Get Up and Go
Blood drive
Stevens Creek Elementary School and Shepeard Community Blood Center will hold a blood drive 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 15 at the school, 3780 Evans-to-Locks Road, Martinez. For information, call the school at 868-3705.
Greyhound adoption
The Greyhound Lifesavers will hold a Greyhound meet and greet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the PetSmart on Whiskey Road in Aiken. For information, visit www.greyhoundlifesavers.org or call 796-1708.
Gardening at lunch
The Columbia County Extension Service will hold a lunch seminar from 12:10-12:45 p.m. Wednesday in the auditorium at the Government Complex in Evans. The topic will be Fruit Trees. Participants are asked to bring a sack lunch. Call 868-3413.
Donations sought
Grovetown City Council-woman Marjorie Adams is seeking donations of items for soldiers serving in the Middle East. Especially needed are blankets, brown T-shirts, cotton underwear and boot-length socks, toiletries, magazines and other items. Donations may be dropped off during office hours at Grovetown City Hall, 103 Robinson Ave., after hours at the Public Safety Department. For information, call 863-4576.
Scholarships
Students interested in a career in the mining industry are urged to apply for a four-year scholarship offered by the Georgia Mining Foundation, providing payment for a four-year course of study at the undergraduate level or for graduate students pursuing a masters or doctorate. Applications must be received by Feb. 28, 2005. For information, call (478) 757-1211.
Tax helpers needed
AARP Tax-Aide is seeking volunteers for training to help senior citizens prepare their tax returns. For information, call Bill Kozel, 210-3048.
ID closing
The ID Card section of the Department of Human Resources will be closed Saturday to perform soldier readiness processing. The section will open again for ID card processing Dec. 13 at 3 a.m. For information, call 791-1958.
Prayer service
The St. Catherine of Sienna chapter of the Daughters of the King, Church or Our Savior will sponsor Praying From The Heart, a day of reflection to better the understanding of the Advent season, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The church is at 4227 Columbia Road in Martinez. For information, call 863-1718.
Memorial service
United Hospice of Augusta will hold a Memorial Service at 3 p.m. Dec. 12 at The Church of Our Savior, 4227 Columbia Road, Martinez. To have a loved one memorialized at the service, send a letter of permission, along with his or her name, to United Hospice, 1226 Augusta West Parkway, Augusta. For information, call 650-1522.
Legal help
The Georgia Legal Services Program Staff will meet with senior citizens who need free legal help from 8:15-10:30 a.m. Dec. 15 at the Bessie Thomas Senior Center in Grovetown. Services are offered on a first come, first serve basis. For information, call 721-2327 or 1-800-248-6697.
Holiday closings
The Columbia County landfill will close at 1 p.m. Dec. 24 and reopen on Dec. 27 in recognition of Christmas. The department also will be closed Jan. 1 and reopen 6 a.m. Jan. 3 in recognition of New Years Day.
Shoe donations
Augusta-area podiatrists are collecting new and used shoes that will be donated to the homeless. Donations of any type or size shoe may be brought to any podiatrist's office through Jan. 3. For information, call Dr. Kent Kronowski at 724-0586.
Game collection
Columbia County's Girl Scout Troop 309 is collecting Gameboy units, Gameboy Advance, video games and money to donate to the Medical College of Georgia Children's Medical Center. For information, call 833-5833.
Bureau scholarship
Friday is the deadline for applications for students seeking a Georgia Farm Bureau scholarship. The scholarships are available to high school students whose parent or guardian became a member of the Bureau as of April 1, 2004. Students who plant to enter the University System of Georgia or Berry College during the 2004-05 academic year to study agriculture, environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences or a related field can apply to receive one of four $15,000 scholarships. For information, visit www.gft.org/women.htm or call the Columbia County Farm Bureau office at 556-6258.
Seedlings available
The Georgia Forestry Commission is accepting orders for tree seedlings for the 2004-05 planting season. Applications and price listings may be obtained by calling (800) GATREES, or by visiting the Georgia Forestry Commission Web site at www.gatrees.org.
Hope Soap
Hope Soap, a private, nonprofit agency that collects toiletries and packages and distributes them to area shelters, has set up eight collection sites in the community. Donations, particularly of personal-size items from hotels, may be brought to The Columbia County News-Times, in the Publix shopping center on Washington Road; the Unitarian Church, 3501 Walton Way Extension; Lucy Craft Laney Museum, 116 Phillips St., Augusta; Junior League of Augusta, 363 Highland Ave., Augusta; Church of the Most Holy Trinity, 811 Telfair St.; Open Door Preschool, 3005 Walton Way; SASS/Metro Parent, 825 Russell St.; and Wild Birds Unlimited, West Town Shopping Center, Martinez. For information, call 863-5863.
Tutoring available
A state-certified learning-center is now available. Homework and tutoring programs are available for pupils in second through sixth grade. For information, call 829-3598.