Rotary Club kicks off Christmas Tree fundraiser
BRATTLEBORO - The Rotary Club Christmas Tree Fundraiser has begun.
Since 1965, the Brattleboro Rotary Club has sold Christmas trees as a fundraiser for local student scholarships. Vermont-grown trees of all shapes and sizes will be sold daily in front of Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road until all 400 trees are gone.
The Brattleboro Rotary Club, founded in 1950, is an active community-service club of 75-plus members who engage in community and human-service projects, both locally and internationally.
The club's Gateway Foundation was established in 1986 as a local fund to support annual scholarships of $2,000 to $3,000 to area students pursuing college. The nonprofit, tax-exempt organization is funded by annual Rotary fundraising projects like this one and other community contributions.
To date, the club has awarded close to $500,000 in scholarships.
For more information about Brattleboro Rotary Club or Gateway Foundation, visit brattlebororotaryclub.org.
Red Cross: Urgent need for blood, platelets donations
RUTLAND - The American Red Cross says it has an urgent need for blood and platelet donors to give now to ensure blood is available for medical treatments and emergencies during the holiday season.
Blood and platelet donations often decline during the holidays, and severe winter weather may cause blood-drive cancellations. Donors are urged to give now to ensure that patients don't have to worry about the availability of blood this winter.
In thanks for helping meet the urgent need around the holidays, all those who donate blood or platelets from now through Dec. 19 will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email.
Upcoming blood drives:
• Bellows Falls: Thursday, Nov. 29 at the United Church of Bellows Falls, 8 School St., from noon to 5 p.m.
• Brattleboro: Tuesday, Dec. 11 at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, 54 Chickering Dr., Brattleboro, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Springfield: Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the Springfield Elks, 49 Park St., from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Make an appointment to donate blood or platelets by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).
Meet the surgical robot at BMH
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) will host an open house to unveil its new surgical robot on Friday, Nov. 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event will feature the hospital's recently acquired Mako robotic-arm assisted surgical machine.
Representatives from its manufacturer - Stryker, a Michigan-based medical device and equipment company - and BMH medical staff will demonstrate how the robot operates and answer questions about the surgical process.
BMH says it is the first and only hospital in Vermont to offer this surgical experience.
Hospice opens holiday pop-up shop at Brooks House
BRATTLEBORO - A holiday “pop-up shop” that supports the work of Brattleboro Area Hospice will return on Friday, Nov. 30, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 1, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., in the Brooks House Atrium on Main Street.
Items for sale will represent a wide range in style, taste, and price, organizers say, with a collection that “is curated with an eye for gift giving, with something for everyone.”
On Friday night, the shop will have live music and sweet treats.
For more information, visit brattleborohospice.org.
Stroll hosts Quilt Expo at River Garden
BRATTLEBORO - On Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1, the River Garden will offer works by local quilters on display, and quilts and supplies for sale.
The Strolling of the Heifers' first-ever Quilt Expo takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, with a free special 5 p.m. screening at the Latchis Theatre on Friday of the documentary film The Quilts of Gee's Bend by Putney filmmaker Vanessa Vadim. She will be on hand after the film to discuss the quilts and the filmmaking process.
Faith Evans, a local quilter who has been leading workshops for over 30 years, will offer ongoing demonstrations on how to make a crazy quilt square.
Her “Trip around the World” quilt is being raffled as a fundraiser for the Stroll's Farm to Table Apprenticeship Program. Tickets are available at The River Garden through Dec. 1.
New England Coalition to hold annual meeting
BRATTLEBORO - The New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution (NEC) will hold its 47th annual meeting on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 1:30 p.m., at the Brattleboro Savings & Loan Community Meeting Room, 221 Main St.
After a members' meeting at 2 p.m., and a short break for refreshments, Ray Shadis, NEC's longtime technical advisor, will be the featured speaker at 3 p.m.
Shadis's talk, “Carry It On: The Greening of Vermont Yankee and the Near-Term Future of Nuclear-related Advocacy in New England,” will share his personal insights on where NEC has been and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead.
There will be an hour set aside for questions, answers, and comments, and NEC says it very much wants to hear the thoughts and ideas of its members and friends. For more information, call 802-257-0336 or visit www.NewEnglandCoalition.org.
NewBrook Fire hosts annual Peace and Goodwill Dinner
NEWFANE - The all-volunteer NewBrook Fire Department, serving Newfane and Brookline, will host its Peace and Goodwill Dinner and Silent Auction on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the firehouse on Route 30.
The 16th annual dinner is provided by Buddy Bruder, and tickets are $12 ($6 for children 12 and younger). There is no admission for the auction.
More than 200 silent auction items range from gift certificates for goods and services to arts and crafts, furniture, and household items.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Polly Casanova at 802-365-7149 or Lauri Miner at 802-365-4194.
Ladies of the Rainbow benefit drag show set for Dec. 1
BRATTLEBORO - The Ladies of the Rainbow will perform songs and stand-up comedy at a benefit holiday drag show on Saturday, Dec. 1.
The event, set for 8 p.m. at VFW Post 1034 at 40 Black Mountain Rd., will feature adult entertainment, as well as a 50/50 raffle and cash bar, to raise funds for the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont.
The Ladies of the Rainbow have served up lip-synching and laughter to area audiences since first performing at Dummerston's Rainbow Cattle Co. in the late 1990s.
The AIDS Project, established in 1988, supports local people living with HIV/AIDS and works to reduce the risk of transmission to others in Windham, Bennington, and southern Windsor counties.
The show is not suitable for children.
Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show. Tickets - $20 per person or $150 for a table of eight - can be reserved by calling 802-254-4444 or can be purchased at aidsprojectsouthernvermont.org.
Program helps parents manage risky behavior by teens
LONDONDERRY - World-renowned substance-abuse-prevention-and-education consultant Michael Nerney will present “Risky Business: Why Adolescents Love Risk-Taking, and How We Can Help Manage It.”
The program on Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at Flood Brook School on Route 11 will focus on youth and teens. The program is geared to parents, educators, and caring adults of students in grades 5 through 10 to understand risky behavior, including marijuana, alcohol use, and more.
The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
The program is offered by the Collaborative, which promotes the development of a healthy, involved community supporting substance-free youth in a caring environment. Contact the organization at 802-824-4200 or visit thecollaborative.us.
Volunteers needed for library project
NEWFANE - Starting in 2019, the Moore Free Library will undergo a large reorganization project, with a goal of making the library's books, DVDs, and audiobooks easier for patrons to find.
Library staff will need individuals and teams of volunteers who can commit to a few hours per week when the building is closed to help evaluate books and move them around.
Skills required include heavy lifting, stair climbing, working on a ladder, reaching and bending, alphabetizing, and decision making. Each volunteer does not need to possess all these skills, but each team does. Training will be provided.
To help with this undertaking, contact the library at 802-365-7948 or [email protected].