<strong>August meeting for Sportfishing Club set</strong>
The Beaufort Sportfishing and Diving Club’s August meeting will be held Thursday, August 8th at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club on Lady’s Island, off Meridian Road. The social begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Captain Courtland Babcock of Southern Drawl Outfitters will be the guest speaker. He will give a presentation on jigging techniques and tackle for inshore and offshore fishing. Rods and reels will be on display. You do not need a reservation, and guests are always welcome. For more information, contact Captain Frank Gibson at (843) 522-2020.

<strong>Bereavement, Loss &amp; Change Support Group</strong>
Are you dealing with the loss of a loved one, the loss of your independence, the loss of a job, or any major change or loss in your life? If so, you are not alone. A Bereavement, Loss &amp; Change Support Group will meet on Thursday, Aug. 8, from 1:30 – 3 p.m. The non-denominational group is led by Dr. Owen Tucker, M.Div., bereavement coordinator of Island Hospice. The meetings are free and open to anyone who is looking for guidance on how to deal with loss and/or change. The meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at Helena House Assisted Living on Paris Avenue in Port Royal (directly across the street from the Port Royal Post Office.) For more information, please call 575-0754 or 252-3001.

<strong>Nearly New Clothing Sale scheduled</strong>
Back-to-school clothes, designer outfits and quality menswear will be available at bargain prices again this year at St. Helena’s Nearly New Clothing Sale. The sale is August 9 and 10 at the Parish Church of St. Helena in the Parish Hall, 507 Newcastle St. in downtown Beaufort. Clothing for men, women and children will be available at bargain prices, along with shoes, accessories like belts and scarves, pocketbooks and designer ensembles.  Everything is gently used; some items still have their store tags. Proceeds from the sale go to church missions.  “We are doing this for the community, serving God and sharing God’s love,” says this year’s Nearly New chairman, Patti O’Leary. Shopping hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10. For more information, visit www.sthelenas1712.org.

<strong>August Events at the Lobeco Branch Library</strong>
•  Welcome Back to School Storytime! — Whether your child is anxious about going to school or can’t wait to get on that big, yellow school bus, our special storytime will put a smile on everyone’s faces!! The event will take place on Saturday, August 10  at 11:30 am. It will be held at the Lobeco Branch Library, 1862 Trask Parkway, Lobeco, SC 29931. Admission is free. Call 843-255-6479 or email tracyeb@bcgov.net with more questions. The website is beaufortcountylibrary.org.
•  History Book Club — We will be discussing The Proud Tower by William H. McNeill. Dr. Bruce Smith will be leading the discussion. The event will take place on Tuesday, August 20 at 4:00 pm. It will be held at the Lobeco Branch Library, 1862 Trask Parkway, Lobeco, SC 29931. Admission is free. Call 843-255-6479 or email gmolter@bcgov.net with more questions. The website is beaufortcountylibrary.org.

<strong>Event discusses ‘Great Sea Island Hurricane’</strong>
Beaufort District Collection unveils the presentation of “Great Sea Island Hurricane.” On a single terrifying night of August 1893 a devastating hurricane ripped through the islands and lowlands of South Carolina and Georgia drowning thousands and leaving tens of thousands more destitute.  Grace Cordial, Beaufort District Collection Manager, will share photographs, diary accounts, and other materials relating to the “Great Sea Island Hurricane” during the presentation. The events will be on Tuesday, August 13th, from 2 to 3 p.m. at 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Helena, SC 29920. This is a free event for ages 12 and up. For more information call 843-255-6487 or email acox@bcgov.net. The website is www.beaufortcountylibrary.org.

<strong>Hope Haven seeking volunteers and interns</strong>
Hope Haven of the Lowcountry, the Rape Crisis and Children’s Advocacy Center is accepting applications for volunteers and interns to attend the Child Advocate volunteer training.  Hope Haven will be holding a Child Advocate volunteer training on Wednesday, August 14 at 9:00 a.m. at Hope Haven.  Child Advocate volunteers will supervise Hope Haven’s lobby to greet families, clients, and other agency representatives visiting the office. When children are present, volunteers will interact with them to help reduce stress and anxiety related to separation from their caregiver, the forensic interview and treatment process.  The training is 3.5 hours long and pre-registration is required.  For more information and to register, please contact Christine Smith at (843) 524-2256.

<strong>Sea Island Quilters to meet at Praise Assembly</strong>
The Sea Island Quilters will meet on Thursday, August 15, 6 p.m. at Praise Assembly, 800 Parris Island Gateway. The speaker will be, Anne Marcellis, quilt pattern designer and teacher. She will lecture on “Journey to Creative Quilting”. Anne will also teach a workshop on Saturday, August 17, at Carteret Street United Methodist Church from 9 AM to 4 PM. The workshop topic is Swirling table runners. Space for the workshop is limited. For details contact Diana DeWitt at 379-3353 or www.beaufortsiq.com.

