May 09, 2008 04:00 am Free Webcast on Parkinson's disease Traverse City -- Anyone interested in learning more about Parkinson's disease is invited to a free Webcast live on Friday. The event will be aired at 10 a.m. and early registration is suggested. By registering early, viewers will not miss any of the Webcast. If unable to take part in the live part of the program, it will be aired for one year. To register or view the program, visit www.pdf.org or call (800) 457-6676. Fibromyalgia group visits senior center Kalkaska -- Members of the Kalkaska fibromyalgia support group will visit the Kalkaska Senior Center on Monday. The group will have free handouts, share information on fibromyalgia and answer questions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The senior center is located at 303 S. Coral St. Blood drive will honor Dennis Finch Traverse City -- The Grand Traverse Governmental Center will be the site of a blood drive to honor the memory of Sgt. Dennis Finch. Finch died May 13, 1998, after being shot in the line of duty. A 30-year veteran of the Traverse City police force, Finch received several hundred units of blood components as doctors and nurses fought to save his life. The Sgt. Finch Memorial Blood Drive will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and is being hosted by Michigan Community Blood Centers. The Governmental Center is located at 400 Boardman Ave. Anyone 17 or older who weighs at least 110 pounds and who has not given blood in the last 56 days may be eligible to donate blood at the memorial blood drive. 'Better Breathing' series offered Grayling -- The goal of the "Better Breathing Education Series" is to help people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Respiratory therapist Sue Boardman will host the first of eight free sessions from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Monday in the private dining room adjacent to the cafeteria at Mercy Hospital. Sessions will feature various specialists who will discuss lung anatomy, medications, breathing devices, nutrition and more. The series will continue on Mondays through July 14 via the REMEC Health Network. Participants should check at the front desk each week for room locations. Classes will not meet May 26 or July 7. For details, call Boardman, (989) 348-0831. Conference for caregivers slated Roscommon -- The Best Practices of Northern Michigan Committee will hold its 10th annual conference on Wednesday. "The Art of Caring" is designed for direct-care workers and management staff from nursing homes, assisted living homes, adult foster care homes, home care agencies and family members providing care. It will be held on Wednesday at Kirtland Community College. Registration, vendors and continental breakfast will be held from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. in the college's student center. A general session will begin at 9 a.m. with Barbara Bowers, professors in the School of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, speaking on "Celebrating Direct Caregivers & the Work They Do." Following the general session, participants can choose a morning and an afternoon workshop from seven options. Lunch will be provided. The closing session will be held from 2:15 to 3 p.m. and will include door prizes, certificates of attendance and conference evaluation. Registration is $25 per person. For details or to register, call Nancy Turner, 947-2504, or Dawn Jacobs, (989) 356-3474, ext. 230. Mental Health Month events Petoskey -- North Country Community Mental Health will continue its observance of Mental Health Month with an open house and a "Day of Recovery Education." Consumers from North Country CMH also will participate in the statewide "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" rally on Wednesday in Lansing. The open house will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on May 16 at the Beacon Center, 103 S. Huron St., a consumer-run drop-in center for persons recovering from mental illness. A "Day of Recovery Education" will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 22 at Treetops Resort in Gaylord. The event will focus on learning about and celebrating recovery from mental illness. Author Steve Harrington is the keynote speaker. He will discuss "Turning Challenges into Opportunities." For details, call Joanne Rackow, consumer relations specialist, 487-9144. Golf outing for child abuse prevention Traverse City -- Golfers are invited to register for the second annual Child Abuse Golf Outing sponsored by the Tri-County Coalition for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. The fundraiser will be held May 16 at the Crown, 2430 Crown Dr. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. with a noon start time. The $75 cost includes a cart and dinner. There also will be a silent auction and prizes. Hole sponsorships and auction items still are being accepted. For details, call 929-4166 or e-mail tricountycoalition@yahoo.com. 'Let's Get Moving' campaign kick-off Traverse City -- Bill Mills, 1964 Olympic gold medalist and the only American to win the 10,000-meter event, will be in Traverse City to help launch the 2008 "Let's Get Moving Northern Michigan" campaign. Mills, an American Indian, was raised on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Orphaned at age 12, he focused on his athletic abilities, setting long-distance running records in high school and college. After college, Mills joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and as a young officer qualified for the 1964 Olympics in the 10,000 meters and marathon. His run for the gold in the 10,000 meters is considered one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in sports history. "Let's Get Moving" is a 100-day season of activity that encourages northern Michigan residents to move on from a sedentary lifestyle. The kick-off program will start at 5 p.m. on May 19 at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center with registration, activity booths and bike helmet safety checks. Mills will share his thoughts on "Healthy Living, It's a Choice, Not a Guarantee" at 5:45 p.m. and a mile-long walk on the track will follow at 6:45 p.m. Workshop on suicide risk and treatment Traverse City -- Registration is under way for a one-day workshop on assessing suicide risk, planning treatment and managing the ongoing care of the at-risk client for mental health professionals. The featured speaker will be Jim Bottenhorn, who has more than 20 years of experience in the mental health field specializing in crisis assessment and management. He currently is director of hospital admissions at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services of Grand Rapids. "Assessing & Managing Suicide Risk: Core Competencies for Mental Health Professionals" will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 12 at Munson Medical Center. Registration is $75. For details or to register by May 30, call 947-2255, ext. 8136. TC drop-off site for used eyeglasses Traverse City -- Northern Vision Eye Care now is a used eyeglasses collection point for Grand Traverse County Resource Recovery Division's "Take It Back" program. The "Take It Back" program allows residents to return unwanted products to providers or businesses. Those items are then salvaged for useful material or recycled. Area residents with unwanted lenses or frames may now deliver those items to Northern Vision Eye Care, located at Copper Ridge. All eyewear collected will be repaired and donated to a national organization whose mission is to provide eyeglasses to those in need. For details, call 932-9000 or visit www.northernvisioneyecare.com. Parents sought for infant adoptions Traverse City -- Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan is seeking married couples interested in infant open adoptions. Child and Family Services has a number of pregnant mothers interested in placing their infants up for adoption and will hold new orientation in May for couples interested in pursuing open adoption. The couples must live in the 13-county service area and there are fees associated with infant adoptions. Interested couples should contact Lisa Wisniewski, 946-8975, ext. 1034, lwisniewski@cfsmail.org; or Laura Field, 946-8975, ext. 1032, lfield@cfsmail.org. Free 'File of Life' magnets available Traverse City -- The Grand Traverse County Commission on Aging is distributing free "File of Life" refrigerator magnetic pouches with insert cards to Grand Traverse County residents age 60 or older. The pouches provide necessary medical and contact information for Emergency Medical Personnel in the event of an emergency. Packets may be picked up at the Commission on Aging office, 520 W. Front St., between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For details, call 922-4688 or toll-free (877) 686-4688.
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