July 21, 2008  (15:52:26 EST)

FRAMINGHAM, MA – CALLAHAN CENTER HAPPENINGS – August 2008

Support Groups at Callahan Senior Center – Bereavement Support Group: Mondays, August 4, 11, 18 & 25 at 10:00 am. Caregivers’ Support Group: No meetings during June, July & August. Group will reconvene in September. Diabetes Support Group: No meetings during June, July & August. Group will reconvene in September. Grandparent Support Group: Please call Center for date and time. Low Vision Group: Friday, August 15 at 1:00 pm. Massage Therapy: Thursday, August 7, by appt. only. Parkinson’s Support Group: Tuesday, August 19 at 1:30 pm. Podiatry: Wed., August 13 with Dr. John 12:30 – 4:30 pm and Wed., August 27 with Dr. Lukoff from 1:00 – 4:30 pm, by appt. only.
Stroke Survivors’ Support Group: Monday, August 4 at 1:00 pm. Group will now meet in the Mary C. Parcher Room, in reception area.

BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC FOR AUGUST – Wednesdays, August 6, 13, 20 & 27. On the 6th & 20th from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm and on the 13th and 27th from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm.

VETERANS’ APPRECIATION LUNCHEON – Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 noon. The Callahan Center will be hosting a Veterans’ Appreciation Luncheon on Friday, August 22nd at 12:00 noon. This luncheon is open to all Veterans and their families. Lunch will be catered by Mark’s Creative Catering. Following the luncheon, at 1:30 pm, Framingham’s Veteran Affairs Director, Peter Harvell, will be at the Callahan Center conducting a presentation on Trench Art.

Trench Art is souvenir items made from battlefield debris. Seating is limited, so please call the front desk at 508-532-5980 no later than Friday, August 15th to reserve a seat.

Veterans’ Benefits Program – with Peter Harvell, Veteran Affairs Director – Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 10:00 am – Peter, Harvell, Veteran Affairs Director, will be at the Callahan Center to answer any of your veteran benefit questions. This program is open to all Veterans and their families. Please call the Callahan Center at 508-532-5980 no later than Wednesday, September 3rd to sign up for this presentation.

Preparing For The Unexpected – Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 10:00 am at Callahan Center. Disasters can strike quickly and without warning. The American Red Cross “Preparing for the Unexpected” presentation provides vital information to help people and their families prevent, prepare for, and cope with emergencies. It follows the three components of the “Be Red Cross Ready” campaign: Get a kit….. Make a plan….. Be informed. We discuss what items should be included in a disaster supplies kit, how to set up a communications plan, and how to be better informed before and during disaster situations.

Art Workshop at Callahan Center – We will be offering a two-hour art workshop in September on “Creating a Seascape”. Please bring your watercolor paints and paper, colored pencils, pastels, or any art supplies you may have. The workshop, taught by art instructor, Kathy Wirtanen, will be on Thursday, September 11th from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Pre-registration and pre-payment is required. Cost of this workshop is $7.00. Please call the Callahan Center at 508-532-5980 no later than Thursday, September 4th to register for the class. More classes are to come in October…look for information in our September Courier.

WRITING WORKSHOP – Professor Marc Widershien will be back to lead a Creative Writing Workshop and Storytelling Workshop this spring. Marc holds a Doctorate in Comparative Literature from Boston University and has had a wide experience in publishing poetry, translations, book reviews, and articles. This workshop will cover how to focus your ideas through brainstorming, free writing and tape recorder; improve skills in language by using sensory details to sharpen the senses; the editing process: writing and rewriting; and remembered events: family history, culture, religion, your own lineage which has helped to shape you. This free workshop will be held Thursdays, September 11, 18 & 25 and October 2, 9, & 16, 2008 at 10:00 am. Please call the Callahan Center at 508-532-5980 to sign up.

FRIENDS OF CALLAHAN UPDATE – The next general meeting of the Friends of Callahan will be on Monday, September 15, 2008 at 1:30 pm at the Callahan Center. Musical entertainment will be provided by Peter O’Malley with “Name That Tune”. Refreshments will be served. Come and bring a friend! AFGHAN RAFFLE WINNER! Congratualtions to Therese Quigley! Therese won the beautiful afghan donated by Jan Roberts, our Customer Service Assistant at the Front Desk. Thanks to Jan for the donation and to all who contribute to the raffle! All proceeds go to the Friends of Callahan Building Fund.