<strong>Beaufort Fund’s grant applications available</strong>
The Beaufort Fund of Coastal Community Foundation is now accepting 2013 grant applications.  The Beaufort Fund is a permanent funding resource, distributing grants for charitable programming throughout Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper, with an ultimate goal to improve the quality of life in these counties. Begun in 1998 with a multi-million dollar gift by an anonymous Beaufort-area family, the Fund has awarded more than $5 million in grants to non-profit organizations.  Grants are generally directed to provide support in six program areas: Arts, Education, Environment, Health, Human Needs, and Neighborhood/ Community Development.  However, grant requests up to $15,000 will be accepted from any non-profit organization, as long as its work benefits citizens in the four-county area served by the Fund. Decisions about grants from the Beaufort Fund will be made by the Foundation with recommendations from an Advisory Committee of four-county area residents. The deadline for applying is Friday, August 16; all materials may be emailed or hand-delivered by 5:00 p.m. on August 16 or if sent by U.S. mail, must be postmarked on or before August 15. Computer-friendly applications are available at: http://www.coastalcommunityfoundation.org/nonprofits/grants.html
Charitable organizations may also request an application by phone at (843) 379-3400, or by e-mail at Edna@CoastalCommunityFoundation.org.

<strong>Back to School Luncheon offered</strong>
The Low Country Women’s Fellowship, also known as “TLC Women,” invites you to join them Saturday, August 17 @ 1:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn for their 1st annual “Back To School Luncheon.”  The purpose of this luncheon is to provide food, fun, and fellowship for women, while providing a venue to give back to the local community. Activities include preparing Back Packs with school supplies for children in need. The lunch at the event is optional and costs $15.  For questions, please contact Tonya Johnson Phillips at 843-322-0262.

<strong>Fun activities at Artworks</strong>
•   Saturday, August 17: Collaged Framed Art Card with Laurie Lovell — Create an artistically collaged card insert for a framed card, focusing on tactile elements, images, colors and surface techniques. This 1 to 3:30 p.m. class is for people 10 years and older or adult/child teams, only $15 with optional materials available. See additional materials list of “Your Working Tools” from instructor prior to class time. 843-379-2787 to register. Laurie Lovell received her Masters of Fine Arts in Fibers at The Savannah College of Art and Design; her undergraduate degree in Graphic Design from Ohio University. Her love for process, tactile materials and hand made fabric has continued to inspire her work and art.
•   Saturday, August 24: “-scapes” with Laurie Lovell @ ARTworks — Landscape, cityscape, seascape, escape...create assemblages on canvas or paper with highly textured and tactile collage surfaces, with painted, drawn, and stitched techniques, and applied found objects. This class is open to creative self-driven individuals with some art experience. Maximum of 10 participants. 10-4 p.m., $60 includes most materials. See additional materials list of “Your Working Tools” from instructor prior to class time. 379-2787 to register.

<strong>Christian Connection to host Sweetgrass Lady</strong>
Beaufort Christian Women’s Connection, Sponsored by Stonecroft Ministries, will present Sweetgrass Baskets of the Lowcountry on Thursday, Aug. 22 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn at 2015 Boundary St. Guest Feature will be Jery B. Taylor, the Sweetgrass Lady of St. Helena Island. Baskets will be on sale at the luncheon. Guest speaker is Ann Hart, and her topic is Finding the Missing Piece of the Puzzle. Tickets are $13.00. Reservations or cancellations must be made by Friday, August 16th. Call or E-mail Karen Whitehead at 838-7627  or mommakaren@islc.net.

<strong>Volunteer training for CODA to be held</strong>
CODA (Citizens Opposed to Domestic Abuse) will be holding a volunteer training
in August. The training is comprised of four sessions which will be held August 24th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and August 26th, 27th, and 28th   from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. CODA volunteers will be trained in working with victims of domestic violence, answering the 24-hour crisis line and a variety of activities working either on site in CODA’s shelter or at various community events as representatives of CODA. Interested individuals can download the application by visiting CODA’s website at www.codalowcountry.org and clicking the “volunteer” tab.  Pre-registration is required. For more information please contact Theresa Lacey at 843-770-1074 ext. 225.

<strong>Notary seminars to be held in September</strong>
Secretary of State Mark Hammond is offering free regional notary public seminars for South Carolina notaries and those interested in becoming a notary. Attending a Notary Public seminar is not required to obtain a Notary. The seminar is a public service of the Secretary of State’s Office.A local seminar will be held Tuesday, September 10th in the community room at Palmetto Electric Coop, Inc, 4063 Grays Highway in Ridgeland. Doors will open at 5:30 pm on the day of the seminar; seminar will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. and end by 7:30 p.m.

<strong>Junior Cotillion offers scholarships to students</strong>
The 2013-2014 Mount Pleasant Junior Cotillion is offering scholarships for two students currently in third, fourth, or fifth grade.  Students are presented social skills and social dance at the Cotillion.  Director Mary Kennerty says, “Students need a social and character education to help their self confidence.”  Classes meet at the Snee Farm Country Club beginning in August. For more information and to apply please contact Mary Kennerty at 881-8755 or marykennerty@att.net.  Visit our website: www.nljc.com/chapter/mtpleasantsc.