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, celebrates Masses Monday-Friday at 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.; Saturday's at 8:30 a.m. Sunday Masses 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.
Holy Name Society meetings are held the second Monday, after the second Sunday of the month. All are welcome to attend.
St. Barnabas. The Parish of Saint Barnabas the Apostle, 2320 Bedford Ave., Bellmore, celebrates Masses Monday-Friday at 6:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.,Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and Sunday at 7 a.m., 9 a.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 a.m. in the Holy Family Chapel.Call 785-0054.
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.-6:15 p.m. The Word Shoppe at Christian Joy Fellowship is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call 781-4JOY.

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 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. Weekday events include current events on Tuesdays and a humanities discussion on Thursday. 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 next meeting is scheduled for September 13 and will feature a lecturer from Trader Joe's gourmet and specialists food shop. Refreshments will be served. The public is invited to attend and new members are welcome. Call 785-3337 for information.
Library Seniors meet every Monday from 1-4 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 information, contact Patti Paris at 785-2990.
Merrick seniors. The Merrick Senior Center meets at CLubhouse Road every 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 information, call the 431-6930.

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.
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 Tpke., Syosset. For 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 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.-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 p.m. 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, 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

SAT review. The North Bellmore library will offer an SAT review class in preparation for the November exam on Thursdays, Sept. 20, Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25 and Nov. 1 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. There is a $50 registration fee, and space is limited. Registration is under way at the Reference Desk. Make checks payable to B. Davidson. Call 785-6260 for information.
Bus trip. Registration is under way for the Bellmore Library's fall bus trip to Foxwoods Casino or the Mashantucket Pequot Museum on Thursday, Nov. 14. The cost is $20, plus you will receive a $10 food credit and $5 Keno). For more information call 785-2990.
Financial aid. Financial aid specialist Barry Fox will present "How to Beat the High Cost of College" at the Bellmore Library on Thursday, September 20 from 7:30-9 p.m. This free program will interest parents of 11th and 12th graders as well as independent students and will include step-by-step strategies for filling out the Financial Aid Form (FAFSA), planning a needs analysis and negotiating with financial aid officers. Free tickets can be picked up at the reference desk. Call 785-2990.

Merrick Libraries

Library hours. The Merrick Library is now operating on winter hours; Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. These hours will be in effect until July, 2001.
Children's Room at the Merrick Library now has music CDs for kids. The CDs will circulate for 14 days and are located on the yellow turnstile. Some of the titles available include Peter and the Wolf and Raffi's Evergreen Everblue.
Book discussion. The North Merrick Library will host a discussion of the Lawrence Watson novel "Montana 1948" on Friday, Sept. 21 at 1:30 p.m. Narrator David Hayden tells the story of an adult looking back at the traumatic events that scarred, yet matured him when he was 12. Refreshments will be served. Copies of the book are available art the Circulation Desk. Call 378-7474 for information.
Visit Hudson Valley. The North Merrick Public Library's bus trip to the 1929 Williams Lake Hotel in Hudson Valley will take place on Thursday, Oct. 18. Upon arrival, you'll enjoy coffee and Danish in the hotel's living room which over looks the hotel's 42-acre lake. The trip will also include a game of Bingo, lunch (a glass of wine, salad and entree of your choice - to be selected at registration) and live entertainment by Ernie Bruno, comedian and one man band. On the way home, stop off at Wallkill View Farms for fresh produce and baked goods. The cost of the trip is $52, payable by check only to Halpin-McCarney. The bus will leave the library at 7:15 a.m. and return at about 6:30 p.m. Call 378-7474.
Visit West Point. The Merrick Library's bus trip to West Point Military Academy, Hotel Thayer and Woodbury Commons will take place on Thurs., Oct. 18. The costs of the trip is $52, which includes admission and a guided tour of West Point, a hot and cold buffet lunch at Hotel Thayer, transportation and all gratuities. The bus will leave from the Merrick Library Wing at 9:15 a.m. and return at about 6:30 p.m. For more information call 379-3476.

special events

Class of 1982. Franklin K. Lane High School is seeking graduates from its class of 1982 for a 20th reunion. For more information contact Margaret Delahanty-Bey at (516) 771-4535 or at Margbey@aol.com. Theatre Party.
The Stage, Long Island Live Theatre, Inc., holds performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m. and once-a-month Thursdays at 8 p.m. Upcoming productions include: "Luv" - through Sept. 16; "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" - Sept. 22-Oct. 21 plus Thursday, Oct. 4; "Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians" - Oct. 27-Nov. 25 plus Thursday Nov. 8; and "Annie" - Dec. 1-31 plus Thursday, Dec. 13. The Stage is at 2222 Hewlett Ave., Merrick. Call 868-6400 for information.
GLO Program. The Town of Hempstead's Golden Learning Opportunities Program will now meet at the Merrick Senior Center, 2550 Clubhouse Road. For more information, call the Department of Senior Enrichment at 485-8100 or the Merrick Senior Center at 868-4777.
Thrift shop. The St. Mark's Thrift Shop in Stowell Hall, 1692 Bellmore Ave., North Bellmore has reopened. The store is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-4p.m. For more information, call 572-0232.