added to the Book Club list or want more information, please email Taline Manassian.

If you would like to help plan events for the Cultural or Public Policy Clusters, please email the Future Forum.

The Future Forum serves as a nexus for Austin's leaders. Our members are actively engaged in many organizations. We encourage you to find out more about these Doers and Builders on our website.

Storytime Connection, a project of Austin Public Library, provides literacy programs to Austin childcare centers that might otherwise not have access to library Storytimes. For more infomation about Storytime Connection, please visit www.ci.austin.tx.us/library. Our volunteers provide weekly Storytime sessions to toddler or preschool children at assigned child care centers for a ten to twelve week period. The Austin Public Library provides training and Storytime kits that contain all materials necessary for a great Storytime: books, puppets, props, songs and finger play. Volunteers may also enhance the presentation with their own creativity. Storytime services are dependent on volunteers! We have many childcare centers waiting for Storytimes but do not have the volunteers to meet the needs. Because Storytimes and literature programs help children get ready to learn and read, this program will be important for these young children for a lifetime!

The Austin Public Library offers a variety of volunteer opportunities. Please visit the Library's website for application and to learn more about volunteering at any of our branches, Austin History Center, Friends Bookstore or offsite locations.

August 27, 2008, would have been the 100th birthday of President Johnson. The LBJ Centennial celebration will pay tribute to the LBJ Legacy, which we all know was indeed larger than life! The LBJ Library and Museum, LBJ School of Public Affairs, LBJ State Park, LBJ National Park, LBJ Foundation, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and Texas State University have joined forces to make the Centennial a spectacular year of programs, parties, and other events to celebrate the man and his impact on Texas, the United States, and the world. For more information and a comprehensive calendar of events (including those below), please visit www.LBJ100.org.

Join us in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! On January 20 (actually the day before MLK Day), the LBJ Library will host an afternoon gospel choir performance featuring the U.T. Innervisions Choir. The concert will be held in the Great Hall at the Library beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Honoring the life and legacy of former congresswoman and LBJ professor Barbara Jordan, the 12th annual Barbara Jordan National Forum on Public Policy (BJNF) will engage scholars, policy practitioners and business and community leaders in dialogue on contemporary public policy issues on February 21. The one-day forum will present panel discussions on contemporary civil rights and ethical issues as well as a keynote address from Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. The Barbara Jordan National Forum is a student-led initiative at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. For more information, please visit the BJNF website.

Save the date for the LBJ 100 bike ride in the Texas Hill Country on April 26. The LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour is hosted by the Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club in conjunction with the National Park Service, the Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson Historical Park and the Western National Park Association. The tour brings people from all over Texas to enjoy a day of riding and friendship in the scenic Hill Country to celebrate the can-do spirit of Lyndon B. Johnson. The rides include 10, 31, and 45 mile loops as well as a 100 kilometer (62 mile) metric century. For more information and to register, visit www.hcbtc.org/lbj100.

On December 5, members of the Future Forum enjoyed a sneak preview of the new movie The Kite Runner, based on Khaled Hosseini's best-selling book by the same name. The Kite Runner has been deemed "one of the year's best films" by Vanity Fair and a "magnificent film" by Roger Ebert. It tells the compelling story of two childhood friends, Amir and Hassan, torn apart in a divided country on the verge of war. Following the film, members discussed it and the questions it brought up over coffee.

For more information on exhibits, the Storytime schedule, and Library hours, please visit www.lbjlib.utexas.edu.

Join us as we celebrate the future of Austin! The 10th Annual Austin Under 40 Gala will be held on March 7, 2008 at the newly renovated Austin Music Hall. This annual event honors individuals in the Austin community who consistently demonstrate excellence in their profession, as well as leadership, commitment, and service to the community.

An award is given for each of the following categories: Arts/Entertainment, Business/Entrepreneurship, Community Service, Financial Services, Government/Public Affairs, Legal, Medical/Health Care, Real Estate, Technology/Sciences, and Youth/Education.

Want to nominate someone? Visit www.austinunder40.org/nominations to submit a nomination and learn how the process works. The deadline is for nominations is January 23, so please have yours in before then. Additionally, you can view a list of past winners by looking under the "About Us" section at www.austinunder40.org.

Thank you for your continued involvement in, and support of, the Future Forum.

Sincerely,