COMMUNITY CALENDAR

The Highland Rivers Foundation Board of Directors will meet on Thursday, Aug. 1, at 1:30 p.m. in the Northside Cherokee Hospital Administrative Board Room, 450 Northside Cherokee Blvd., Canton. The meeting is open to the public. For additional information or directions, call 706-270-5000.

Prater Ford of Gordon County is hosting a Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls shoe collection drive during the month of August. New shoes can be dropped off at the dealership, which is located at 704 S. Wall St. in Calhoun. The donated shoes will be distributed to children in need across the United States and around the world.

The North Georgia General Missionary Baptist Association will hold its First Saturday Fellowship Service with Pastor Kenneth Woods and New Hope Baptist Church, 399 Moran Lake Road, Rome, on Saturday, Aug. 3, at 9:45 a.m. The group’s mission is education and fellowship. There will be breakout class sessions for ministers, adults, youth and children. All are invited.

There will be a benefit at Oostanaula Community Club on Aug. 3 at 4:30 p.m. for Jeff Keown for medical expenses. He has Emphysema and is unable to work. He has two young children. The club will provide plenty of home cooked food for $7 per plate that will include meat, vegetables, dessert and drink. There will also be a cake walk, auction and a chance to win a riding lawn mower. Jerusalem Ridge will be providing the entertainment.

A back-to-school celebration will be Saturday, Aug. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Calhoun Recreation Department, 601 S. River. St. Students will be provided free backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, clothes, shoes and more. For more information, contact Sherry at 678-767-0071.

Hamilton Health Care System will host a backto-school celebration at Hamilton Physician Group’s Calhoun campus on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Children in grades kindergarten through fifth grade may pick up school supplies while supplies last. A child must be present. Free Kona Ice will also be provided to children who attend the event. The campus is located at 160 Curtis Parkway N.E.

A beef productive management workshop will be conducted on Aug. 6 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Gordon County Agriculture Services Center, 1282 Highway 53 Spur S.W., Suite 200, in Calhoun. Guest speakers will include Lee Jones, beef production management and field services veterinarian at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine; Jason Duggin, extension beef specialist for UGA Extension; and Greg Bowman, county extension agent for UGA Extension. The cost is $5 per person or $3 for teens and children 17 and younger. The deadline for registration is Aug. 1.

The Board of Trustees of the Calhoun-Gordon County Public Library will have its regular quarterly meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 4:30 p.m. at the library, 100 N. Park Ave., Calhoun. The board will consider agenda items, actions and review proposed amendments and/or updates to the constitution and bylaws of the public library. Proposed changes to the constitution and bylaws must be presented to the library board of trustees for review at least two weeks prior to the meeting date. The meeting is open to the public.

A Private Pesticide Certification course will be conducted on Thursday, Aug. 15, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Gordon County Farm Bureau, 487 W. Belwood Drive, Calhoun. This is an opportunity for residents to earn their initial private pesticide license. The cost is $25, and lunch will be served. The speaker will be Mickey Taylor. Registration is required by emailling acarr@gcbe.org or calling 770-519-3619 before Friday, Aug. 9.

The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission’s Area Agency on Aging will host its quarterly meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at the Thornton Recreation Center, 102 North Floyd Park Road in Rome. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and is open to the public.

September

GriefShare support group is an encouraging video-based weekly seminar and caring Christian support group designed to help you rebuild your life after the loss of someone you’ve loved. The group will meet Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Sept. 3 through Dec. 10. The meetings will be hosted by the Calhoun SDA Church, 1411 Rome Road in Calhoun. Call 706-6295470 or visit GriefShare.org to register and for more information.

Ongoing

The Oostanaula Club will host a “JAM”boree the last Saturday of every month. Home-cooked meals will be available for $7 beginning at 5 p.m. The event will include cake walks, stage shows and two separate jam ones — one for bluegrass and one for country western music. Admission is free but donations to benefit the club are accepted.

Did you know that nationally the American Red Cross assists 53 people every 60 seconds during personal or local disasters? The local Northwest Georgia chapter is right here in Gordon County. If you’d like to do some meaningful volunteering, please check redcross.org/local/georgia for opportunities. For more information contact Arthene Bressler at 762-231-9896.

Child Find Requirement Notice for Gordon County Schools: All children ages 0-21 are entitled to a free education, and that includes children with physical, mental or emotional problems. Some of these children are not identified. Please help us locate and identify them. For more information, call the Gordon County Board of Education, special education office at 706-629-4474 or email Alecia Segursky, the director of Exceptional Student Services at asegursky@gcbe.org if you know of a child with a disability that has not yet been identified.

The Harris Arts Center is having its Middle & High School Art Show through March 4. Come check out artwork by local students at the center, 212 S. Wall St. For more information call 706-629-2599.

The Harris Arts Center, 212 S. Wall St., will host yoga classes on Mondays, at 6 p.m., and Wednesdays, at 10:30 a.m. The charge is $10 for each class, and $9 for HAC members. For more information call 706-629-2599.

The Harris Arts Center, 212 S. Wall St., has Toddler Friday on the second Friday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Activities include hands-on art, music and storytelling. The cost is $7 per child. For more information call 706-629-2599.

Assured Hospice Care is currently seeking volunteers to visit with our hospice patients is the Calhoun/Resaca community.♦ Training is provided. Interested persons can contact 770-387-9578 or visit the website at assuredhospice.com.

