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Electronics recycling benefits group, Earth

By Times Staff Writer
Published January 3, 2008

CLEARWATER

St. Petersburg College's Women on the Way program will benefit from an electronics recycling drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 26.

Unneeded working or reusable electronics will be recycled on the Clearwater campus, 2465 Drew St.

The dropoff site will be on the west end of the south parking lot, accessible from Old Coachman Road. The program will receive cash from Hands on Recycling for each reusable item in working condition. It will use the proceeds for scholarships.

Acceptable items include desktop computers, laptops, monitors, televisions, audio and video VCRs, CDs, DVDs equipment, cell phones, inkjet and laser cartridges, fax machines, scanners and printers. All computer hard drives will be wiped before reuse.

Hands on Recycling also can arrange to have equipment picked up from businesses. Call (727) 791-2634.

DUNEDIN

Take a walk through state park with guide

See a variety of plants and wildlife in their natural habitat on guided walks with Florida Park Service rangers at Honeymoon Island State Park at 11 a.m. every Saturday through March.

The walks are free, however, there is a park entrance fee of $5 for two to eight people in a vehicle, $3 for one person in a vehicle and $1 for walkers or bicyclists.

Participants should dress appropriately for the weather and may want to bring binoculars and a field guide.

Meet the ranger at the beginning of the Nature Trail. The park is at 1 Causeway Blvd., Dunedin. For more information, visit www.floridastateparks.orgor call the park at (727) 469-5942.

LARGO

Have rhythm? Join the drum circle

Bring a drum or other percussion instrument to the drum circle at 6 p.m. the first Saturday of each month starting in January at George C. McGough Nature Park, 11901 146th St. N.

Listeners of all ages are invited to relax by the campfire and enjoy the rhythms led by Barry Skeete.

Admission is $2 for those 13 and older. Call (727) 587-6775.

CLEARWATER

Got a question for a judge?

A panel of local judges will discuss "The Judicial System from the Judge's Perspective" and answer audience questions during the first session of the Clearwater Bar Association's 2008 People's Law School.

The program is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 10 in the fine arts auditorium of the Drew Street campus of St. Petersburg College.

The People's Law School will continue weekly at the college on Thursdays through April. Participants may attend as few or as many sessions as they wish, free of charge. No registration is required. Future topics include:

-Jan. 17 - How a jury trial really works.

-Jan. 24 - Criminal law.

-Jan. 31 - Independent court system.

Visit clearwaterbar.org/law.html for a complete schedule of classes.

DUNEDIN

Reserve a vendor table for senior fair

The Hale Activity Center is looking for businesses and organizations to showcase their products and services for older adults at the 2008 Senior Awareness Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 25 at the center, 330 Douglas Ave.

Vendor tables are $50 and can be reserved by e-mailing fair coordinator Mathew Eberiusat at meberius@dunedinfl.net or by calling (727) 298-3299.

CLEARWATER

Humane Society needs cat volunteers

The Humane Society of Pinellas needs volunteers to work with cats at the shelter, 3040 State Road 590.

Opportunities are available weekday afternoons and evenings, as well as Saturday mornings and Sundays. A volunteer introduction session is set for early January. Call Bobbie Bauwin at (727) 797-7722, ext. 237 or e-mail bobbieb@humanesocietyofpinellas.org

COUNTYWIDE

Learn more about SPC dual enrollment

The Early College Program, a partnership between Pinellas County schools and St. Petersburg College, will host four information sessions for students.

The program is open to Pinellas students who will enter grades 11 and 12 in fall 2008.

Students must have a 3.0 unweighted high school grade-point average and pass the College Placement Test, SAT or ACT tests.

The full-time dual enrollment program allows students to earn college credits, tuition-free, while completing high school and taking part in extracurricular activities.

All sessions are 7 to 9 p.m.:

-Jan. 16 and Feb. 5 in the Clearwater campus arts auditorium, 2465 Drew Street.

-Jan. 23 and Jan. 31 in the UP building at the Seminole campus, 9200 113th St. N.

For more information, call (727) 791-5970 or (727) 791-5971.

