School Boards

Bellmore meetings. The Bellmore Board of Education meets every third Tuesday of the month in the library of the Charles A. Reinhard Early Childhood Center at 8 P.M. North Bellmore Board of Education meets at 8 P.M. every second Thursday of the month. Meetings are held at the North Bellmore district administration office.

Merrick meetings. Every second and fourth Tuesday, the Merrick Board of Education meets at 8 P.M. at the Norman J. Levy Lakeside School. The North Merrick School District meets every second Tuesday of the month at 8 P.M. at the Harold D. Fayette School.

High schools. The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School Board of Education meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month at 8 P.M at Brookside High School. Call 623-8900 for more information.

Religious news

Sacred Heart Church, on Merrick Avenue in North Merrick, offers Masses Monday-Friday at 6:30 A.M. and 8:30 A.M; Saturday's at 8:30 A.M.Sunday services are offered on Saturday at 5 P.M. and Sunday at 7:30 A.M., 8:45 A.M., 10 A.M. 11:15 A.M. 12:30 A.M., and 5 P.M. Rosary Altar Society meetings are held at Sacred Heart on the first Monday after the first Sunday of the month at 8 P.M. in the school meeting room. All are welcome to attend.

Eucharistic Celebrations. The Parish of Saint Barnabas the Apostle, 2320 Bedford Avenue, Bellmore, offers Masses Monday-Friday at 6:30 A.M. and 9:00 A.M.,Saturday at 8:00 A.M. and Sunday at 7 A.M., 9A.M, 10:30 A.M., Noon, and 5 P.M. Vigil masses are Saturday at 5 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. A Family Mass is celebrated at 10:00 A.M. in the Holy Family Chapel.

Christian Joy. Christian Joy Fellowship, located at 36 Broadway in Bellmore, offers services on Sunday at 10 A.M. for adults and children and Thursday at 7:30 P.M. for adults. Office hours are available Monday through Friday from 10:15 A.M. to 6:15 P.M. The Word Shoppe at Christian Joy Fellowship is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 A.M. to 6 P.M. For more information, call 781-4JOY.

Holiday schedule. The Christmas worship schedule for St. John Lutheran Church in Bellmore will be as follows: Sunday, Dec. 24 - Worship, 9 A.M and Holy Communion at 7 P.M. and 11 P.M.; Monday, Dec. 25 - Joint Service of Holy Communion at St. John's, Merrick, at 10 A.M. For more information call 785-4331. St. John is located at 2150 Centre Avenue in Bellmore.

senior Spotlight

Friendly Seniors. St. Barnabas Apostle Church in Bellmore holds its Friendly Seniors meetings the first and third Tuesday of the month at 1 P.M. in the school cafeteria. For more information, call 785-0054.

Bellmore Center. The Bellmore Senior Center offers a variety of special services and activities including Bingo, crafts, billiards, group discussions, line dancing and card games Lunch is also available on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for only $1.50. Call 221-9696 for more information.

AARP. The Bellmore-Merrick Chapter of AARP meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30 P.M. in the Mepham High School cafeteria, located on Camp Avenue one block west of Newbridge Road, Bellmore. The public is invited to attend and new members are welcome. The next meeting is set for Thursday, Dec. 14. Call 794-8924 for information.

Library Seniors meet every Monday from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. in the community room of the Bellmore Memorial Public Library. The club offers arts and crafts sessions, programs on health and safety as well as general coffee and fellowship, films and parties. All activities are open to any adult in the community over the age of 50. For more information, contact Patti Paris at 785-2990.

Merrick seniors. The Merrick Senior Center will meet at Lido Beach Monday through Friday. The Center offers lunch daily. Upcoming events include bowling, dance class, ping pong, cards and games, nutrition set-up and current events. For more information, call the Town of Hempstead Department of Senior Enrichment at 485-8100.

Support Groups

Substance help. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are held every Thursday evening and Alanon meetings are held every Sunday evening in the school cafeteria of St. Barnabas Church in Bellmore. All meetings start at 7:30 P.M.

