Toastmasters meeting on April 25
BRATTLEBORO - If shyness or inexperience with public speaking are holding you back, or is holding someone in your organization back, then Toastmasters is the answer.
BrattleMasters, the Brattleboro-based chapter of Toastmasters International, meets Thursday, April 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Marlboro College Graduate Center, room 2E, 28 Vernon St.
Now in its sixth year, BrattleMasters is welcoming past members to return and tell us what they've been up to, rekindle friendships, and share dishes. They also have three speeches planned, and the public, as always, are welcome.
The club meets the second and fourth Thursday of every month at the same time and location. Refreshments are provided. There is no pressure to speak, and members are working at their own pace and with assigned mentors to help them meet their speaking and leadership goals.
For more information, visit http://brattleboro.toastmastersclubs.org.
Guilford Community Church hosts book sale
GUILFORD - Guilford Community Church, UCC, will hold its annual Book Sale on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
An excellent selection of current books will be for sale. This fundraiser will enable the church to continue to support many human service organizations, both locally and globally.
Guilford Community Church is located at 38 Church Drive. From Interstate 91 Exit 1, take Route 5 south one mile (just past the Guilford Country Store), turn left onto Bee Barn Road, and bear left onto Church Drive.
United Methodist Women to host spring rummage sale
BRATTLEBORO - The United Methodist Women of the First United Methodist Church will be holding its spring rummage sale on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to noon. New and used clothing will be featured.
Prices are not marked. Customers may take what they need and pay what they can. Monies received are given to both local and Methodist Mission needs. Including are the Brattleboro Drop In Center, Brattleboro Pastoral Counseling Center, Women's Freedom Center, Morningside Shelter, the Overflow Shelter, Hospice, CHABA, and others.
The church is located at 18 Town Crier Drive, off Putney Road, across from the Shell Station. The entryway is handicap accessible. For information, call the church office at 802-254-4218 or email [email protected].
Pinnacle Association to hold annual meeting
WESTMINSTER - The public and Pinnacle Association members are invited to the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association's Annual Meeting and free program special at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 28.
The location for the event has been changed to Patch Farm, located at the end of Patch Farm Road, off Patch Road in Westminster. The event will begin with refreshments and the opportunity for attendees to view committee reports, minutes, maps, and other pertinent pieces of information.
At 4:30 p.m., the business meeting will feature highlights of the past year and upcoming projects, election of new members to the Board of Trustees, and a presentation of the Volunteer of the Year Award.
At 5 p.m., Michael Clough will give an interactive PowerPoint presentation, enhanced by live animals and hands-on artifacts, for his program entitled “Turtles to Toads: Herps of the North.”
Clough – a native Vermonter with a degree in Environmental Science and experience with birds of prey, wolves, and a wide variety of exotic and native reptiles and amphibians – is most interested in non-traditional outdoor and environmental education and focuses largely on live-animal programming.
For more information about the meeting or program and detailed directions, visit www.windmillhillpinnacle.org or email [email protected].
BMH Spinal Health Class begins April 29
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Services will offer its seven-week course “Standing Tall Spine Health: Level 1” beginning Monday, April 29, at 4 p.m., in the BMH Exercise Room.
The program is designed for individuals diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, or those at risk for low bone mass. Each class consists of a brief educational session followed by guided exercise. Education topics include instruction in safe movement for fracture prevention, strength and flexibility exercises for improved body alignment, and nutrition for bone health.
Classes take place every Monday through June 10 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the BMH Exercise Room. Registration is required and the fee is $60. Contact the BMH Rehabilitation Services department at 802-257-8255 for more information or to register.
Osteoporosis is often called the “silent thief” because it is often advanced before any signs or symptoms occur. Research shows that physical activity helps to maintain healthy bones, reduce falls and decrease the risk of fractures.
Osher Lectures on Broadway, Arab Spring resume
DUMMERSTON - The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)'s spring series of morning and afternoon lectures continues on April 29.
In the morning lecture, Zeke Hecker, a composer and student of music, will discuss Broadway musicals of the 1950s. The afternoon program, by Lynette Rummel of Marlboro College, will examine how the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 came to Libya.
Morning lectures will take place from 10 a.m. to noon, with afternoon lectures from 1 to 3 p.m. All will be held at the Southeast Vermont Learning Collaborative, 471 Vermont Route 5, in Dummerston. Parking and handicapped access are available. Light refreshments will be served.
For further information, call 802-257-8600 or toll-free 866-889-0042; go to www.learningcollaborative.org; or call the OLLI organizers at 802-387-5387 or 802-257-7623.