AARP Safe Driving Course – Instructor: Dr. Harold D. Homefield – Thursdays, September 18 & 25, 2008 from 9:45 am—12:00 noon and 1:00 pm—3:00 pm (both days at Callahan Center) Receive the Safe Driving discount on your insurance by maintaining your clean driving record. This class is designed especially for experienced drivers, focusing on how to recognize and compensate for age-related physical changes in hearing, eyesight and perceptual skill and driving response time. You will also learn updated rules of the road, defensive techniques, and how to deal with road rage. This 8-hour course over two days includes videos portraying very realistic driving scenarios and a workbook you may keep. Please note there is no actual driving nor driving test. Upon completion, a certificate will be granted. Dr. Homefield has extensive experience teaching this course, including at Emerson Hospital in Concord. He is a retired Commander, a World War II veteran, educator, administrator and speech pathologist. (He is also a former soloist of the Golden Tones!) Fee: $10.00 (Please pay the instructor day of class)
Seating is limited. Please call the Callahan Center at 508-532-5980 to reserve a seat.

Lawn Chair Drill Team – Dick Bonvini is looking for volunteers for his lawn chair drill team for the Flag Day and Fourth of July parades. It has been very successful in the past and is also a fun thing to do. It involves being able to walk one mile. If anyone has the old aluminum light-weight lawn chairs and would like to donate them to be used in the parades, we could use them. Call Dick Bonvini at 508-877-2824.

A COURSE IN SELF-ESTEEM – A Power of Self-Esteem course will be taught at the Rose Kennedy Community Center beginning on Tuesday, October 14, 2008. The 2-hour classes will take place over a five-week period on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Self-esteem is something that we all have, however the unconscious demands that we place upon ourselves often get in the way of our accepting ourselves for whom we are. How often do you find yourself saying, “I ought to, should, have to, need to” do something. These demands are our minds of trying to prove that if we act or do something a different way then we will be accepted by others and not feel guilty for being the way we are. The truth is that we do not ‘have’ to do anything to prove ourselves, we are fine just the way we are. Self-esteem comes from within you, when you acknowledge your worth and value as a human being, just as you are and not based on what you do or what you own. It is then that you have true self-esteem which will not go away if you happen to make a mistake or there is a change in your life. It is when we have the true self-esteem that we are freed up to make choices in our lives and are no longer controlled by the demands that have driven us all our lives. If you would be interested in knowing more about the course, please contact Joan Gay at 508-877-3824 during the day. Offered by Joan Gay & Mary Pierce, Licensed Mentors of the Kairos Foundation.

PROPERTY TAX RELIEF PROGRAM FY 2009 – The Callahan Center will be taking appointments for the Property Tax Relief Program starting in August. The program employs senior citizens, 62 years of age or older, who are retired Framingham residents and homeowners for 5 or more years. An application is required, accompanied by required verifications. Maximum allowable income for Program participation is $40,000 (single) and $50,000 (couple). Seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00) will be earned for completing the required 94 hours of work. Seniors will receive credit on their quarterly tax bill when completed. Acceptance is subject to the ability to place applicant in an available position and applicant’s ability to fulfill job requirements as determined by the Property Tax Relief Coordinator, Janice McIntyre. For more information or to make an appointment, please call Janice at the Callahan Center at 508-532-5980.

Framingham Water & Sewer Commission FY09 Senior Discount Program – The Callahan Center now has applications for the Fiscal 2009 Water/Sewer Senior Discount. Eligibility requirements are as follows: Must be Framingham resident 65 years of age or over, must be owner occupied for one, two and three family home. Gross income may not exceed: 1) $45,000 for an individual, 2) $56,000 for head of household, 3) $67,000 for married filing jointly. Please contact Janice McIntyre at the Callahan Center for an appointment. A proof of ownership of property, such as a copy of the real estate tax bill with the owner (s) name must be provided. Also, new applicants must supply one of the following: a certified copy of the applicant’s birth certificate, photocopy of their driver’s license or passport.