Two years ago today – January 12, 2010 – the most devastating earthquake in Haiti’s history occurred when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake killed 300,000 people. There are many memorials underway in Haiti no doubt, but here in Indianapolis, 1,700 miles away from Haiti, we have an opportunity to better understand the tragedy and be truly inspired by the international humanitarian response.

Our friends at the Downtown Indy IMAX Theater are debuting Rescue 3D next Monday for audiences participating in the White River State Park free-day in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My family and I will be among the many moviegoers who will receive free admission and free parking on Monday, January 16 with a canned good donation (one can per person) to benefit Gleaners Food Bank.

I had a chance to get a sneak peak at Rescue 3D, which plunges audiences into the hard, but inspiring work of saving lives in the face of a natural disaster. Behind the scenes, the film follows a Canadian naval commander, two pilots, and a volunteer rescue technician as they train for action.

When that earthquake hit Haiti two years ago, it created one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of the century. This amazing film – shown on Indiana’s largest screen – allows the audience to be swept along, joining with the massive effort that brings military and civilian responders and hardware from around the world. Rescue 3D is a journey of real-world disaster and emergency response captured in 3D with unprecedented scale and impact. Come see for yourself.

Plus, in the spirit of helping others, as Dr. King inspired, and as a tribute to first responders everywhere, the Downtown Indy IMAX Theater is partnering with the Indiana Blood Center on January 16. Blood donors will receive free concessions for donating blood. So bring a canned good, see an amazing movie for free, park for free, and donate some blood and eat and drink for free. What a day!

Hope to see you there – at the IMAX Theater in the Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington Street. Show times are 10 a.m., 11:25 a.m., 12:50 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:40 p.m.

For more information about the IMAX Theater, visit www.imaxindy.com.

Indianapolis, like most cities across the country, has its share of “cool” community gems. These are the cultural activities that attract visitors, entertain and teach us, make our communities more vibrant places to live and simply give us reasons to have fun.

One such gem was the setting last Thursday evening, as Borshoff staffers and their families met at the Indianapolis Zoo for our annual summer outing.

Beyond strolls through the tiger forest, exploring the bat den, and glimpses of sea lions, polar bears, ostriches and warthogs, some of us came across some toe-tapping, finger-snapping music, part of the zoo’s summertime series, “Animals & All that Jazz.”

It was great to see the mix of parents and children, couples and jazz enthusiasts listening to great music, enjoying themselves and smiling, despite the sweltering temperatures.

Sitting there bopping my head to the beat made me think about the array of activities Indianapolis offers year round. There are many that my family and I probably would enjoy just as much, but as local residents, we don’t make nearly as much time for as we should.

A quick (and non-scientific) poll of several co-workers the day after the outing yielded a shared vow to take more time to experience all our city has to offer. There are events at Conseco and the Fairgrounds. There are movies and concerts at White River State Park. And it’s been a while since we visited any of the many, wonderful local museums. I know the next time I’m looking for a cool and fun activity to do with my family, I’m going to first seek out those things that are right in my backyard. What about you?

Happy Earth Day! How are you celebrating?

Check out “A Billion Acts of Green®,” a project attempting to generate a billion green efforts before Rio’s Earth Summit in 2012. With the world population nearing seven billion people, that’s only one green effort for every seven people. If we each do our part, we can reach a billion green acts and then some.

My personal contributions include walking more and driving less. When driving is necessary, I’m finding ways to make my already fuel-efficient Prius even more efficient. I’ve already increased my average miles per gallon to 46.6 mpg. I’m also doing more reusing and recycling at home. And, as Borshoff’s “green queen,” I’m making sure that our company continues to find new ways to green the office as well.

If you’d like to celebrate with a crowd, check out the Earth Day Indiana festival on Saturday, April 23. Taking place at White River State Park, this annual event includes green activities and education for the whole family, food, music and lots of fun.

However you decide to participate, now is a wonderful – and beautiful – time to celebrate Mother Earth and all she has to offer.

They’re old and young; they’re men and women; they’re Southerners, Northerners and Midwesterners – and they’re all in my sights here in Kansas City. These folks make up the membership of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). I’m also an SATW member and many of us have been friends for a while.

SATW is a congenial group of communications professionals (journalists and public relations) who feed off each other with shared purpose – to tell the stories of what’s to do and see for travelers across America. And our regional conference is underway this weekend in KC.

Since Borshoff is committed to tourism and entertainment communications, I’m here promoting one of Indiana’s star attractions – White River State Park (WRSP). There’s a lot to be said about WRSP and these travel writers are loving it. Why not? WRSP is an amazing collection of great visitor attractions (Indianapolis Zoo, Eiteljorg Museum, IMAX Theater, Indiana State Museum, NCAA Hall of Champions and Victory Field) In fact, the New York Times travel section says “WRSP is Indianapolis’ version of the Mall in Washington.”

So over Boulevard beer and KC barbeque, I’m sharing the WRSP story with those who write travel stories for Midwest Living, Chicago Tribune, Cincinnati Enquirer, USA Today, Detroit Free Press, Washington Post, and many more media outlets. I’m glad to help them, because this is what we do – we help tell our clients’ stories. And along the way, we make a lot of good friends, break bread together and share a few laughs. I love what I do and fortunately, good relationships are not limited by age, gender nor geography – and neither are good stories. Pitch on…