Junior Ranger Day will be observed

SHARPSBURG, Md. -Please join the staff of the Antietam National Battlefield on April 23 for Junior Ranger Day.

Children ages 12 and younger will be able to participate in special programs, interact with volunteers portraying Civil War soldiers and have the opportunity to become Junior Park Rangers.

Schedule of Events:

10 a.m. Junior Park Ranger Activity

Meets in front of the park visitor center. Children (and their parents) will complete the Junior Park Ranger Activity Books. Park rangers and park volunteers will be available to help. Upon completion, children will receive a Junior Park Ranger Badge and Certificate with their name on it.

11 a.m. Civil War Soldier Program

Meets at the New York State Monument near the visitor center. Living historians portraying Civil War soldiers will enlist the children into the army, teach them how a soldier marched, and discuss the life of the common soldier.

11:30 a.m. Artillery Program

Meets at the New York State Monument near the visitor center. Students will learn about Civil War Artillery. They will serve on an artillery detachment loading and “firing” the cannon. This program will end with a bang when our living history volunteer group fires the cannon for the children.

There is no cost for these programs. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 301-432-4567.

Caregivers’ Golf Classic set May 6

Good Shepherd Caregivers is hosting its 18th annual Caregivers’ Golf Classic on May 6 at Cress Creek Golf and Country Club.

Various sponsorship levels are available in our Caregiver’s Business Council – become a sponsor today. Tee box advertising is only $100, as is the golfer entry fee.

Come enjoy a fun-filled day on the green with us and take a shot at our hole-in-one prize – a 2011 Ford Fusion, sponsored by Thomassen Ford Mercury.

Your support provides volunteer caregiving to the home-based elderly and/or disabled residents in Jefferson County to promoting security, independence and well-being.

Contact Good Shepherd Caregivers at 304-876-3325 or www.gsivc.org to download an entry form.

United Way issues survey

MARTINSBURG – In order to strengthen United Way’s relationship with community members, it is asking for their feedback by completing a short survey.

The 20-question survey asks question about how and why people choose to give. United Way of the Eastern Panhandle is encouraging everyone to participate.

As a way to thank respondents, survey participants will be asked if they would like to be entered in a random drawing for a $50 ROCs Gift Card, donated by Centra Bank, to be used for gas or other purchases at any ROCs location.

Survey responses are due by April 22 and will remain completely anonymous. Publication of the results will be posted on United Way’s web site.

For more information or to view the survey log on to www.UWayEP.org.

To request a paper copy, call the United Way office at 304-263-0603.

Men’s Club set to feature ramps

“Local Edibles” will be the theme of the April 20 monthly dinner program at the Shepherdstown Men’s Club and it will feature ramps served up in a variety of ways.

While most of the other items on the menu will not be “from the wild,” they will certainly be locally grown or produced, including bacon, eggs, potatoes, honey and jams, corn bread and a variety of desserts.

Club members and anyone from the public who would like to attend will be entertained by blue grass music provided by The Fox Hunt, a group of Eastern Panhandle entertainers.

There will be a static display of local foods and an informal discussion. To make the evening complete there will also a photography exhibit on the first floor of the War Memorial Building provided by Kim Bowen and Turtle Clingenpeel.

The cocktail hour will begin upstairs at 6:30 p.m. giving everyone a chance to visit. The dinner will be served at 7 p.m. and the music and discussion of local edibles will conclude about 8:30 p.m.

The price of admission is $12 per person for Men’s Club members and $15 for the general public.

RSVP by noon on April 18 so there will be enough food for all. Please call 304-876-3323 and press option 2 or email rsvp@smc25443.org to make the reservations.

For more information, visit SMC25443.org or call SMC President Mike Austin at 304-876-0598.

Teens sought for volunteer program

MARTINSBURG?- Applications for the Junior Volunteer Program at both City Hospital and Jefferson Memorial Hospital, members of West Virginia University Hospitals-East, are currently available.

Interested teens must be age 14 as of January 2011 and are eligible to participate in the program through the summer of their high school graduation. The program will begin in June following the conclusion of the school year and run through the month of August.

Applications for the Junior Volunteer Program at City Hospital are available at the Information Desk in the Hospital’s Main Lobby or by calling Christy Polak at 304-264-1000, ext. 3041. Applications for the Junior Volunteer Program at Jefferson Memorial Hospital may be obtained by calling Jeanne DeGennaro at 304-728-1677.

Applications must be received by May 2 for consideration in the 2011 program. As a limited number of Junior Volunteer openings are available, it may not be possible to accommodate all applicants.

Events set around book

The Shepherd University faculty, staff, and students, as well as Shepherdstown community members, voted for “This I Believe,” edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman as Shepherd’s Common Reading selection for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The book features 80 Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought, “This I believe.” The book features Colin Powell, Gloria Steinem and Bill Gates. Allison, the host and curator of “This I Believe” is an independent broadcasting journalist. His work appears often on NPR and has earned him five Peabody Awards.

Throughout the academic year, events will be built around the book including panels, movies, discussion groups, an essay contest, and lectures in order to expand on topics in the book.

For more information on the Common Reading and One Book, One Community Program, contact Judi McIntyre at 304-876-5396.