The Danny Cox Big Birthday Bash will be at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, 701 N 94th St., KCK, July 18, 5-9 pm. The bash is to help raise money to rebuild the Cox home and acknowledge the work of the Kansas City, KS firefighters and the Red Cross. A raffle to raise funds will be held with the goal of $10,000 from donations and selling of raffle tickets. With Cox, Ida McBeth and Friends, and Fast Guitar Johnny Ricker will perform. Download a free ticket at www.kansascitymusic.com or call 913-681-5706 for more information.

Through Sept. 14 any donation sent to Bridging the Gap marked with "All At Once" will be matched by The Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation. Musician Jack Johnson, also a leading environmentalist, formed All At Once. When Johnson tours he seeks out green performance venues and supports local environmental groups. Johnson will be playing the Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone Aug. 15, and has partnered with Bridging the Gap. For more information, call 816-561-1061, ext. 119 or visit www.AllAtOnce.org.

Free Wi-Fi Internet service has been available at the Power & Light District since March. The free service is available primarily in the entertainment district's public space and outdoor eating areas, bounded by 12th Street to the north, Truman Road to the south, Baltimore Avenue to the east and Grand Boulevard to the west.

The Lied Center of Kansas has partnered with Apple to produce and provide special Lied Center iTunes cards with 20 free songs to download by the artists from the 2008-09 season. Featured artists include Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass and the Turtle Island String Quartet. The iTune cards are available at the Lied Center Ticket Office in Lawrence. Go to www.lied.ku.edu for more information.

Solar power lighting has been installed in shelters at Spring Valley Park, E 27th St. & Woodland, and Platte Purchase Park, NW 100 St. & Platte Purchase Dr. by the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department. One 225-watt solar panel in each shelter powers two energy saving compact fluorescents from dawn to dusk.

In February the Missouri Bicycle Federation released its "Vision of Active Transportation in Missouri." The document listed a number of goals envisioned by the group including doubling the number of people walking, bicycling and using mass transit in the state, decreasing bicycle and pedestrian crash rates, create a state bicycling map and expanding the Katy Trail. For more information, go to http://MoBikeFed.org.

The organization Ducks Unlimited said it is estimated that Missouri has lost 87 percent of its wetlands. Wetlands help control flooding as the are "natural transitions that occur between rivers and the landscape surrounding them." Ducks Unlimited seeks to conserve wetlands. For more information, visit www.ducks.org.

The Missouri Association for Social Welfare has applauded the Missouri congressional delegation for its support of the 2008 Farm Bill with its nutrition provisions through the Food Stamp Program, Emergency Food Assistance Program and free fresh fruit and vegetable snack program. MASW estimates that some 216,000 additional low-income Missourians will be helped. For more information, go to www.masw.org.

Donations to KU's Audio Reader, a reading service for the blind and visually impaired, which includes CDs and other sound gadgets, can be made through July 31 in Lawrence at Audio Reader, 1120 W 11th St., Kief's AudioVideo, 2429 Iowa, Sears, 2727 Iowa, Express Wireless, 2131 SW Fairlawn Plaza Dr. in Topeka or KCUR in Kansas City, MO at 4825 Troost, Ste. 202. For more information on Audio Reader, call 800-772-8898.

Kansas City Organics has opened its organic food market every Saturday through Oct. 11 at Minor Park near 111th & Holmes. Offered are fresh picked, locally grown produce, natural specialty meats, honey, edible flowers, herbs, grains, artisan breads and pies, eggs, fresh brewed "fair trade" coffee and more. For more information, call 816-444-3663 or visit www.kcorganics.com.

The Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City Hotline is available through Oct. 31. Master Gardeners are available to answer your gardening questions. The Hotline is available Mon.-Fri., 9 am to 3 PM Call 816-833-TREE (8733).

ONGOING RESOURCES

The Mid-America Regional Council has launched a web site to allow people with little or no health insurance, social service agencies and health care providers to easily access information about free or low-cost health care services in the Kansas City region. A complimentary booklet, the Health Resource Guide, is also available. For more information, go to www.kchealthresource.org or www.marc.org/healthinitiative.

If you're having trouble making your mortgage payments, visit www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/foreclosure/default.htm for a list of resources to help keep your home.

One-half of all new HIV infections are estimated to be among people under the age of 25; one-fourth in people under 21. The Kansas City Free Health Clinic, 3515 Broadway, is making it easier and more comfortable for those under 25 to get an HIV test at the clinic. On Mondays nights the youth-friendly The City (Counseling, Information & Testing for Youth) staff will be on hand from 5 to 8 PM for the FREE walk-in rapid HIV test, which takes 20 minutes. For more information, visit www.kcfree.org.

Yes, the government can do some things right. USA.gov's link to the Cheapest Gas Prices can be found at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/gasprices/states/index.shtml.

Many Jackson County women may be eligible for free breast and cervical cancer screenings through the Missouri Show Me Healthy Women program. Income and age guidelines to qualify. Call 1-800-422-6237 and select option 1, or call 816-858-3740 or visit www.dhss.mo.gov/BreastCervCancer/Eligibility.html.

Consumer Recall information on toys, cars and other products can be found at www.recalls.gov.

Developed by the Mid-America Regional Council and partially funded by the Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources, www.RecycleSpot.org is the one-stop spot to find recycling information for the entire Kansas City area. For a limited time, residents can get a Free Safe Alternatives Kit by going to the web site and taking a survey about hazardous household products.