All children ages 0-21 are entitled to a free education, and that includes children with physical, mental or emotional problems.♦ Some of these children are not identified. Please help us locate and identify them. For more information call the Gordon County Board of Education, special education office at 706-629-4474 or email Alecia Segursky, the director of exceptional student services, at asegursky@gcbe.org if you know of a child with a disability that has not yet been identified.

The Calhoun-Gordon County Library is providing U.S. citizenship classes for those who wish to prepare for the civics exam. The classes are taught with the help of Sean McKenzie from Calhoun City Schools. They are completely free, won’t require any registration or documentation and childcare will be provided to those who attend. Classes are held Thursdays from 4:45-5:45 p.m. For more information call the library at 706-624-1456.

For information on holding or supporting a benefit at the Oostanaula Community Club in Calhoun, call Barbara Talley at 770-608-2050.♦ The club is located at 1595 Oostanaula Bend Road Southwest in Calhoun.

Gordon County Democrats meet the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the McConnell Community Center, 115 McConnell Road, Calhoun. All Democrats are welcome.

The community is welcomed to the Southern Cruisers Riding Club in Rome. Gordon County is part of our chapter’s catchment area. We are a group of fun loving motorcycle enthusiasts who enjoy getting together to ride, eat and generally enjoy each other’s company. We generally ride twice a month in Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama area and most rides are less than 500 miles. We meet every month for dinner to discuss upcoming rides. We are a group of all makes and models of bikes. It’s not what you ride, it’s that you ride. We have no dues and no commitments. All we ask is that our members help support our chapter by being actively involved in our rides and events. We ask that everyone remember that safety is paramount; ride safely and live to ride another day. We are a family-oriented riding group and do not permit any alcohol or drugs at any chapter ride. If you like to ride, we would like to have you ride with us. We look forward to riding with you. Jon Benson, Chapter Leader; Crank.scrc002@yahoo.com or 678-901-7445.

The Calhoun Area Writers meet every third Friday of the month at 343 S. Wall St. from 6-7:30 p.m. The club exists to support writers, from published authors to those who simply enjoy writing down their thoughts.

Notices

Calhoun Adult Learning Center: Free day and evening study programs offered. Located on the Georgia Northwestern Technical College campus in Calhoun. Call 706-624-1111 to enroll today.

Members of the local chapter of AARP are volunteering their services to aid the community in ways that best serve the community. There are real possibilities when we serve the people of the community. AARP states it best: “to serve, and not be served.” The newly elected president of the local AARP Chapter 3178, Sarah Curtis, has asked all current members to serve on the Membership Committee as a means of increasing the membership. The local AARP Chapter 3178 meets every first Friday of each month at 10:30 a.m. For the place of the meeting call Sarah Curtis 706-629-0569 or Wylene Turner 706-629-8821

Families Anonymous is a 12-Step fellowship for family and friends who have known a feeling of desperation concerning the destructive behavior of someone very near to them, whether caused by drugs, alcohol, or related behavioral problems. People can share problems with others who understand, the details of personal stories may differ, but feelings and heartbreak are the same. If you or someone you know is ready to find the peace and Serenity that Families Anonymous members have found through the working of the FA program the group meets every Thursday from 7-8 p.m., located in Red Bud Road Plaza below Fitness First next to Calhoun Counseling Center (Dr. Bledsoe’s office).

The Military Order of the Purple Heart, Rome Chapter 525, meets the first Monday of the month except holidays at Sam’s Burger Deli, 3268 U.S. 27, Rome, at 6 p.m. All veterans who have been awarded the Purple Heart are eligible for membership and are invited to join. For more information contact Larry Fleming at 678-986-6601 or Alfred “Spanky” Carnes at 706-8028262. purpleheartrome525@ gmail.com

The Calhoun Housing Authority Board of Commissioners meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month for the regular called board meetings at noon.♦ Special Board meetings will be advertised in advance. All meetings are held at 607 Oothcalooga St., Calhoun. The public is invited to attend. Call to verify a meeting is schedule prior to attending.

If you are a homeowner and have served in the U.S. Military or are a surviving spouse and live in Gordon County or Bartow County, you may qualify for up to $13,000 in free home rehabilitation such as a new roof, exterior windows and doors, central heat and air, low flow plumbing, etc.♦ Contact New Foundations Development Inc. and ask for Carol Hatch at 706629-9183 ext. 14 Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Income limits apply and funds are limited so don’t wait or you will miss out. This program is for veterans and Surviving Spouses ONLY. (New Foundations Development, Inc. is a local nonprofit working in conjunction with the Calhoun Housing Authority, NorthSide Bank of Calhoun, North Georgia National Bank.)

Fairmount Library is now located inside of City Hall on the second floor.♦ Story time is held every second Saturday of the month at 11 a.m. and New Horizon Book Club is held on the second Thursday of the month. For more information about the library call 706-337-5306.

United Way of Gordon County’s Young Leaders Society provides opportunities for philanthropic service, social, and networking events.♦ Our Lunch with Leaders program provides members with a positive learning experience while allowing members to interact with professional leaders in the community. Membership Requirements include anyone between the ages of 21-45; dues of $240 annually and 20 volunteer hours performed annually. For more information, contact Ashley Goble at Gordon County United Way by emailing agoble@gordoncountyunitedway.org.