Helping Hands

the amount of time you give is up to you. For more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator Kim Davidson at 770-382-7175.

The Calhoun Pregnancy Center Inc., located on the corner of Peters Street and East Belmont Drive, is open every Monday, Tuesday and Friday from noon until 4 p.m. The center is also open each Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday available by appointment only. Closed Wednesdays and Sundays. The pregnancy help center offers free pregnancy tests and Biblical lay counsel regarding abortion risks and procedures, development of the baby, adoption, sexual purity, and the risks of STDs. The center also offers practical helps for mom and baby with maternity and baby clothes, diapers and baby care products, and even some baby furniture when available. The center is pleased to announce that through its new project, “Baby Sleep Safely,” it will be offering new bassinets and cribs to loan out to parents in deepest need, returned and used again by more clients later. To visit the center, call 706-6255768 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are always welcome during operating hours.

TREK, the foster care program of Lookout Mountain Community Services in Chickamauga, is expanding their foster care services to meet the needs of the residents in the following 12 counties: Gordon, Gilmer, Floyd, Fannin, Murray, Whitfield, Bartow, Cherokee, Haralson, Polk, Paulding and Pickens. TREK, therapeutic resources and environments for kids. If you want to help make a difference in the life of a child by being a foster care parent, call Jan at the TREK office today. TREK offers free training in the comfort of your own home, and provides reimbursement to foster care parents who are approved for placement. For more information, call 706-217-6819 or 423-208-1259.

Want to make a difference in the life of a child? Caring adults and families to serve as foster parents are needed – opportunities for full-time fostering or for respite care. Call Murphy-Harpst Children’s Centers for more information at 770-7481500, extensions 223 or 224.

Adventa Hospice is looking for very special individuals or groups who can visit hospice patients in homes or nursing homes. Activity volunteers support hospice patients through running errands, reading to the patient, sharing a devotional, playing board or card games, or just making friendly visits. Volunteer by yourself or as a group and as often or as little as your schedule allows. Individual or group training is available at your convenience. You can make a difference. Call Sheila Cameron at Adventa Hospice at 706-259-2518 or toll-free at 1-866-353-5915.

LifeLink of Georgia, the agency which coordinates organ and tissue donations in Georgia, has speakers available for civic and community groups, churches, schools, corporations, etc. Speakers are trained to provide information and dispel myths about organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Presentations are free to the public and tailored to the specific audience. To learn more about the Speaker’s Bureau or organ and tissue donation, contact Terri Medina at 770-225-5465 / 800544-6667 or visit the website at www.lifelinkfound. org.

Volunteers needed at Heartland Hospice. Flexible hours and a great opportunity if you need school credit or just want to help others. Clerical work and friendly visitors for our patients. Call 770382-0721.

Attention, students, retirees, housewives, and others who have a heart for volunteerism. There is no place you would be appreciated more than at Calhoun Health Care Center Inc. The activity department offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. For more information, call 706-6291289.

The Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association maintains Caring Closets in several Northwest Georgia locations. Usually in stock are diapers in a variety of styles and sizes, wipes, creams, gloves, and bed pads especially for caregivers of those living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Caregivers may visit a Caring Closet location once a month to pick up above listed items free of charge. For availability of items or donation information, call: Calhoun, Beverly Hilley, 706-629-0777; Cartersville, Beth Kershner, 770-6061218; Dalton, Sandy, 706-275-0819; Fort Oglethrope, Sue Brown-Long, 706-866-3303; McCayville, Susan Greene, 706-492-4045; Rome, Janie Freeman 706-2910904; Summerville,Mary, 706-857-5001.

Calhoun Health Care is asking for volunteers in the community. Those interested should contact 706-629-1289, ext. 118. Being a volunteer is rewarding to both volunteers and residents. The facility is located at 1387 Highway 41 North in Calhoun.

The North Georgia Home School Band is seeking used band instruments for its elementary, middle, and high school youth musicians. Donations can be made on Thursdays at Living Word Church on North Main Street in Jasper, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. or make arrangements with the Coordinator, Nadine Harrison, at nghomeschoolband@gmail. com The North Georgia Home School Band meets every Thursday at Living Word Church in Jasper. For more information, see our website at www. nghomeschoolband.com

The Littlest Heroes Project is a non-profit based organization of professional photographers worldwide that provide free photo sessions for children who suffer from a serious illness or lifealtering disability to our nation’s Littlest Heroes. The whole family is welcome to participate in these special sessions. To sign up your hero or to learn more about the services Littlest Heroes provides, visit www.littlestheroesproject.org.

Meritan Stepping Stones, a specialized foster care agency is in need of loving, caring parents in Gordon County to care for children who are in the custody of the State of Georgia. If you are interested in learning more about Meritan Stepping Stones or becoming a Stepping Stones Foster Parent please contact JoNell H. Courson at 770-387-9003. Our office is located at 200 Leake St., Suite 103 Cartersville, Ga. 30120.

The Outreach Ministry takes all donations of clothes, furniture, appliances, miscellaneous items, yard sale items, outside items, and more and helps needy families with these items. Call Pastor Evelyn Adams at 706-337-3241.

The youth group at First Presbyterian Church, Red Bud Road, wants to make a difference in the lives of at-risk children in the area. They are leading the community in PROD (Prevention and Relief of Domestic Violence) and will be collecting the listed items for victims of domestic violence. If you would like to donate, place any of the following items in the box in the Gathering Room of the church: cleaners, trash bags, trash cans, dish towels, toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, soap, deodorant, hair spray, razors, feminine care items, lotion, diapers, baby wipes, laundry detergent, aspirin, Band-Aids, children’s cold medication, Wal-Mart gas cards, McDonald’s gift certificates, etc., and canned items (such as soup, ravioli, etc.). “Thank you for your help,” a spokesman said.

Volunteers for hospice care make tremendous contributions in the care of terminally ill patients and their families through visits and small tasks. Give a gift from the heart. Volunteers are trained and provide help in their local area. United Hospice serves 17 counties in Northwest Georgia. Call the volunteer coordinator at 706-602-9546 or 800-8677976.

Calhoun’s Friends of the Library, an organization that supports the Calhoun-Gordon County Library, is making a plea to the public for donations of audiotapes. If you have audiotapes that you have heard and are willing to dispense with, it is requested that you donate them to the library. There is a supply of audiotapes on hand now, but the demand is great. Donations are tax-deductible. Checkout is similar to checking out a book, except for shorter duration.

Were you a Girl Scout? We need your help! Troop leaders, assistant leaders, and short-term volunteer opportunities are available. Call Debbie at 706-236-9254 right away.

As a Big Brother or Big Sister, you can give a child the kind of friendship that can mean the difference between just getting by and really making it. It’s just a few hours a week. Can you spare the time? Call Big Brothers Big Sisters at 706-629-6029 for more information.

The National Kidney Foundation is the leader in collecting thousands of unwanted automobiles each year that are either sold for re-use or recycled. Taking older cars off the street and out of driveways reduces emissions and beautifies neighborhoods. Donate your car, boat, truck, or motor home to the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia. Call 1-800488-2277 for more information. Donors receive an acknowledged letter stating the year, make, and vehicle identification number of the donated car for tax purposes.

Pastor Calvin Anderson announces that Mount Zion Baptist Church in the Resaca community is now able to assist individuals and families in applying for Food Stamps Assistance. According to the pastor, approximately 16 percent of Gordon County residents who are eligible are not enrolled in the program. Pastor Calvin said three years ago their church felt the need to assist people with food needs and instituted several ministries for that purpose. Recently the church became a Partner Agency of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, which works closely with the Division of Family and Children Services.