Mothers helping mothers. The Sunrise Mother's Center, a non-profit, nonsectarian, member-run organization of mothers helping mother. The center is a place for mothers to meet, share experiences and develop new or existing skills. Discussion groups, committee work and special events, as well as a Time for Two program for children ages 12 months to three years old and their caregivers are also available. Quality, affordable childcare is also available for mothers attending discussion groups. For more information, call Jodi at 781-4740.

Interfaith support. FEGS Long Island Division is offering a free five-week group for family members of interfaith couples. FEGS is at 6900 Jericho Trnpk., Syosset. For more information or to register, call 496-7550.

Self-Help. Recovery, Inc., a self-help mental-health community organization helping people deal with fear, depression and anxiety, meets every Wednesday evening at 7:30 P.M. in Room 11 of the St. Francis DeChantel School at 1309 Wantagh Avenue. in Wantagh. For more information, call Recovery, Inc.'s 24-hour hotline at 733-5622.

Community support

Cars for kids. Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Long Island is looking for unwanted cars. They will accept almost any car, and the title must be handed over at the time of pickup. For more information, call 1-800-859-6526.

Catholic Charities. Does your food budget stretch as far as you would like? Are you having problems making ends meet? If you are pregnant , up to one year post partum or have children under six, Catholic Charities Food and Nutrition (FAN) Program may be able to help. Free nutritious supplemental food is available monthly for those who meet financial eligibility requirements. Infants on the program receive a free monthly supply of formula each month. For more information, call 623-4568.

Volunteers needed. The Long Island Crisis Center in Bellmore, which serves all Nassau County youth and their families, is looking for people to help with the center's 7-day/24-hour confidential hotline, help in the office and help counselors. For more information, call 826-0244or visit the Long Island Crisis Center's Web site at www.licrisiscenter.org.

AHRC volunteers. The Nassau Association for the Help of Retarded Children (AHRC) is seeking volunteers to help adults with developmental disabilities fill grocery lists, teach knitting and crocheting, and to help an adult with developmental disabilities improve their reading skills. The program is held in Plainview, Farmingdale, Massapequa and Glen Cove, Monday-Friday from 9:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Call Susan Brody-Wood at 626-1000 ext. 1313 for more information.

Community Groups

Merrick Kiwanis. The Kiwanis Club of Merrick, serving the community for more than 50 years, is looking for motivated people to serve Merrick and its citizens. The public is invited to attend the club's weekly Thursday evening dinner meeting at 6:45 at the Merrick Mall Restaurant. For more information, contact membership Chairman Robert Rivere at 623-7092.

Legion 1282. Merrick Post 1282 of the American Legion meets every third Tuesday of the month at 8 P.M. For more information, please contact Tom Riordan, commander, at 546-8765.

Sons of Italy. Giovanni Caboto Lodge 2372. "The Family Lodge" in Bellmore, meets every third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 P.M. at the Bellmore Exempt Hall on Petit Avenue in Bellmore. New members are always welcome. Call Tommasa Dato, president, at 735-9875 for more information.

Legion 1749. The Executive Committee of the North Bellmore American Legion, Post 1749, Inc. meets on Mondays at 7:30 P.M. For more information, call Herb Friedman at 781-2043.

Bellmore libraries

AARP driving course.The Bellmore Memorial Library will offer an AARP safe driving course on Wednesday, Jan. 10 and 17 from 10:30 A.M. to 3 P.M. and on Saturday, Feb. 3 from 10:30 A.M. to 5 P.M. The fee for the AARP class is $10 per person. For more information call the Bellmore Library at 785-2990.

Babysitting class. Joan Tanck, R.N. will present a babysitting class for young adults on Thursday, Jan. 18 from 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M., at the North Bellmore Public Library. Registration is $2 per person and each participant must bring a cabbage patch or similar doll to class. For more information, call the North Bellmore Library at 785-6260.

