Giving help, getting help
FUNDRAISERS
CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION has opened nonprofit registration for Midlands Gives through Feb. 29. The 24-hour Midlands Gives local online giving challenge will be May 3. Register online midlandsgives.org. To learn more, visit yourfoundation.org, email midlandsgives@yourfoundation.org or call (803) 254-5601.
HAVANA NIGHTS will be 7-10 p.m. Saturday, 300 Senate St. The event, which benefits Family Promise of the Midlands, will feature live music, dancing, an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, a cigar patio and a silent auction. Tickets are $75 per person or $125 per couple. Find out more information at familypromisemidlands.org.
WOMAN’S SOCIETY OF BATESBURG-LEESVILLE will host the annual Little Black Dress Wine and Cheese Affair 7-10 p.m. Feb. 6 at Batesburg-Leesville Leisure Center, 227 Highland Ave., Batesburg-Leesville. Event features beverages, heavy hors d’oeuvres, silent auction, dancing and live music. Tickets are $25 each. Proceeds go toward local scholarships, education and community improvement projects. For tickets and information, call (803) 413-2437 or email loisblack@sc.rr.com.
DONATIONS
AMERICAN RED CROSS is seeking blood donations, especially those with O, AB, B negative and A negative blood types. Blood drives will be held at the following locations and times: 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Palmetto Health Richland Medical Center, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday at Palmetto Health Parkridge, Lexington, and 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday at Lexington Medical Center, West Columbia. To make an appointment, call (803) 338-1711 or sign up at www.redcrossblood.org. For questions regarding donor eligibility, call the Red Cross at (803) 251-6000.
SHARING GOD’S LOVE is seeking donations and volunteers, 147 Friarsgate Blvd., Irmo. Pantry needs include tea, coffee, jelly, baked beans, grits, sugar, flour and canned fruit. The Christian ministry is also seeking laundry detergent, shampoo, gently-used clothes and household linens, especially king and queen sized sheets and blanket. Volunteers are needed to organize, deliver and pick up donations from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. For more information or a tour, call (803)-732-3188.
VOLUNTEER
HISTORIC COLUMBIA is looking for volunteers willing to donate nine or more hours a month. Volunteer opportunities include giving tours, museum maintenance, gardening, administrative work and helping with educational programs. (803) 252-1770, ext. 24, bkleinfelder@historiccolumbia.org or historiccolumbia.org
PAALS (Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services) is hosting a general volunteer orientation 6 p.m. Tuesday at their facility, 221 N. Grampian Hills Road. Weekend training will be held 4:30-6 p.m. Feb. 5, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 6 and 2-5 p.m. Feb. All volunteers should attend orientation, and all weekend volunteers must attend all three classes before being assigned to a PAALS puppy. To learn more, visit www.paals.org or call (803) 788-7063.
S.C. VULNERABLE ADULT GUARDIAN AD LITEM PROGRAM is seeking volunteers to work as guardians ad litem for abused, neglected or exploited adults. Training for the Midlands will be 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 5 at the University of South Carolina Office for the Study of Aging, 730 Devine St. For more information, email scvagal@mailbox.sc.edu or call (803) 576-5882.
SALVATION ARMY OF THE MIDLANDS will host an Introduction to The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services Course 10 a.m. Saturday, 3024 Farrow Road. The course will include lessons on how to prepare and equip themselves for disaster deployment and the Salvation Army’s mission and history. To register, visit disaster.salvationarmy
SUNSET FELINES is in need of people to spare an hour a week (mornings or late afternoons, weekdays and weekends) to assist with feeding of cat colonies in Lexington County. Ideal for retirees or those with flexible schedules. Also need foster homes, both short and long term; plus plenty of adoptable cats. (803) 794-5686 or email thesunsetfelines@
GOOD NEIGHBORS
BLUE CHOICE HEALTHPLAN MEDICAID is hosting a “Repack the Backpack” event 2-5 p.m. Sunday at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 2300 Greene St. Parents will get a “passport” when they check into a booth, and the first 500 people who return a completed passport will receive a backpack with school supplies. The event will also include health screenings, dental screenings, haircuts, manicures, Zumba classes, games, refreshments and entertainment. (803) 382-5817
COLUMBIA AND LEXINGTON ANIMAL SERVICES will hold New Year pet adoption specials the month of January at their locations, 127 Humane Lane and 321 Ball Park Road, Lexington. Adoptions and reclaiming lost pets will cost $40. All adoption feeds include spay/neuter, microchip, feline leukemia/heartworm tests, initial vaccines and deworming. Columbia Animal Services’ number is (803) 776-7387 Lexington Animal Services number is (803) 785-8149
PALMETTO HEALTH is offering free health screenings in 2016 for individuals who qualify based on age and risk. Prostate cancer and diabetes screenings will be 11 a.m.-1 p.m. every Thursday at the Office of Community Health in the basement level of Palmetto Health Baptist, 1501 Sumter St. Breast. Cervical cancer screenings will be 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 8 a.m.-noon the second Saturdays of the month at Palmetto Health Women’s Center, 1801 Sunset Drive. Prostate cancer, including prostate specific antigen and digital rectal exams, 5:30-7 p.m. the fourth Tuesdays of the month at Cancer Health Initiative Men’s Clinic, 1801 Sunset Drive. Find out more (803) 296-3070 or palmettohealth.org/communityhealth.
This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Giving help, getting help."