St. John’s Prep hosts Discovery Day Jan. 18
Families interested in learning about the innovative curriculum and other opportunities at St. John’s Prep are encouraged to attend the upcoming Discovery Day on Monday, Jan. 18. Students currently in grades 5-11 are welcome to attend classes, meet teachers and students and experience what it’s like to be a part of the St. John’s Prep community. Parents are also invited to attend a special session with faculty and staff. Information about sports, activities and scholarships will be provided.
Guest students arrive before 8 a.m. and are matched with a “host” student for the day. Discovery Day guests are invited to spend the entire day to attend classes and take special tours. Registration for Discovery Day is required. Call us today at 320-363-3339. Due to limited space, we encourage interested families to apply now for the 2016-17 academic year.
Founded in 1857, St. John’s Prep is a Catholic/Benedictine, co-ed, private day and boarding school, providing students of all faiths in grades 6-12, with a college-preparatory curriculum. For more information, visit www.sjprep.net or call 320-363-3339.
Senior Connection hosts balance expert Jan. 12
Paula Woischke, who currently teaches pilates, tai chi for balance and arthritis, yoga, enhanced fitness and showshoeing at the Whitney Senior Center, will speak about the importance of balance and demonstrate simple exercises to help improve balance at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 at the District Service Center, 212 Third Ave. N., Sartell. Sponsored by the Sartell Senior Connection, the event is free; hot cider and goodies will be served after the presentation.
Moonlight Ski set for Jan. 8
The annual Moonlight Ski event, along with a giant toasty bonfire, is set from 6-10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8 at Stearns County Quarry Park, located at 1802 CR 137, Waite Park. Everyone is welcome, and there are no fees. The ski run will become a hiking trek if snow is inadequate. Moonlight Ski is sponsored by Stearns County Parks and the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota.
CentraCare offers stress management course
An eight-week mindfulness-based stress-reduction course, to help participants learn ways to manage the demands and stresses in life and how to live life with increased contentment, will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 26-March 15 in the Meditation Prayer Room at CentraCare Health Plaza. There will also be an all-day retreat from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 5. This clinically proven program is designed for and can be especially helpful to those who experience the following: anxiety and depression, attention deficits, chronic pain and illness, cardiac disease, the demands of care-giving, grief, life transitions, spiritual emptiness and all who find it difficult to establish balance in their everyday lifestyles. For more information or to register, call Patsy Murphy at 320-290-2155 or email patsymurphy@mac.com.
Northstar topic set Jan. 13, 16
The League of Women Voters St. Cloud Area will conduct its next unit meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 13 in the Bremer Room of the St. Cloud Regional Library. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. and the topic is the Northstar Commuter Rail Extension. An alternate meeting on the same topic will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 16 at Dunn Brothers Coffee, St. Cloud. The League welcomes anyone who is interested in engaging in discussion of this important regional topic.
Family Fun Night held at Pleasantview Elementary
A Family Fun Night, sponsored by the Pleasantview Elementary Parent-Teacher Advisory Council, will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29 at Pleasantview Elementary School, 1009 Sixth Ave. N., Sauk Rapids.
Heartland Hospice seeks volunteers
Heartland Hospice is looking for caring and dedicated people with an interest in serving terminally ill patients and their families in Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St. Joseph and the outlying communities. Volunteers provide services such as friendly visiting, pet therapy, musical enrichment, errand running and clerical services. Volunteer classes are available to fit each person’s schedule. Please call Keshia Kettler-Herrmann at Heartland Hospice at 320-654-1136 for further information.
United Way Volunteer Opportunities
Kids Fighting Hunger – Only a few spots left!
Kids Fighting Hunger is excited to announce MLK Day of Service at St. Cloud State University scheduled for Jan. 18. The event will take place in Garvey Commons on the St. Cloud State Campus located at 577 First Ave. S., St Cloud. This event is designed to give 300+ people in our community a chance to help provide food to the Sierra Leone region to aid families impacted by the Ebola outbreak last year. Contact Mary Krippner, community engagement coordinator, at 320-223-7991.
Be a hero. Make a difference.
Does your dog love getting attention and giving affection? CentraCare Health needs Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) volunteers to visit Hospice patients in their home or patients at CentraCare Health Plaza or St. Cloud Hospital. AAT visits have been shown to reduce anxiety, reduce pain, improve deep breathing, and improve emotional and mental wellbeing. Contact CentraCare Volunteer Office at 320-255-5638 or visit www.centracare.com/volunteer.
RSVP Reader’s Theater Cast Member
Join RSVP enthusiastic Reader’s Theatre Cast Members as they share their passion of reading with grade-school-aged children. Volunteers (ages 55 and better) bring stories to life by reading from scripts using their voices to convey the emotion and fun from many classic children’s stories such as Dr. Seuss stories and Shel Silverstein poems. Reader’s Theater volunteers perform as a group for students in kindergarten through third grade in Sartell, Sauk Rapids, Rice, St. Joseph, St. Cloud, Waite Park and Foley on Thursday and Friday mornings during the school year (October-May). This flexible position allows volunteers to choose which Thursdays and/or Fridays they are available to perform each month at local schools or community events. Volunteers may also be called upon to participate in rehearsals, choose age-appropriate scripts, and make group decisions with the interest of the audience and the promotion of literacy in mind. Volunteers will also participate in monthly performance planning meetings held on the last Monday of each month (September-May) from 1-2 p.m. at Whitney Senior Center. Do not miss this opportunity to merge your love for reading and the future of our community’s children as we provide the magic of creativity and imagination to local students. Contact Jennifer Wucherer, RSVP program coordinator at 320-255-7295.
Volunteer program assistant sought
The position is a multi task job where you will learn and assist in many of our programs such as: Food Shelf, Community Lunch, Coat Give Away and Christmas Toy Shop. As a volunteer program assistant, you will assist clients with forms as needed, record items, and general office tasks of copying, answering phones, stuffing envelopes and general assistance to those who come into the lobby. You may be sorting coats and clothes, washing, hanging up, boxing up and placing in proper areas. The time and shifts can be very flexible, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Generally there is a morning shift of 8 a.m.-noon and afternoon shift of noon-4 p.m., and we would like a commitment of two shifts per week but will work with the volunteers’ schedule of time. Contact Shannon Smithers, the Salvation Army, at 320-252-4552.
Junior Achievement – Over 100 volunteers still needed!
Each year, Junior Achievement in the St. Cloud area partners with community volunteers to deliver programs to local classrooms in our schools. By sharing their personal and professional experiences and skills, volunteers help students make the connection between what they are learning in school and what they will need to succeed in work and life. The time commitment is minimal, scheduling is flexible and training is provided. Depending on the age of the students, volunteers make between five and seven visits to their classroom. Each visit lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. Volunteers select a local classroom in which they want to work and are provided a packet of materials, which contains detailed lesson plans and hands-on activities to engage the students. As a volunteer, you will help local students learn the value of controlling their own financial future, while they acquire the important life skills of communication, teamwork, critical thinking and decision making. Contact Alli Nepsund, Junior Achievement, at 320-310-2165.
For more information, contact Mary Krippner, United Way volunteer engagement coordinator, at 320-223-7991 or mkrippner@unitedwayhelps.org.
