Kwanzaa event set for Sunday for county residents
A countywide Kwanzaa celebration is to be held from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Kahler Hall, 5440 Old Tucker Row, Columbia. Doors open at 4 p.m.
The celebration is co-sponsored by the Howard County Center of African American Culture Inc., the Council of Elders, the Howard County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, The Ellicott City Colored School and St. John's Baptist Church.
Food, music, dancing, singing, storytelling and other performances are planned.
Information: 410-715-1921.
'Columbia Matters' seeks teens for ideas
The Columbia Association's new cable television program about issues facing local residents, Columbia Matters, is seeking Columbia teens to be interviewed about programs they would like to see offered to their age group.
Video footage of selected participants will be aired on the February show, during the "What's On Your Mind, Columbia?" segment. A camera crew will be at the Columbia Teen Center in Oakland Mills Village Center for a taping from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 8. Planned activities include crafts, cooking, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, pool and ping-pong.
Participants must have a release form signed by a parent or guardian.
Columbia Matters will begin airing Jan. 3 on Howard Community College's Cable Channel 71.
Information or to participate in the taping: 410-992-3726 or e-mail, CATVshow@columbia association.com.
CA offering package plan for families of troops
Effective immediately, the Columbia Association will offer a free one-year package plan membership to dependents of residents deployed in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
The service member must be deployed outside Maryland. Dependents must provide verification that they live on Columbia Association-assessed property and will continue to do so during their family-member's deployment.
Information: 410-730-1801.
Gift-wrapping services available through Friday
The National Council of Jewish Women, Howard County Section, and Howard County General Hospital's Volunteer Auxiliary will staff their gift-wrap booth on the upper level of The Mall in Columbia through Friday.
The cost for gift-wrapping ranges from $1 to $5, depending on the size of the box. Extra-large boxes cost more to wrap.
Proceeds will go to community organizations and causes.
Information: 410-740-2592.
Cooperative Ministry selling Christmas trees
The Columbia Cooperative Ministry is offering Christmas trees for sale from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow at Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Road, Columbia.
Twenty-five percent of proceeds will go to Heifer Project International, which provides livestock and training to help families around the world become self-sufficient.
Douglas fir, Scotch and white pine and blue spruce trees are available. The trees range from 6 to 10 feet tall.
Information: George Martin, 410-730-7862.
Volunteers being sought for a hearing study
The Howard County Office on Aging is recruiting volunteers, ages 50 and older, for a research study on hearing.
Volunteers, who will be paid $20 for their participation, will be asked to take a two-hour course, "Now Hear This: Tips for Better Hearing at Home," next month or in February. Tips include strategies for hearing better at home and in the community. Those who wear a hearing aid may also find the course useful.
The course, which is being offered in partnership with Ideas Consulting Inc., will be offered in a classroom and on the Web. The study's purpose is to determine how people learn best. A follow-up is planned to evaluate results.
Information: Regina Jenkins, 410-313-1417.
Free home repairs offered to those who qualify
Rebuilding Together with Christmas in April, Howard County, a nonprofit home-rehabilitation program for low-income homeowners, is offering free repairs to elderly, disabled or low-income homeowners.
To apply: 410-381-3338, or www.howardcounty.rebuilding together.org.