Donations requested to Van Buren Santa Shop
The Van Buren Elementary School PTO is seeking support so it can have enough gifts for its Santa Shop.
President Heather Sawyer said the PTO is running short on gifts this year and has almost met its budget of what can be purchased.
Most schools charge for items, making it a fundraiser for their PTO, but at Van Buren, the event is free for the students, Sawyer said. PTO members host events and clip box tops to raise money to buy about 1,500 items. Students can choose gifts for their families from that selection.
Sometimes these are usually the only gifts some family members will receive, Sawyer said.
“Donations would be the greatest help,” she wrote. “We have items sorted by adult woman, adult man, teen girl, teen boy, young girl, young boy and baby. We also need gift wrap/gift bags, tape and tissue paper.”
Donations can be mailed or dropped off at Van Buren Elementary, 4045 State Road 135 South.
The PTO also plans to host a public Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 16 in hopes of replacing Santa shop funds, Sawyer said.
For more information, call Sawyer at the school at 812-988-6658 ext. 1782.
County receives $5,000 grant for homeless teens
Youth Connections has received a $15,000 grant from the Smithville Foundation, and $5,000 of it is going to expand its Safe Place/Host Home program into Brown County.
The other $10,000 was allocated for a program in Morgan County.
The Brown County Homeless Teen Task Force has been trying to establish a network to support children and teens in crisis. Safe Place is a nationwide network of youth-friendly businesses, hotels, schools, fire stations, libraries and other public buildings where children and teens can go when they have a problem.
Beyond giving children a safe place to go, the program trains volunteers to quickly connect children with a designated person who can talk to them and get help for their problem.
The Host Home program is a network of volunteers who take in young people for a period of one night to 21 days.
For more information, call the Youth Connections office at 317-738-3273.
TRIAD reports August, September activities
In August and September, TRIAD volunteers logged 455 hours, 1,828 miles and 141 home visits, plus visits to residents of the local assisted living facility.
Food from Midwest Food Bank was picked up, packaged and delivered to 32 families in August and in September.
During the September meeting, guest speaker Tonya Hardin of Adult Protective Services talked about contacting APS when adult neglect and/or abuse is suspected or known.
New steps were installed at the TRIAD storage shed behind the Law Enforcement Center. The shed will house supplies, materials for monthly food delivery and a limited amount of medical equipment for loan.
CPR training is being scheduled for TRIAD volunteers early next year.
Clients will be given admission to the Brown County Playhouse for “Believe: A Brown County Christmas” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26.
TRIAD will assist Brown County EMS with its Thanksgiving Day meal delivery.
Work continues on a TRIAD cookbook. Recipes are welcome from all TRIAD clients.
The TRIAD annual picnic had 92 in attendance at Parkview Church of the Nazarene Aug. 19. Clients received prizes and live gospel music was provided by two groups. Sheriff Scott Southerland and several deputies prepared food.
A Friends of TRIAD fundraising program, headed by Keith Baker with Sheriff Southerland and Tony Sciscoe, received several donations.
Volunteers for August and September were Andrea Baker, Roger Brewer, Karen Brock, Lois Followell, Margo Hash, Ken Keller, Priscilla Keller, Violet Miller, Barb Schade, Warren Schade, Glenda Stogsdill, Dick Young and Laura Young, with Hank Marshall and Kevin Johnson in training.
More volunteers are sought to join the team. TRIAD looks in on seniors, the sick and disabled. For more information, visit [email protected], call 812-988-5606 or 988-6655 ext. 2112, or write to P.O. Box 2141, Nashville, IN 47448.
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings scheduled
Alcoholics Anonymous has meetings every weekday at several Brown County locations:
8 p.m. Monday — Open discussion meetings, Sycamore Valley Community Center, 746 Memorial Drive at the fairgrounds
6:30 p.m. Tuesday — Closed men’s discussion meetings, Brown County Presbyterian Fellowship, 602 State Road 135 North
8 p.m. Tuesday — Closed literature study, The Fieldhouse, 98 W. Washington
8 p.m. Wednesday — Open discussion meetings, Sycamore Valley Community Center at the fairgrounds
7 p.m. Thursday — Closed discussion meetings, Sycamore Valley Community Center at the fairgrounds
9:30 a.m. Friday — Open literature discussions, lower-level meeting room, Brown County Public Library, 205 N. Locust Lane
Open meetings are available to anyone interested in this program of recovery from alcoholism. Non-alcoholics can attend open meetings as observers.
Closed meetings are for AA members only, or for those who have a drinking problem and want to stop.
Addiction recovery support offered at church
From 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, New Life Community Church, 1450 State Road 135 North, hosts weekly recovery support meetings, known as Battlefield For Freedom, for people struggling with addiction. For more information, call Melissa Tatman at 812-320-9838.
Women’s support group meets weekly
A women’s recovery group meets at 6:30 p.m. Mondays for about 90 minutes.
Child care is available. For more information, including the location, call Carrie at 812-320-1201.
Support for friends, family, survivors of suicide
FRANKLIN — From 6:30 to 8 p.m. on third Thursdays, the Hope and Renewal Support Group meets at Grace United Methodist Church, 1300 E. Adams Drive in Franklin. It is for friends and family of suicide victims and survivors of suicide.
For more information, call 765-585-3346 or email [email protected].
Free child seat inspections in Bloomington
BLOOMINGTON — Riley Physicians is offering free car seat safety checks to anyone who drives children in a vehicle.
Checks are being done at the Bloomington Township Fire Department, 5081 North Old State Road 37 or at 630 S. Patterson by appointment. Call Cara Wickens at 812-353-5437 to schedule a safety check. There is no one certified in Brown County to do child seat checks, according to IU Health.
Each inspection can take 30 minutes and includes access to information and resources to help keep your child safe. Bring the following items to your car seat check: the car seat, the child, and instruction manuals for the vehicle and for the car seat.
All children younger than 8 are required by Indiana’s child passenger safety law to be restrained in a federally approved child restraint system, and children from ages 8 to 15 need to be in a child restraint or seat belt. Children 13 and younger should ride in the back seat. For more information on Indiana’s child passenger seat law, visit in.gov/cji/2383.htm.
Group for parents, family who’ve lost children
The Compassionate Friends, a national self-help organization for families that have experienced the death of a child, meets at 6:30 p.m. on third Tuesdays at the Nashville United Methodist Church.
With questions, call Bob Kirlin at 812-720-0222.
Literacy coalition meets third Tuesdays
Brown County Literacy Coalition Board meets at 6 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month downstairs at Brown County Public Library.
Anyone interested in learning more about how to support early childhood literacy is welcome.
Vaccines for uninsured available at health department
The Brown County Health Department, on the second floor of the County Office Building, 201 Locust Lane, is offering all immunizations free of charge for uninsured adults.
Vaccines include tetanus, hepatitis A and B, dTap, MMR, PVC13, PPSV23, varicella and others.
For more information or to make an appointment, call the health department at 812-988-2255 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ministry provides cancer support program
GNAW BONE — Nondenominational group Heart of Christ Ministries, 5181 State Road 46 East, offers a program called Thriving Hope Cancer Care Ministry.
Sponsored by Our Journey of Hope from the cancer treatment centers of America, the ministry provides people touched by cancer with help and spiritual counsel specific to the needs of cancer patients, caregivers or loved ones. Leaders completed a Bible-based cancer care training program.
With questions, to get involved or to receive help, call 812-371-0247.
For more information, visit Heart of Christ Ministries on Facebook.
