Giving help, getting help

ALLEN UNIVERSITY will host the 11th annual Richard Allen Awards UNCF Scholarship Fundraiser Luncheon 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Columbia Marriott, 1200 Hampton St. Event includes a silent auction, live entertainment and a Mardi Gras themed lunch. Money raised will benefit college scholarships. Individual tickets cost $180 and tables start at $2,000. Tickets are available at 2016scholarshiplucheon.eventbrite.com or by calling (803) 255-4770.

ARTISTS FOR AFRICA POSTCARD ART SALE will be 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Embassy Suites Hotel Columbia Greystone, 200 Stoneridge Drive. Postcard-sized works of art from South Carolina artists and the U.S. will be available for $65 each. Admission is $15. All proceeds will support Artists for Africa Inc., a local nonprofit that helps provide education and art education to children in Africa. artistsforafricausa.org

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 at midlandsgives.org. To learn more, visit yourfoundation.org, email midlandsgives@yourfoundation.org or call (803) 254-5601.

LOURIE CENTER will host a Valentine’s Dance 7-10:30 p.m. today, 1650 Park Circle. Event will feature the R&B band Heart ‘n Soul. The event is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. It is open to the public for adults of all ages. BYOB and snacks. Call (803) 779-1971 or visit the Lourie Center for tickets. Proceeds will support programming at the Lourie Center

SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND LAW ENFORCEMENT TORCH RUN FOR THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS will host the Lake Murray Polar Plunge noon Saturday at Lake Murray Recreation Area, S.C. 5 and Corley Mill Road, Lexington. Event will feature a costume contest at 11 a.m. and a plunge into the lake. Plungers are asked to raise a minimum of $50 in donations. Register at www.firstgiving.com/so-sc/2016-lake-murray-polar-plunge or at 10 a.m. the day of the event.

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: 4 p.m. today at Pineview Elementary School, 3035 Leaphart Road, West Columbia, and 1 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday at Kershaw County Hospital, 1315 Roberts St. 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.

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COLUMBIA AND LEXINGTON ANIMAL SERVICES will host a Fur-Ever Yours pet adoption special today through Monday at 127 Humane Lane and 321 Ball Park Road. Pet adoptions will cost $14, which include spaying, neutering, microchipping, feline leukemia/heartworm tests, initial vaccines and deworming. (803) 776-7387; (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 and 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 February 11, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Giving help, getting help."