LOS ANGELES – October 31, 2026 -- Filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld will host the Children's Institute (CII) 120th Anniversary Cape & Gown Gala on Sunday, November 8, in Beverly Hills, with John Mayer performing and Jamie Lee Curtis receiving a new award.

Jamie Lee Curtis receives the inaugural Reiner award

Curtis will accept the first Michele & Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award, presented by Jake Reiner. Seven-time Grammy winner John Mayer will perform, and comedian and author Chelsea Handler will also appear.

Deerfield Beach – October 30, 2026 -- The youth charity Be Strong has named 16 students and alumni to its first National Student Advisory Board, a group that will help steer the organization's Never Alone campaign on youth mental health and peer support.

The board includes middle school students, high school students, and young adults. Some are current Be Strong Student Representatives and others are alumni. Members come from Colorado, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Connecticut, Mississippi, New York, Texas, Ohio, and Virginia.

NEW YORK – October 29, 2026 -- Four runners with personal ties to autism will line up among more than 55,000 participants at the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon on November 1 to raise funds for services for autistic adults. The race marks the 50th anniversary of the five-borough course.

ORLANDO – October 29, 2026 -- Florida families facing food insecurity can get help with Thanksgiving dinner through The JOY FM's T-Shirts for Turkeys food drive, which Del-Air Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electric is sponsoring as presenting sponsor again this year.

NEW YORK – October 28, 2026 -- Town & Country's November 2026 Philanthropy issue, with four different covers, is available on townandcountrymag.com now and everywhere by November 3. It arrives alongside the magazine's 13th annual Philanthropy Summit, held at Hearst Tower in New York City.

Madison, Wisconsin – October 27, 2026 -- Delta Beer Lab, the Madison-area brewery at 167 E. Badger Road, will end regular operations on Sunday, Oct. 25, after nearly eight years in business.

Final week brings drag queen bingo, trivia and a makers market

The brewery will host several events in its last week of operations, including drag queen bingo, a trivia night and a makers market. Its final beer, Supernova West-Coast IPA, will serve as a tribute to the brewery's journey.

SAN ANTONIO – October 27, 2026 -- Shoppers on Walmart.com and the Walmart app can round up purchases from November 2-30 to support military and veteran families, and Walmart will match those donations 2:1, up to $1 million.

It is the fourth consecutive year that Walmart has named Operation Homefront a beneficiary of its Spark Good Round Up program. The nonprofit is also running its annual 11 Days of Impact campaign from November 1-12, with a goal of raising $500,000 to help families keep housing, food and utilities covered during hardship.

United States – October 27, 2026 -- Veterans with a federal VA rating can often add state property tax exemptions, income tax breaks, tuition waivers for dependents and housing help, but almost none of it is automatic. Most state benefits require a separate application, and the rules differ widely from state to state.

Federal compensation is only the floor

According to VetsForever, a veteran-founded organization, each state runs its own rules and deadlines on top of the federal baseline. Depending on where you live, that can include:

New York City – October 21, 2026 -- Older adults in the U.S. can take free live tech classes on Zoom every week through Senior Planet, the flagship program of OATS from AARP. They can also visit one of four physical centers or a licensed partner site.

Irvine – October 20, 2026 -- Radiant Health Centers offers LGBTQ+ case management services that connect underrepresented members of the Irvine community with the resources they need to improve their long-term health.

Managing your health takes more than booking a doctor's appointment. According to the clinic, a range of factors can make it hard for patients to get treatment, keep up with appointments and find long-term support. Case managers step in to coordinate appointments, connect patients with support and provide guidance.