Make a Difference for Dec. 4, 2016

EVENTS

• St. Louis County Historical Society and its Veterans Memorial Hall Program will host their annual Veterans remembrance dinner from 5-8 p.m. Thursday in the Great Hall of the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center, 506 W. Michigan St. The dinner theme will be "The Man Behind the Medal: The Story of Duluth's Native Son, Major Henry Courtney Jr."
Event activities include a social hour, a presentation by retired Delta Air Lines captain Michael Stainbrook and Northwest Airlines captain Court Storey, and the presentation of the Mike Colalillo Medal of Honor Scholarship.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Veterans Memorial Hall or by calling (218) 733-7586. Event proceeds will support the VMHP.

• Duluth Area Horse Trail Alliance and Friends of Magney-Snively will have a beer and wine tasting event from 3-6 p.m. Sunday to raise money for the reopening of the horse trails at Magney-Snively on Spirit Mountain. The fundraiser will include raffle drawings and takes place at Clyde Iron Works, 2902 W. Michigan St. For questions, contact June Breneman at (218) 348-5886 or jk_878@hotmail.com .

• Memorial Blood Centers will offer the following blood drives across the Northland. Call (888) GIVE-BLD (448-3253) or go to mbc.org for eligibility guidelines and to schedule an appointment.

Today: 8 a.m. to noon, Peace United Church of Christ, 1111 N. 11th Ave., Duluth.

Monday: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., College of St. Scholastica, 1200 Kenwood Ave., Duluth.
Tuesday: 4-6:30 p.m., Lakeview Covenant Church, 1001 Jean Duluth Road, Duluth.
Tuesday: 3-6 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 230 E. Skyline Parkway, Duluth.
Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Duluth city employees, 313 City Hall, Duluth.
Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., United Methodist Church, 1701 Fifth Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids.
Tuesday: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Woodland Hills, 4321 Allendale Ave., Duluth.
Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Northwestern High School, 4751 County Road F, Maple.
Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Min No Aya Win Human Services, 927 Trettel Lane, Cloquet.
Thursday: 8 a.m. to noon, Boswell Energy Center, 1210 N.W. Third St., Cohasset.

Thursday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lake Superior College, 2101 Trinity Road, Duluth.
Thursday: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Kolar Toyota, 4781 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth.

Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Proctor High School, 131 Ninth Ave.
Friday: 9 a.m. to noon, Halvor Lines, 217 Grand Ave., Superior.

DONATIONS APPRECIATED

• Anishinaabe O'De and All Nations Indigenous Center seeks donations of thermal blankets, Ibuprofen, and cough drops and syrup for the Dakota Access Pipeline protesters in Standing Rock, N.D. Items can be brought to the center at 320 E. Second St. in Duluth. For questions, call (218) 727-8360 or email anishinaabeodeallnations@aol.com .

• Secret Forest Play School in Duluth seeks end-of-the-year gift donations to support the construction of a permanent indoor cabin classroom on its campus. Donations in any amount can be made online at generosity.com. For questions, visit secretforestplayschool.com or contact Meghan Morrow at (651) 238-1921 or secretforestplayschool@gmail.com .

• Lutheran Social Service Crisis Nursery's annual December Diaper Drive continues through Dec. 31. The nursery gives out a total of 25,000 diapers throughout the year to families in need. This year, LSS especially needs diapers in large sizes 4, 5 and 6 as well as pull-on styles.
Diaper drop-off sites include: Duluth Children's Museum, Sam's Club, Art in the Alley at Miller Hill Mall, Bent Paddle Brewing, Duluth Grill, Head of the Lakes United Way, Lake Superior Magazine, LSS Crisis Nursery, Marshall Hardware, North Shore Bank of Commerce, Pro Print of Duluth, St. Louis County Auditor's Service Center, Super One Foods, University of Minnesota Duluth's Kirby Center and Center for Economic Development, and Zahn Investment Group. Checks or gift cards can be sent to the administrative office at LSS Crisis Nursery, 424 W. Superior St., 204, Duluth, MN 55802, and please note "December Diaper Drive." For more information, email diaperdrive@aol.com or call (218) 728-1445.

• As part of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's Big Bundle Up campaign, Superior-Douglas County Visitors Bureau is collecting new and gently-used coats, sweaters, hats, mittens and other winter clothing items through Jan. 2. Clothing dropped at the visitors bureau at 305 E. Second St. will be donated to Northwest Community Action. Other drop-off locations can be found at travelwisconsin.com. Contact Nikki Farmakes for more information at (715) 394-7716 or nikky.farmakes@superiorchamber.org .

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

• Power Lunch Reading Program needs volunteers to read with children in Cloquet public schools through March. Power Lunch is a literacy-based mentoring program aimed at building reading skills and a love of reading among elementary students. Volunteers are partnered with first- and second-grade students at Churchill and Washington Elementary Schools in Cloquet and read with their partners one hour per week. Volunteers receive a complimentary lunch. For more information, contact (218) 879-3308 or ajones@isd94.org .

• American Legion Post 262 seeks new volunteers, veterans and active-duty military to mentor youth and advocate patriotism and devotion to fellow service members in the community. Legion volunteers help run American Legion baseball, Boys' and Girls' State and programs, post-prom parties, scholarships, pool teams, a winter cribbage league, a smear league and veteran service projects. Call (218) 879-3204 or visit the clubroom at 1216 Cloquet Ave. in Cloquet for details.

• Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank seeks many volunteers to help keep things at the food bank running smoothly. Call Jill Ruthford at (218) 727-5653, ext. 110, or email jill@northernlakesfoodbank.org for information.
At the warehouse, volunteers are needed to prepare some of the more than 950 boxes of commodity food that is distributed to in-need mothers, children and seniors throughout the region as part of the Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors and Mother and Children programs.
Volunteers can also help prepare the nearly 1,000 bags of ready-to-eat food that is distributed to children in the region through the BackPack Program. This requires regular packing of foods into 1,000 small bags.
Both volunteer opportunities require the ability to stand, lift and bend, and follow warehouse safety procedures. Evening hours are available.
At the Kids' Café, volunteers will provide a fun food activity to children, read a food related book, prepare a recipe, work in the garden or just interact with children participating in Duluth's Kids Café programs at Damiano of Duluth. Volunteers are needed after school Monday through Friday when school is in session, and midday when school is out. Must be qualified by Kids Café agency and enjoy children.

• The following are volunteer opportunities supported by Head of the Lakes United Way Volunteer Center. Visit volunteerduluth.org to view opportunities from all affiliates.
Boys & Girls Club of Duluth seeks adult volunteers with experience using recording studio equipment to help run a music program for Club teens. Volunteers will work with new Apple recording equipment, guitars, a piano and drums. Volunteers can contact Emily Johnson for more information at (218) 725-7706 or ejohnson@bgcnorth.org .
The Foster Grandparent Program is recruiting volunteers to serve as tutors and mentors in the Duluth/Superior/Cloquet areas at public and parochial schools. Foster Grandparents do a variety of activities with children from helping with homework, teaching to read, one-on-one tutoring, and guiding children at critical times in their lives. Volunteers who serve also assist with literacy and math skills, social and emotional skills, and act as mentors.
Foster Grandparent Program volunteers are men and women who must be 55 years or older and volunteer between 15 to 40 hours per week. They receive a small, tax-free stipend, transportation assistance, training, vacation and sick leave, recognition, social activities, and the satisfaction of knowing that they've made a difference in the life of a child.
To volunteer or for more information call (715) 394-5384 or (888) 338-6492, or email fgp@ccbsuperior.org .