Big Brothers Big Sisters Looking for Community Volunteers
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Tri-Cities (BBBSGTC) is looking for community volunteers to make a difference in a child’s life. Spending approximately 4 hours a month with an at-risk youth can help them improve in school, their behavior and their self-esteem. “Our kids have a need, and we are looking for caring adults to step up and volunteer,” said Kathy Lowdermilk, Regional Director of BBBSGTC. “If you have a few hours a month and the desire to make a difference, we want to talk with you about our program.”
Our local Big Brothers Big Sisters office, which serves the Bristol, Kingsport, and Johnson City area, is part of one of the oldest and largest youth mentoring organizations in the United States. It’s a system that has been proven to work and transforms the lives of children who might not otherwise ever get the support they need to grow and successfully meet life’s challenges.
Child-volunteer matches are made based on in-depth and comprehensive interviewing with parents, children and potential volunteers. Stringent safeguards are in place to assure that all parties are safe. Volunteer and parent engagement and training also play a big role. Anyone wanting to find out more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Tri-Cities should contact the office by calling 423-247-3240, or visiting TennesseeBig.org.
Blood Drive
Marsh Regional Blood Center will conduct public blood drives at the area locations. Visit http://tinyurl.com/n4aujx9 to find a location near you. In addition to scheduled blood drives, donors are welcome at Marsh Regional’s collection centers: 111 W. Stone Drive, Suite 300, Kingsport, 2428 Knob Creek Road, Johnson City and 1996 W. State St., Bristol. For more information about scheduling a blood drive at a local business, church, school or community organization, please call 423-408-7500, 423-652-0014 or 276-679-4669 or visit marshblood.com.
The Casual Word Adult Creative Writing Class
Join us for a free, fun, engaging, and different look into writing. In this class, we will not focus on structure, form, or rules, but on the freedom of writing. It is the goal of this class to open the mind to its full creative potential by allowing participants to write what they want, how they want to write it. Sessions will be student lead; we will engage in topics and subjects that are of interest to the students. The atmosphere is casual and jovial. This class is designed for all those 18 and up who wish to try their hand at creative writing. Thursdays @ 6:00 p.m. Jones Creativity Center. Bristol Public Library.
Author Fair
Sure Fire Publishing teams up with The Casual Word publishing to host their first annual author fair at the Bristol Public Library, 701 Goode St. on Februrary 10th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Casual Word and Sure Fire will be there to answer any questions for anyone who is interested in writing and/or publishing. Several authors will be at the event for book signings, Q an A’s, and round table talks. This event is drop in and all are welcome. There will be drawings through the day for door prizes. Don’t Miss it!
• 10 a.m.: Question and Answers with our publishing teams.
• 12 p.m.: Author Book Signings.
• Door prizes every hour, on the hour: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Family Movie Matinee
Join us at the Jonesborough Library on Saturday, January 13th, 2:00 p.m. for our Family Movie Matinee! Our movie for January is a popular family-friendly film. Free popcorn, candy, and drinks will be provided!
Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast cars, the legendary Lightning McQueen finds himself pushed out of the sport that he loves. Hoping to get back in the game, he turns to Cruz Ramirez, an eager young technician who has her own plans for winning. With inspiration from the Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns, No. 95 prepares to compete on Piston Cup Racing’s biggest stage.
This event is free and open to the public.This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Washington County Jonesborough Library. For more information, please call the Jonesborough Library at 423-753-1800.
Workshops for Entrepreneurs
The Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) at East Tennessee State University will offer three workshops for entrepreneurs in January at the ETSU Innovation Laboratory, 2109 W. Market St.
“Twitter: Planning Your Business Strategy for 2018” will be held Thursday, Jan. 18, from noon to 1 p.m. In this workshop, participants will learn about recent changes to Twitter as well as the latest tools available for small business owners to manage Twitter and how to develop a strategy to engage new audiences.
“Hiring for Your Small Business: Getting Started” will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 10-11 a.m. Ashley Cox, human resources partner for small businesses at sproutHR, will cover steps for preparing a business to hire, including different types of workers and knowing which type will meet the needs of the job. She will also provide tips for writing job descriptions and posting openings, creating an interview process and conducting effective interviews.
“Advanced Facebook Techniques” will be offered Thursday, Jan. 25, from noon to 1 p.m.
This workshop, designed for Facebook users with business pages, will focus on Facebook’s Power Editor, which allows users to create targeted audiences to potentially amplify the reach of their posts. Each workshop is $25, and pre-registration is required. To register, or for more information, contact Teresa Shipley of the TSBDC at 423-439-8505 or shipleyth@etsu.edu. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.
Sew Crazy Meeting
The next Sew Crazy meeting will be held on Saturday, January 20, from 10 a.m. -2 p.m. The group will be meeting at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 201 E. Watauga Ave., Johnson City. This will be a Sit and Sew session to complete the current project making 100 draw-cord backpacks for use by UMCOR – United Methodist Committee on Relief. There is no cost to attend this meeting; sewing materials and notions are provided. For more information, please contact Donna Horowitz at 423-434-0424 or info@sew-crazy.org.