Chess Club. New players are welcome to join the North Bellmore Library's Chess Club. The Club is aimed at students in fourth through 12th grade and is tailored to all levels of play, from beginner to experienced. Sessions will be held from 7 P.M. to 8 P.M. on Tuesdays, Jan. 16 and 30, Feb. 13 and 27 and Mar. 13 and 27. Registration begins on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 9:30 A.M. Out-of-district patrons are invited to put their names on a waiting list in the case the program is not full. For more information call 785-6260.

Fun 'n games.Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 10 from 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. at the North Bellmore Public Library. Boys and girls in fifth through eighth are welcome to attend for a magical evening of Harry Potter games and activities, a special dessert and discussion of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling. Cartoon illustrator David Miller will also be present to help participants to draw their favorite characters from the Harry Potter series. Pick up a copy of the book when you register. Out-of-district patrons are invited to put their names on a waiting list in case the program is not full. For more information call 785-6260.

Pet care. The North Bellmore Public Library invites children and their families to attend a Family Pet Care Program on Sunday, Jan 28 at 2 P.M. The program will be given by a volunteer from the Pioneers for Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and will include information about pet care and pet safety, a film and a live animal. Registration is not required. Call 785-6260 for information.

Lion craft.The North Bellmore Public Library will hold a "lion craft" workshop, in conjunction with its Winter Reading Club: Lion Around Reading Books, on Monday, Feb. 5. Participants will hear the story of Dandelion by Don Freeman and create their own lion to take home. Children ages 3-5 may attend at either 10 A.M. or 1:30 P.M. Children in kindergarten through third grade may attend at 3:30 P.M. In person registration will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

Lapel pins. Create your own unique jewelry at the North Bellmore Public Library's polymer clay workshop in Saturday, Jan. 27 from 10A.M.-12:30 P.M. Carole Cohen will guide participants through the techniques for using translucent, gold leaf and colored polymer-based clays to create unique patterns and organic designs for one-of-a-kind lapel pins. A $5 material fees is due at registration. Participants should bring a smooth drinking glass to use as a rolling pin and a small jewelry box to carry pins home. Call 785-6260 for information.

Merrick Libraries

Library Hours. The Merrick Library's is open Monday through Friday 9:30 A.M to 9 P.M.,Saturday 9:30 A.M. to 1 P.M. and Sunday, 1P.M. to 5 P.M.

Internet course. The Merrick Library will offer classes for Merokeans interested in learning how to search the Internet. Each participant will be shown how to establish a free e-mail account. The class fee is $5 and registration will be held at the Reference Desk. Call 379-3476 for information.

Learn to quilt. The North Merrick Public Library will host a four-session beginners quilting workshop at 7:30 P.M. on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 31 and Feb. 7 and 21. During the workshop, you will learn the quilting techniques needed to quilt by hand, machine or a combination of both. The fee for all four classes is $10, payable by check only to the North Merrick Library, and due at registration. Class size is limited. Call 378-7474 for information.

Film presentation. The Merrick Library will present "The End of the Affair"on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 2:30 P.M. and Monday, Jan. 15 at 1 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. The film is rated R and has a running time of 105 minutes. Call 378-7474 for information.

Chinese customs. Norman Chang, "the Traveling GOurmet,"will explain the history, arts and traditions of China on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 2:30 P.M. at the Merrick LIbrary. Participants will sample dishes prepared during the session. The program celebrates the Chinese New Year, Jan. 24. Call 379-3476 for information.

Tour the Guggenheim. The North Merrick Library will hold an art/slide presentation of Spain's newest museum, The Guggenheim in Bilbao, on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 1:30 P.M. Call 378-7474 for more information.

Video drop box. The North Merrick Public has recently installed a video drop box to be used ONLY when the library is closed. Videos returned after library hours on date due will still be subject to late charges. For more information call 378-7474.

Reassessment program. The New York Civil Liberties Union will present a program entitled "Reassessment - How Will it Affect You" on Monday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 P.M. at the North Merrick Library. Call 378-7474 for information.