May 16, 2008 04:00 am Sign language workshop is set TRAVERSE CITY -- The Lis'n (Local Interpreter Services Network) program of Grand Traverse Industries will sponsor a Michigan Quality Assurance Readiness workshop for current sign language interpreters or students of interpreting planning to take the Michigan Quality Assurance Test. The workshop will begin at 5:30 p.m. today and at 8:30 a.m. Friday at the Michigan Works Service Center, 1209 S. Garfield. Two breakout sessions will be led between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. today by local interpreters. For details, contact Lis'n Coordinator Leanne Baumeler, BaumelerL@michigan.gov, or Steve Perdue, 922-4886 or sperdue@grandtraverseindustries.com. Empire Lions offer Project Kidsight Empire -- A simple photo, taken with a Polaroid-type camera can identify many treatable eye problems in children between the ages of 1 and 5. The Empire Lions Club will provide this photo service on Saturday. Photos using the camera, owned by the Lions Clubs of Michigan, will be available at no charge from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Empire Town Hall. The test is endorsed by the Michigan Department of Community Health, major universities, eye institutes and optometric groups throughout Michigan. Once the picture is "read" by an opthalmologist, parents will be notified by mail if a problem is detected. Parents then are responsible for arranging a follow-up with their own or a local eye doctor. Balloon launch is earth friendly TRAVERSE CITY -- The Michael's Place Memorial Balloon Launch on Monday will be environmentally friendly. Michael's Place provides grief support groups, family assessments and meetings, educational workshops, community training, summer camp for children, community referrals, suicide support and compassionate workplace training. All programs and services are provided at no charge. The balloon launch will take place at 6:15 p.m. in the Children's Garden behind the Traverse Area District Library, 610 Woodmere Ave. No reservations are necessary. It is a time for children, teens and families to remember their loved ones by releasing balloons. Participants should bring a note, letter or picture to be tied to a balloon. This year, the balloons are made from the rubber tree plant and are biodegradable, and the ribbons used to attach to notes and photos are braided reed and biodegradable. For details on the balloon launch or services and programs provided by Michael's Place, call 947-6453 or e-mail info@michaels-place.net. Wellness programs for senior citizens TRAVERSE CITY -- The Village at Bay Ridge will offer programs on walking and back care that are open to area senior citizens. "Steppin' Out" will be presented on Tuesday by Excel Physical Therapy. It will include examples of techniques for better walking. Fast Physical Therapy will present "Taking Care of Your Back" on May 27. It will examine how caring for your back can help you feel better all over. Each seminar will be offered at 11 a.m. in the East Building private dining room, 3850 Scenic Ridge and at 1 p.m. in the West Building craft room, 3950 Scenic Ridge. Admission is free and the public is welcome. For details, call 932-9455. Bike commuting classes for cyclists TRAVERSE CITY -- Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails will hold a "Ride of Silence" for cyclists and also will offer bicycle commuting classes. The "Ride of Silence" will honor those killed or injured while cycling. It will start at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Station Espresso Bar at the Depot off Woodmere Avenue and East Eighth Street. The eight-mile ride will be on downtown city streets. For details, visit www.rideofsilence.org. The bike commuting classes will be taught by League of American Bicyclists certified instructor Reuben Chapman and include two hours of classroom instruction and one hour of on-road training. The classes are designed for people of driving age who have knowledge of basic traffic rules. The class will be offered from 4 to 7 p.m. May 22 and again June 12 in Scholars Hall room 102 on Northwestern Michigan College's main campus. There is no charge, but registration is required. Call TART Trails, 941-4300. Eye-opening info for the sleep deprived TRAVERSE CITY -- Anyone with questions about sleep and sleep disorders is invited to a three-session seminar sponsored by the Health Education Institute, a partnership between Munson Medical Center and Northwestern Michigan College. The seminar will meet from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays from May 22 through June 5 in System Education Room 4 at Munson Community Health Center, 550 Munson Ave. It will be led by sleep specialist Cindy Nichols and is designed to provide insight into the complexities of sleep and explore ways to improve the quality of sleep. The cost is $45. For details or to register, call NMC 995-1700. Q & A session will focus on pain TRAVERSE CITY -- Howard Beck, MD, will discuss chronic pain in a free question and answer session on May 22. The session will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in classroom A and B at Munson Community Health Center, 550 Munson Ave. Beck, a physician with the Munson Spine and Nerve Treatment Center, will field questions on conditions related to pain, pain treatments, and ways of coping with chronic pain. The program is free, but registration is required. For details or to register, call 935-9265 or visit www.munsonhealthcare.org. Golf for breast cancer prevention BELLAIRE -- The Antrim County High Tea for Breast Cancer Prevention will offer its inaugural golf outing fundraiser on June 2. The High Tea for Breast Cancer Prevention, in conjunction with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, offers free mammogram screening to any resident of Antrim County without insurance coverage. The outing will be held at the Legend Golf Course at Shanty Creek Resort. Registration will start at 8 a.m. at Arnie's Grill. The four-person scramble will get under way with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. A picnic barbecue will follow. Tickets are $80 per person of $320 per team. For details or to register, call 377-7534 or 533-6588.
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