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 will meet 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,located on Merrick Avenue in North Merrick, holds Masses every 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.

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 Eileen at 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 Thursday, October 12. Refreshments will be served. The public is invited to attend and new members are welcome. 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.

Senior fitness.The Senior Citizen Fitness Club of the Great Spirit Fitness Center s sponsoring a free four-week course on "Beginning exercise and Stess Management." The program begins Monday, October 2 and is open to anyone age 55 or older. Exercises consist of gentle movement and deep breathing techniques based on the Asian health disciplines of Tai Chi, Chi Kung and Yoga. Exercises can be performed seated or standing and are supervised by a certified personal trainer who have studied in Asia.The Center is located at 385 Merrick Avenue in North Merrick. For further information contact the Great Spirit Center at 771-5550.

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.

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Community support

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

Sons of Italy. Giovanni Caboto Lodge No. 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 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 please call Herb Friedman at 781-2043.

Bellmore libraries

Defensive driving. Participate in the North Bellmore Public Library's defensive driving course and reduce up to four points on your driver's license or receiver a 10 percent discount on your liability and collision insurance. The course will be held on Monday, October 23 and Monday, 30 from 6 P.M. to 9 P.M. Attendance at both nights is required. Please make checks payable to '3D Insurance Services." A photocopy of your driver's license is required the first night of class. Call 785-6260 for information.

Book sale, 2000.The North Bellmore Public Library will hold its annual book sale on Saturday, October 21 from 10 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. and Sunday, October 22 from 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. For more information call 785-6260.

Essay writing. The North Bellmore Public Library will hold a two-hour "how to" workshop for high school seniors preparing to write a college application essay. All participants will examine the essay writing process, discuss the common essay questions, and begin the essay process through self-reflection and critique sample essays. Sessions will be held on Tuesday, October 17 from 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. Registration is limited and there is a $3.50 materials fee. Call 785-6260.