Dec. 13

Great River Chorale will perform its 13th annual holiday concert Gloria in collaboration with the Concert Choir and Choristers of the Cantabile Girls Choir Program. The concert will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15 in St. Mary’s Cathedral, 25 8th Ave. S., St. Cloud. It features seasonal music, audience carols and narrations, and will conclude with John Rutter’s Gloria for choir, brass, percussion and organ. Paul-Vincent Niebauer, OSB, of St. John’s Abbey is the narrator, and guest instrumentalists are Dale White, Patrick Thorn, Richard Witteman, Carolyn Ritter, Mark Springer, David Peterson, Seth Adams, John Ingman, Erik Barsness and Walter Boyd. General admission tickets may be purchased in advance online at www.greatriverchorale.org or by phone at 320-515-4472. Tickets will be available at the door and the concert venue is handicap accessible.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Central Minnesota Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Senior Connection shows ‘Argo’ Dec. 13

The Sartell Senior Connection will show “Argo,” a thriller based on the rescue of six diplomats from Iran at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13 at 212 3rd Ave. N., Sartell. Free admission. Popcorn will be served for a donation and you provide your own beverage. All ages are welcome. See you at the movies.

Stuffed animal drive set Dec. 15 at fire hall

St Joseph Girl Scout Troop 758 will collect new/gently used stuffed animals to be donated to the Salvation Army from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. These stuffed animals will be distributed to homeless children as they check into the shelter, and will be theirs to cuddle with and keep.

‘Christmas in the Barn’ set Dec. 23, 24

A ‘Very Merry Prep Christmas’ to help children in need Dec. 16

Community meal available Dec. 21

A community meal of hot chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and a cookie will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 610 CR 2, St. Joseph, or at the Avon City Hall, 140 Stratford St., Avon. Delivery is also available. If you know of someone who could benefit from this service, please call Angela at 320-845-7789, or the Revs. Linda at 320-363-4232 or Jeff at 320-356-9220. Help us spread the cheer!

Administrative assistant

Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota are looking for volunteers to help in the administrative office. Responsibilities include operating multi-use phone, data entry, filing, customer service and other duties as assigned. Ability to follow instructions accurately, keyboarding and professionalism are a must. Volunteers must complete a criminal background check prior to starting your volunteer experience. Contact Bethany Theisen, Boys and Girls Club, at 320-257-5115.

Holiday donations needed for mothers, babies

New Beginnings is a home for single pregnant women and their babies. Their mission is to provide a safe, secure residence for the women and babies while fostering self-esteem, educational growth, and skills of living, parenting and decision-making. New Beginnings is in special need of the following donations: 2014 planners or calendars; winter baby clothes (12 months-3 years); infant toys (infant-24 month); gift cards to Walmart, Walgreens, Kohls, Home Depot or Target; new infant monitors; new infant car seats; St. Cloud movie theater passes; video rental certificates; gift cards for hair salons; robes; winter jackets; and in-state long distance phone cards. Donations can be dropped off at any time. You will receive a receipt for tax purposes. Contact Jayme, New Beginnings, at 320-255-1252.

Tax site manager trainees, individual tax preparers, tax site assistants

Volunteers are needed at local Volunteers Income Tax Assistants free local tax-site locations to assist as individual tax preparers and tax-site assistants. Tax preparers are responsible for completing individual tax returns for low- to moderate-income individuals and families. No experience required. Tax preparers are required to attend training in mid-January and complete a test as required by the IRS in order to be certified to prepare taxes. A training session will be offered on Saturday, Jan. 18 and three evening sessions, Jan. 21, 22 and 23. If a volunteer cannot attend those sessions, alternate training is available. Tax-site assistants greet customers, screen taxpayers, assist with the sign-in process and insure the tax site runs smoothly. There will be a two-hour training session for tax-site specialists. Sites are open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays, from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The tax service runs from the end of January to mid-April. Volunteers are asked to commit to four hours per week and need to pass a felony background check.

All levels of volunteers needed. No experience necessary and everyone is encouraged to apply – bilingual-speaking individuals, interpreters, high school students, college students, retired persons. Contact Jason Neuerburg, Tri-CAP tax program manager, at 320-257-4505 or taxes@tricap.org.

Big Family for a Little

Big Brothers Big Sisters want Big Families. A Big Family involves an entire family meeting with a Little. This is a great opportunity for a family to volunteer together. The family would be matched with a Little in our community-based program. The family would provide friendship, emotional support and hope to the young person with whom they are matched. The family will meet with their Little three to four times a month. Volunteers must attend an orientation session before becoming a Big Family. They will also fill out an application and complete an interview. The parents in the Big Family must be at least 18 years of age or older and must have completed high school or equivalent. They must have a viable means of transportation, and agree to participate in a background check. Contact Big Brothers Big Sisters at 320-258-4535.

 For more information, contact Mary Krippner, United Way community volunteer coordinator, at 320-223-7991 or mkrippner@unitedwayhelps.org.