The Film Cluster will meet on Wednesday, May 7 to watch Young at Heart at the Alamo South Lamar. Please meet our group in the lobby at 6:45 p.m. Read more about the documentary on our website. If you're interested in Film Cluster activities or have any questions, please contact Nina Hess.

The Book Club will be reading John Steinbeck for our May 28 meeting. We chose Steinbeck because LBJ knew Steinbeck personally and because LBJ spent much of his life dealing with the issues portrayed in Steinbeck's works. We hope that by reading Steinbeck, we can learn more about the era in which LBJ lived and how that era may have shaped LBJ and the issues he tackled. Rather than assign a particular book, we thought it would be fun to let you choose. Read whichever of Steinbeck's books grabs you, and come to the meeting ready to talk about the societal issues presented in that work. Please join us on Wednesday, May 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Mozart's! If you would like to be added to the Book Club list or want more information, please email Taline Manassian.

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.

The Austin Film Society promotes the appreciation of film and supports creative filmmaking. The Austin Film Society:

• exhibits rarely seen films
• provides fiscal sponsorship for film projects
• administers the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund
• manages Austin Studios (a 20 acre film production facility) in partnership with the City of Austin

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, LBJ Museum in San Marcos, 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.

We have a full calendar of events celebrating LBJ this month. We have listed a sampling below - please visit the Centennial Calendar for all the details!

• Every Saturday: Nature and Wildlife Guided Tours at the LBJ State Park
• May 2: Former Senator Tom Daschle speaks about Confronting America's Health Care Crisis at the LBJ Library
• May 3-4: First Annual Texas Bison Festival at the LBJ State Park
• May 17: Vernon Jordan to deliver the commencement address at the LBJ School of Public Affairs
• May 17: 1960s Barbeque on the banks of the Pedernales
• May 17-19: Texas Natural Weekend at the LBJ Museum in San Marcos
• May 19-22: Centennial Celebrations in Washington, D.C.

The Public Policy Cluster held a dinner with MLB.com host and former Major Leaguer Brian McRae last month to talk about the prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs in sports today. Brian shared insight into what's happening in clubhouses across America and what should be done, if anything, to curb usage.

On March 5, the Future Forum and the Center for Politics and Governance hosted a dynamic panel discussion on the upcoming presidential election. Dan Bartlett, Matthew Dowd, Thomas Mann, and Wayne Slater shared their thoughts on campaign strategies, trends, and the potential outcomes. If you missed it, you can view the webcast online!

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

Austin Film Society announces call for entries for 2008 Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund. From now until June 2, the Austin Film Society will be accepting applications for the 2008 Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund (TFPF). This year, AFS will give out at least $100,000 to emerging film and video artists in Texas, in cash grants up to $25,000, as well as Kodak film stock and in-kind services from Seattle-based Alpha Cine Labs, a new sponsor of TFPF. Filmmakers who have resided in Texas for at least one year are eligible to request up to $25,000 in production, post-production and distribution funds for their projects. The 2008 TFPF application is now available for download on the AFS Web site. AFS will host free workshops in April and May in a number of Texas cities to give tips on how to apply to the Fund and answer questions. For venues, times, and more information, please refer to the AFS website.

Join Team Ford and Teagan's Hope and walk with the March of Dimes on May 10th at 10 a.m.
See Rob and Elizabeth Fitzgerald's inspirational story below:

On September 28th, 2006 our son Richard Ford Fitzgerald was born at 28 weeks weighing just over half a pound and lived for under an hour due to growth restriction and other complications.

In September of 2007, we lost our second son, Teagan Moss Fitzgerald, at almost 15 weeks under similar circumstances.
Unfortunately, in February 2008, we lost another baby, our third child, from an early miscarriage at just over seven weeks due to a rare genetic abnormality called "Turner's Syndrome".

We formed the Ford's and Teagan's Hope March for Babies team to raise money for the March of Dimes to honor Ford, Teagan and all other babies who have died. Ford's and Teagan's Hope is that all babies will be given their 9 months and born healthy and happy.

Please join us in this important endeavor. We hope you can be with us on walk day to honor Ford and Teagan. It is very important to us to remember them with all our friends and family. Last year we raised over $13,000 and were the #1 family team in Austin and the #6 team in the State of Texas!!
The money we raise helps fund research to help make sure all babies are born healthy and happy! Can you think of anything more important than the health of our babies?

Even if you can't join us in person, please donate to our team. It's fast, easy and secure. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and family; the more the merrier! Encourage your company & your fellow employees to participate and check to see if your company matches your donations. Please join Ford's and Teagan's Hope today! http://theteamfitzgerald.com/fitzfest-directions/

Join us Saturday, May 3 for the Fox 7 SHOES4KIDS 5K & KICKS4KIDS 1K benefiting Shoes for Austin. The Fun Run will begin at 8:00 a.m. at "the Green" at La Frontera in Round Rock, Texas. The Kid's 1K will begin at 9:00 a.m. Over the last eight years, with the help of our sponsors and friends, the SHOES4KIDS 5K has become an eagerly anticipated event that attracts runners/ walkers and their families from all over the greater Austin/ Round Rock area. Every $25 entry fee buys a new, brand name pair of athletic shoes for a deserving child working hard to complete fitness goals such as completing a 5K race or learning new sport skills.

Don't miss the fun! Visit the Shoes for Austin website, www.shoesforaustin.org to register today.

Are our students getting the right degrees and the right skills to play the role that they want to in our future economy? On May 6, Leadership Austin's Engage Speaker Series examines the topic of The Future of Higher Education in Texas and its effect on the Central Texas Community. Come and listen as Susan Dawson, Executive Director of the E3 Alliance, Greg Hartman, Senior Vice President, University Medical Center at Brackenridge Hospital and moderator Jim Walker of the Central Texas Sustainability Indicators Project explore the issues surrounding the educational pipeline of Texas. Join us at Chez Zee restaurant, Tuesday, May 6 for breakfast, networking and spirited dialogue from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Tickets are $25 ($20 for members of the Essential Class Alumni Association), and can be purchased online at the Leadership Austin website.

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

Sincerely,