School Boards

Bellmore meetings. The Bellmore Board of Education meets every third Tuesday 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 services 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. 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.

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 about the Sunrise Mother's Center, 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 located at, 6900 Jericho Turnpike, Syosset. For more information or to register, please 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 located at 1309 Wantagh Avenue in Wantagh. For more information call Recovery, Inc.'s 24-hour hotline at 733-5622.

Community Groups

Merrick Kiwanis. The Kiwanis Club of Merrick, serving the community for 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 please contact membership Chairman Robert Rivere at 623-7092.

Legion #1282. Merrick Post #1282 of the American Legion will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, August 15 at 8 P.M. The Post is also planning to construct a veterans monument on Merrick Avenue and Little Whaleneck Road. For more information, please contact Tom Riordan,commander, at 546-8765.

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 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 please call Herb Friedman at 781-2043.

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.

Vehicle donations. The American Red Cross in Nassau County is seeking the donation of cars, trucks, sports utilities vehicles, recreational vehicles, motorcycles and boats. For more information please call 1-877-RED-CROSS.

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. Training is free and takes place over three evenings. Upcoming training sessions are September 7, October 10 and November 13. 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.

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.

Wilderstein Mansion. Registration is currently under way for the North Merrick Public Library's September bus trip to Wilderstein Mansion in New York City. The trip, which includes lunch at Beekman Tavern and apple picking at Meads Orchards, is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19 from 8 A.M. to 7P.M . The trip includes guided tour through Wilderstein, a towering Queen Anne historic house museum situated on the east bank of the Hudson River, lunch at 1776 Beekman Tavern, America's oldest operating inn and apple picking at Meads Orchard. The fee for the trip is $55, payable by check only to Halpin-McCarney Tours. For more information call the North Merrick Public Library at 378-7474.

Bellmore libraries

College costs. Barry Fox, BA, MA, financial aid counselor, will discuss "How to Beat the High Cost of College" on Tuesday, September 19 at 7:30 P.M.at the North Bellmore Public Library. Call 785-6260 for information.

Car smart. The North Bellmore Library is offering a program on "How to Buy or Lease Your New Car Without Getting Taken for a Rise" on Tuesday, September 12 from 7 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. Sherry Rice Klein will discuss her knowledge and inside stories about the automobile industry, and how purchasing or leasing a new car should be a pleasurable experience. For more information, call 785-6260.

September bus trip. The North Bellmore Public Library will sponsor a bus trip to Mohonk Mountain House, a Victoria resort near New Paltz on Tuesday, September 26. Mohonk House is perched on a mountain beside a lake, overlooking 24,000 acres of national parklands. The cost of the trip is $50.75, and includes use of the resort and grounds for the afternoon, buffet lunch, transportation and all gratuities. An optional horse-drawn carriage tour of the resort, with a stop at a panoramic overlook, is also available for an additional $8 (totaling ($58.75). The trip is open to both North Bellmore Library patrons and non-patrons. The buses will leave from the Library at 8 A.M. and return at approximately 7 P.M. For more information, call 785-6260.

Sat Review. The North Bellmore Public Library will offer an SAT review class to help students brush up on their math and verbal skills in preparation for the November SAT. Classes will be held Thursdays September 21, 28, October 5, 19, 26 and November 2 from 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. The fee is $45 and includes materials. Space is limited. Call 785-6260 for information.

AARP Defensive Driving. The next AARP Safe Driving Program will be held on Thursdays, September 7 and 14 from 10:30 A.M. to 3 P.M. at the Bellmore Library For more information, call 785-2990.

Special events

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Mommy and Me. The Suburban Temple Nursery School offers Mommy 'N Me classes for children ages 18 to 24 months and their parent or caregiver. "Toddler-Two" program is available for children ages two to three, and the "Stepping-Up" program is available for for child who are almost two, but not quite ready to separate. For information,call Marcia Year at 781-KIDS.

Thrift shop. The St. Mark's/Beacon House Thrift Shop, located at Stowell Hall, 1692 Bellmore Avenue in North Bellmore,is now open for the fall season. The shop will feature new and gently used fall fashions for men, women and children. Accessories and items for the home and baby are also available. The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. For further information or directions, please call 826-3227 during store hours.

Business Seminar. The Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women will present a seminar entitled "Intra-Corporate Networking - The Art of Building Strategic Partnerships for Business and Personal Success" on Monday, October 16 at 6 P.M. at the Crest Hollow COuntry Club in Woodbury. The cost is $35 for members and $45 for non-members. Call 631-673-0209 for reservations or information.

Lupus support. The Long Island/Queens Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. is a not-for-profit volunteer organization dedicated to public education, research and fund-raising for the fight against Lupus. The Foundation will hold its Third Annual Taking Charge and Living Better Symposium at Hofstra University on Sunday, September 24 from 9:30 A.M. to 4 P.M. Reservations are required. Call 783-3370 for more information.