DUNEDIN

Hit the Pinellas Trail with Walking Club

Exercise your legs with walking and your mouth with laughter with the Walking Club at the Hale Activity Center, 330 Douglas Ave. The group meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays to walk the Pinellas Trail. Call (727) 298-3299.

PALM HARBOR

Renovations will close library until Jan. 6

The Palm Harbor Library, 2330 Nebraska Ave., will be closed today through Jan. 6 to prepare for a $1-million renovation to the library's 26,000-square-foot building.

The improvements will include renovation of the public bathrooms, enclosed study rooms, a bigger teen area, improved literacy and tutoring facilities, a family restroom in the children's department and a Friends of the Library book store.

The project, expected to be completed by January 2009, will be done in four phases. The library will be closed up to a week each time construction enters a new phase.

Hours during 2008 will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday.

Call (727) 784-3332 or visit www.palmharborlibrary.org.

COUNTYWIDE

Apply now for groups' $1,000 scholarships

Two Italian-American associations are offering $1,000 scholarships to high school graduates and returning students.

The applicants must be Florida residents and of Italian descent. The scholarships are available through the Daughters of Italy Lodge 2825 and the Clearwater chapter of Order of the Sons of Italy in America.

For information, call Clara Shaw, Daughters of Italy scholarship chairwoman, at (727) 785-6428 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Applications available on the Web atwww.daughtersofitaly.com.

The deadline is March 27.

COUNTYWIDE

Start your year off right by volunteering

Here's a New Year's resolution you can get started on today: Pinellas County's Guardian ad Litem program is recruiting volunteers.

Nearly 1,000 children in Pinellas need a guardian ad litem. Volunteers advocate for abused, abandoned or neglected children and teens in the family courts and the child welfare system.

The average time needed is four to six hours a month. As a child's advocate, the guardian ad litem visits the child every month, becomes familiar with the child's case and makes recommendations to the court to help ensure the child has a safe, caring and stable environment. Thirty hours of training is required.

Seven classes have been scheduled for 2008, and the first starts Jan. 8. To schedule a one-hour orientation, call (727) 464-6528. Visitwww.guardianadlitem6.org.

DUNEDIN

Load up on food and more at green market

Dunedin's Green Market at the corner of Main Street and Douglas Avenue features produce, cheeses, seafood, plants and herbs, honey, all-natural pet treats, organic products, nuts, natural seasonings and fresh fruit.

Market hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday through the end of April. For information, call market manager Richard Kendler at (727) 733-4215 or e-mail him at greenmarketmanager@verison.net

COUNTYWIDE

Musicians needed for Suncoast String Band

The Suncoast String Band is calling for musicians who play saxophone, banjo, violin, guitar and accordion. The band is starting rehearsals for the coming concert season. For information, call band director Tom Barry at (727) 738-4546.

COUNTYWIDE

Good at preparing taxes? You're needed

The IRS/AARP TaxGuide program, which last year prepared more than 4,000 income tax returns for residents of North Pinellas, needs volunteers.

The program helps low-income and elderly residents prepare their taxes free of charge. Volunteers receive training that leads to IRS/AARP certification. To volunteer, call Frank Mann at (727) 726-7822 or register online at www.aarp.org/taxaide.

LARGO

School launches effort to expand campus

The Pinellas County Jewish Day School has launched a capital campaign to buy and renovate property and buildings immediately next to its campus on Cambridge Avenue in Largo.

The purchase will add 11 new classrooms and a new auditorium.

The school, which has 205 students, has grown at a steady 5 percent per year over the past six years and has outgrown its existing facilities.

To learn more or support the capital campaign, call Brian Siegel, head of the school, at (727) 588-0100, or Michael Seltzer, president of the board of directors, at (727) 532-1999.

COUNTYWIDE

Old cell phones can be lifeline for seniors

Senior Citizens Services welcomes donations of old cell phones to be distributed to needy seniors as 911 emergency phones.

The offices are open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and phones are distributed 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Senior Citizens Services is in Belcher Commons Office Park at 51 S Main Ave., Suite 308-M, Clearwater.

For information, call (727) 442-8104.

[Last modified January 2, 2008, 21:06:30]