Marlboro College Grad School offers free 'Professional Web Portfolios with Free Tools' workshop
BRATTLEBORO - Employers are asking more and more for a link to one's work and resume. This workshop will cover two free tools and some key skills that will enable any moderately web savvy person to post a bio, resume and work samples online. Examples of online portfolios will also be reviewed and discussed.
“Professional Web Portfolios with Free Tools” will be held at Marlboro College Graduate School on Vernon Street on Tuesday, April 30, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This workshop is free, but please register at hotapril-eac2.eventbrite.com.
Also, this is a hands-on workshop. Bring your own laptop and your enthusiasm because this workshop will emphasize a practical, hands-on approach to learning about technology.
Leading the workshop will be Caleb Clark, the director of the EdTech Masters program at Marlboro Grad School, where he also teaches.
This workshop is provided by Marlboro College Graduate School's EdTech Program as part of their community-focused HOT (Hands On Technology) Workshop series. For more information, contact Ariel Brooks at [email protected].
Compass School to host open house
WESTMINSTER - Compass School welcomes prospective students and their families for an open house on Tuesday, April 30, from 6-8 p.m.
The open house will be hosted by current students, staff, and parents and includes a tour of the school, homemade dinner, and a presentation from Assistant Director Eric Rhomberg on “21st Century Education.” This is an informative and fun way to get to know the school and the Compass community.
Compass School opened its doors in 1999, serving up to 100 students in grades 7-12. Compass offers a purposeful and focused learning environment with opportunity for hands-on and community-based learning.
Contact Betsy Jaffe, Director of Admissions and Development, for further information, driving directions, and/or to RSVP at 802-463-2517 or [email protected]. The school is located on Route 5 just south of Bellows Falls.
Learn about Emerald Ash Borer at RFPL
BELLOWS FALLS - Remember those purple boxes that we saw overhead along the roads in wooded areas last year? Those were traps set out to attract emerald ash borers. None were found in Vermont, but the emerald ash borer has recently been found in the Concord, N.H. area.
On Wednesday, May 1, at 7 p.m., join biologist Jim Esden from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, at the Rockingham Free Public Library to learn more about this invasive species.
Emerald ash borers are a metallic green non-native insect that have killed tens of millions of ash trees in 18 states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. The larvae feed just below the bark and adults go after the leaves. Ash trees where the insect is found typically die within 2 to 5 years.
EAB is often spread by people transporting fire wood. Find out how we can be involved to make people more aware of the program to assist municipalities. Call the Rockingham Library with questions 463-4270. The Rockingham Library is located at 65 Westminster St. in Bellows Falls and online at www.rockinghamlibrary.org.
Annual Plunge for Charity to benefit Living Memorial Park Snowsports
BRATTLEBPORO - On Sunday, May 5, the Marina restuarant will hold its eighth annual Plunge for Charity, where the brave and bold jump into the West River to raise money for area nonprofits.
All donations for this year's Plunge go to benefit Living Memorial Park Snow Sports, the group that operates the ski tow at the park each winter.
The lift cable at the park must be replaced in order to open next year, which will cost $10,000. The groomer, which is more than 30 years old, is in need of repairs or replacement, and a maintenance/storage building is needed to house and repair equipment including the groomer, T-bars, spring-boxes, snowmaking equipment, terrain park features, and other items.
Previous year's beneficiaries of “The Plunge” include The Gathering Place, the Windham County Heat Fund, the Brattleboro Dive Team, the Windham Child Care Association, the Windham County Humane Society, the Brattleboro Area Hospice, and the Brattleboro Boys & Girls Club.
Donations can be made to: LMPSS, P.O. Box 1945, Brattleboro, VT 05302 or via Paypal: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=R9YX4XBSWT8FL. If you want to take The Plunge, you can pick up pledge sheets at the Marina, or print one out from their website at www.vermontmarina.com.
Host families needed for Spanish students this summer
BRATTLEBORO - Host families are needed for a group of Spanish students who will be spending 3 ½ weeks in New England this summer to improve their English and experience American family life. These boys and girls, who range in age from 14 to 17, arrive June 26 and depart on July 21.
The students are all from the Basque region of Spain and must have excellent grades, attendance, and behavior in school and also pass an English conversational interview to be accepted into the program.
Host families are asked to provide a warm and safe home environment for the student, as well as meals and transportation to a meeting spot on the days students have field trips. It's fine for a student to share a room with a host sibling. The students have their own spending money, phone cards, and medical insurance.
Interested families are encouraged to call Norm Oakes at 802-579-3433 or email [email protected].