With the summer at its peak, maybe it's too soon to be thinking about school, but it's never too soon to think about helping those in need, like economically disadvantaged kids who need some help with back-to-school gear. This month, you can help out by taking part in the Road Home's Apple Tree campaign. Friday, learn more about capital punishment at a panel discussion and free screening of The Executioner's Song. Later, check out a charity 5K to support a global-relief nonprofit that aims to respect the cultural context of the rural communities in Africa they work with.
Road Home Apple Tree Campaign
Through Aug. 11
Back-to-school jitters are bad enough, but they can be especially stressful when your family is struggling to make ends meet. This summer, you can help children of low-income families by picking up an apple with a child's name on it from retailers like Payless, Staples, Old Navy and others and then giving them a back-to-school item.
Donations accepted through Aug. 11. Visit TheRoadHomeAppleTree.com for more info.
The Executioner's Song
Friday, July 18
A film version of Norman Mailer's Pulitzer-prize winning novel about the infamous Utah execution of murderer Gary Gilmore in 1976 will be screened for free tonight. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion of the case, the crime and capital punishment then and now, with panelists including reporters who covered the case in the 1970s.
Salt Lake City Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, Main Library Auditorium, 801-524-8200, July 18, 7 p.m., SLCPL.org
Gravity Hill 5K
Saturday, July 19
Defy gravity and your own apathy by hitting up this charity 5K that runs up Gravity Hill by the Utah Capitol and finishes at the beautiful Memory Grove Park. Registration is $35 for adults and proceeds benefit One Hour for Life, a nonprofit that teaches sustainable life skills and health education to rural communities in Africa by teaching them in a way that aligns with the community's own cultural values.
Utah Capitol, 350 N. State, July 19, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., RacingWithPassion.com/Races/Gravity-Hill-5k/