IN & AROUND GREENE

Contributed Article
Published: May 22, 2008

May 22
Will your child be four years old on or before Sept. 30? Does your family have a financial need and cannot send your four-year-old to preschool? Do you, or does a physician, have concerns about your child’s development? You might qualify for the county’s state funded preschool program; pick up an application at any county elementary school. Contact Kaki Payne at 985-5279 with questions.

May 23
Members of the community are welcome to attend William Monroe High School’s annual Senior Awards Ceremony on May 23 at 8:30 a.m. Throughout the year, seniors have been offered over 86 scholarships by the guidance department, local businesses and various colleges. Over $180,000 in scholarships has been awarded to date and we look for more to come as May draws to a close. If your group or organization is awarding a scholarship this year and is willing to participate, please contact Ms. Angelina Santus at 434-985-5281 or email to . Thank you for helping us share in the students’ excitement as they begin the next phase of their lives.

May 24
The 2008 Spring Hill Baptist Church Tour de Greene will be held Saturday, May 24. The run, walk and kid dash events start at 8 a.m. at Dover Foxcroft Farm and the bike rides are 25, 41 and 62 miles and start at 7:30 a.m.; parking at Spring Hill Baptist Church. Come and join Spring Hill at Dover Foxcroft Farm, as we run and bike our way to a better education for Greene County. All proceeds benefit the Greene County Education Foundation and Habitat for Humanity of Greene. Apply online at http://www.springhillbaptist.org/2008-Tour-de-Greene.174.0.html

May 26
Monday, May 26, from 3-6 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 636 Madison Road, Rt. 230, Stanardsville, the Greene County American Legion Post #128 will be hosting a Memorial Day barbecue dinner, which is free to all active duty military or military veterans and family who are residents of Greene County. For others cost is $6.50 for adults and $3.50 for children. Menu includes barbecued pork sandwiches, beans, slaw, chips, hot dogs for the children, cake, pie, cookies and drinks. Entertainment provided by Courtney Hollow Band, a bluegrass band from Madison.

May 30
On Friday, May 30 the William Monroe Middle School eighth grade dance will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Eligible eighth graders can purchase tickets for $8 from their Core 1 teacher. Viva Las Vegas! is the theme, so play your cards right and join your classmates at this year’s dance. Parents interested in volunteering please call the school office at 985-5240.

May 31
The Circle of Friends and Bumblebees and Butterflies youth groups at Stanardsville United Methodist Church will be offering something new at its annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday, May 31. The children and adults will be hosting activities including a cupcake walk, tattoo station, nail-painting and slushies. Games include a duck pond, water balloon relay, putt-putt, beanbag toss and more. The activities will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; join us for some summer fun.

Through May
During the month of May the Greene County Food Bank is requesting donations of cereal. Donations can be dropped off at Social Services at 10009 Spotswood Trail (old Rt. 33) Stanardsville, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Your tax-deductible money donations to the food bank can be mailed to the Woman’s Club of Greene County, P.O. Box 352, Stanardsville, VA 22973. For more information, contact Nancy at 985-5063.

During the month of May, the Madison-Greene Humane Society is offering free spays/neuters for feral cats (cats that cannot be handled). To schedule an appointment for these surgeries, call 540-948-3191. The Humane Society also has other low-cost spay/neuter programs available and will be happy to discuss those programs with those who are interested.

June 3
The Ruckersville Citizens Council will meet Tuesday, June 3 in Ruckersville Fire Hall at 7 p.m. Guest speaker for the meeting will be Harrison Rue, Executive Director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. He will provide information regarding the transportation planning grant recently awarded by the Virginia Department of Transportation for Greene County. This will be followed by the usual roundtable discussion. If you have questions about our organization call 985-3870 or check website at: http://www.orgsites.com/va/ruckersvillecitizens/index.html

Tuesday, June 3 from 5-6:30 p.m. at Sage Moon Gallery, 420 E. Main Street, learn what the Center for Nonprofit Excellence is all about while you network with community leaders and nonprofit professionals. This event is free and open to the public, although RSVP is requested at ().

June 5
The Greene Library Book Discussion Group meets Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m.  to discuss “The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse” by Louise Erdich; As a priest nears the end of his life, he is asked to prove or disprove the sainthood of a woman he knows well and struggles to guard his own secret identity in the process.

June 14
Spring Hill Baptist Church is holding a car show and chili cook-off Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you have a classic car, truck or motorcycle you would like to display at the show or if you would like to compete in the chili cook-off call Tom at (434) 985-2780.

June 28
The 25th class reunion of William Monroe High School Class of 1983 will have a cookout on June 28. For more information contact Sherri Herring Huff at 985-6989 or Jeff Brill at 981-0020.

June 28, Sept. 11, Nov. 13
Blood is needed! The Women’s Committee of Greene County Farm Bureau is sponsoring the following blood drives in 2008. On June 28 from 9 a.m.-12-noon in parking lot of Vo-Tech School; Sept. 11 from 3-7 p.m. and Nov. 13 from 3-7 p.m. inside Stanardsville Firehouse. Please donate - you just may save a life.

Through June
Applications for the 2008-2009 school year are now being accepted for the Skyline CAP Head Start program in Greene County, open to preschool children three to five years old. Children must have turned at least three years of age by Sept. 30. Those with special needs are encouraged to apply. Skyline CAP Head Start is a free program for income eligible families. The only cost to parents is a small amount of your time each month. For more information on the Greene County program, please call Jennie Sherrill at 985-6930.

August 23
Attention WMHS Class of 98! William Monroe High School Class of 1998 will be celebrating their 10-year class reunion Saturday, Aug. 23. Please e-mail . with your name (if married include maiden name,) phone number and address or visit http://www.geocities.com/wmhs1998reunion/ for more information.

NOTICES
Drug abuse and addiction affects school-aged children in many ways. Some kids live with an addicted family member while others have started using themselves. If you suspect that someone is struggling with addiction, call Narconon Arrowhead today. Narconon offers free addiction counseling, assessments and referrals to rehabilitation centers nationwide. Call 800-468-6933 or log on to http://www.stopaddiction.com to speak to a qualified counselor today.

Are you a teen Mom? Have you heard of teen MOPS? We are planning a new Teen Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group in Orange. If you are interested in helping with or joining this new group, contact Gail Gibson at or (540) 661-1310. The meetings will be held at Grace Community Church, 105 North Madison Road, Orange.

Join us for Preschool Storytime at Greene County Library every Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. for ages 2-5 with siblings welcome. Enjoy lots of stories, songs, finger-plays and puppet shows, with a craft each week that your child can take home. No registration necessary.

The Greene County Taxpayers hold monthly meetings the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. For more info call 985-4530 or 985-3794