The following are fundraisers, donations and other charitable events or opportunities happening in the Midlands. Email your information about good deeds to connect@owh.com or call 402-444-1040.
Balloon and bake sale: North Platte Community College's annual Valentine's Day Balloon and Bake Sale will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or until the goodies are gone) on Monday and Tuesdayin the fireplace area on the South Campus. The student academic honor society Phi Theta Kappa and the student business organization Phi Beta Lambda will co-sponsor the fundraiser. The groups will sell balloons for $3 each. All proceeds from the balloon sales will go to the North Platte Rape and Domestic Abuse Program. Proceeds from the bake sale will go to the two student groups. For more information, contact Diana Krisciunas at 308-535-3746.
Play for a cause: A.R. Guerny's play "Love Letters" will be presented as a fundraiser for Metropolitan Community Church of Omaha, 819 S. 22nd St., on Friday, at 7 p.m. A $10 donation is requested at the door.
Busload of Books: Metropolitan Community College is teaming up with the Metro bus system, Cargo Zone, Mainfreight and the Literacy Center to give away thousands of books at the annual Books by the Busload event. Metro buses full of books will be parked at the following locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday: Westroads Mall, 10000 California St. (Dick's Sporting Goods parking lot); the Salvation Army Kroc Center, 2825 Y St.; and Baker's, 7312 N. 30th St. The public is invited to board the buses and pick up free books suitable for all ages and reading levels. (Limit five books per person.) Staff members from the Literacy Center will be at each site to provide information on the center's services to promote literacy.
Crane season volunteers: Rowe Sanctuary has volunteer opportunities for people who care about sandhill cranes, the Platte River and Nebraska. Volunteers can become guides for field trips to see the cranes, greet visitors, take reservations, assist with educational programs or do maintenance for Rowe Sanctuary during crane season. Anyone considering volunteering is urged to attend an indoor and outdoor workshop Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the sanctuary. For more information or to register, call Keanna or Matt at 308-468-5282. In lieu of a class fee, those taking this workshop are asked to volunteer 10 hours at Rowe over the next three months.
Disaster Boot Camp: The Nebraska/South West Iowa Region of the American Red Cross will have a Mass Care Boot Camp Feb. 27 through March 4. The free event will offer 10 Red Cross classes for volunteers interested in helping with local fire and disaster response. The goal is to boost the number of local disaster action team volunteers after last year's busy storm season. Classes will be held at the Heartland Chapter, 2912 S. 80th Ave. in Omaha and at the Loess Hills Chapter, 705 N. 16th St., Council Bluffs. Register by calling 402-343-7700, as seating is limited.
Farm Bureau: Nebraska Farm Bureau agents selling health insurance raised thousands of dollars for charity as part of a sales contest, with one district earning $2,000 for the United Way of the Midlands.
Grant helps youth: The Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department was recently awarded a $1,000 UnitedHealth HEROES grant from Youth Service America and UnitedHealth Group to help fund the Fun Times for Good Health project. UnitedHealth HEROES grants support youth-led service-learning initiatives addressing childhood obesity and healthy lifestyles. As part of the project, elementary-age children at the Belmont and F Street recreation centers and the Everett Community Learning Center will learn basic basketball skills and lifelong strategies to stay healthy and active. For more information about Fun Times for Good Health, contact Melissa Harris at 402-441-4900. For more information on YSA, visit www.YSA.org.
UNO Library gets gift: The University of Nebraska at Omaha's Criss Library recently received a $25,000 gift from the UNO Library Friends, a nonprofit organization that supports the library. The gift will be used to acquire the Early American Newspapers and Documents Collection. As a result of this gift, 710 newspapers — from as early as 1690 — will be available to UNO students, faculty and staff via the Criss Library website. For more information on the Criss Library, call 402-554-3206.
Pancake breakfast: St. Benedict the Moor Women's Society is hosting its annual pancake breakfast, featuring the Pancake Man, on Feb. 19, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A $6 donation gets you into event at St. Benedict the Moor Church, 2423 Grant St. For information or to donate, contact Sharon Rhodes at 402-348-0631.
Big Event seeks volunteers: The seventh annual Big Event day of community service hosted by the University of Nebraska at Kearney is seeking job sites and volunteer participants. Hundreds of UNK students, faculty and staff are expected participate in the effort on March 31 to say thanks to the community for its support. For more information about the Big Event, or to volunteer, email unkbigevent12@gmail.com, call Bradley Rediger at 402-641-7359 or visit www.unk.edu/thebigevent.
Compiled by Valerie Novotny
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
