COMMUNITY MATTERS: Ways you can give back to community

The following organizations offer Murfreesboro residents the opportunity to give back to their community.

Habitat for Humanity, rchfh.org, (615) 890-5587
Girls play house. Women build them! Volunteer for the 2014 WOMEN BUILD
Dates: The build will begin in April and run through June
Cost: For each volunteer that signs up, a $20 minimum donation is required
Interested: If you would like to be on the list of potential Women Build volunteers, please contact Megan Hutchings at (615)890-5877 ext.106, megan@rchfh.org
T-Shirts: Pink shirts with the 2014 Women Build slogan will be for sale for $15

Lowe’s Women Build Clinic
Date: Saturday, April 5, 9-11 A.M.
Location: Lowe’s on Old Fort Parkway
Cost: Free
Registration: Register at the Lowe’s store or call Hutchings at (615) 890-5877 ext. 106
This clinic is designed especially for women. You will have the opportunity to learn various construction skills through hands-on workshops. Honor the important women in your life by donating a square foot
Time: During the month of May
Cost: $50
Recognition: Honorees names will be displayed at the home dedication ceremony on special yard signs. Each “square foot” donated will bring a family’s dream closer to reality.

Primary Care Hope Clinic, hopeclnc.org, (615) 893-9390
Beat March Madness!
Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace ends March 31. Certified Application Counselors at the Primary Care Hope Clinic are available to assist with completing the application, explaining financial assistance eligibility and
options, and understanding health plan choices. Call (615) 893-9390 ext. 210 for more information. The Primary Care Hope Clinic provides quality, affordable health care services for all ages, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Health care for the uninsured is provided on a sliding fee scale, based on income and family size. TennCare, Medicare, and private insurance are also accepted. Call (615) 893-9390 to make an appointment.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), (615) 361-6608
Free Classes Available: NAMI of Rutherford County is offering With Hope in Mind, a free series of classes about coping with the difficulties of caring for loved ones with mental illness. The eight-session course will be conducted in Murfreesboro on Tuesday and Thursday at TrustPoint Hospital March 4-27 from 6-8:30 p.m. One in five Tennesseans is
affected by a mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder or eating disorder. The With Hope in Mind curriculum addresses these common illnesses and teaches helpful skills such as problem management, communication, and crisis planning. It also provides you with coping skills for dealing with the cycles of various illnesses. The sessions are conducted in an atmosphere of confidentiality offering
participants practical and emotional support. Space is limited and preregistration is required. To learn more or to register for the course, contact Jan Kenny at 615-896-6812 or at JanK616@att.net.

Read to Succeed, ReadTo-Succeed.org, (615) 738-READ
Volunteers are needed for the “Me My Family” event at Cason Lane Academy on Thursday, March 27. The event begins at 5 p.m. Contact Debbie Mankin at debbiemankin@readtosucceed.org or (615) 738-7323. Donations of bilingual (Hispanic and Arabic) books are needed.

Mid-Cumberland Head Start, 98 Wise Drive, Smyrna, (615) 459-6038
Reading Is Fundamental Campaign

February 18-28, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Volunteers and Community Partners needed to read to children. Please contact Rebecca Fields-Santin at rebecca_santin@yahoo.com or at (615) 459-6038 ext.3

Mid Cumberland Human Resource, mchra.com, (615) 452-1687
The Long-term Care Ombudsman Program needs volunteers to visit an assigned nursing home, assisted living or home for the aged once a week to meet residents, listen to their concerns, tour the facility and help the Ombudsman identify
and address complaints about violations of resident rights, substandard care and conditions in the facility that negatively impact the quality of life for residents. Volunteers will be trained and certified as volunteer ombudsman representatives
and will be assigned a facility near the volunteer’s home. Training is May 14-15. For more information on volunteering contact Pati Bedwell at (615) 452-1687 or PBedwell@mchra.com.

Rutherford Co. Emergency Food Bank, 211 Bridge Ave., (615) 895-1148
Special notice! The RCEFB has been undergoing renovations, but is now open and operating within the normal hours of 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Please note that the entrance to the food bank has changed. It is at the end of
the McFadden Community Center building. The new ramped sidewalk will make it easier to bring in donations and for others to take groceries to their vehicle.

Journeys in Community Living, journeysincommunity.org, (615) 890-4389
The Annual Awards Ceremony Silent Auction benefitting adults with intellectual disabilities in Rutherford and Cannon
Counties will be held on April 24 at 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel on Old Fort Parkway. Call Mark Bell, development coordinator, for sponsorship information, ticket prices, and questions about the auction at (615) 295-3046.