Community briefs are for nonprofit organizations and events only.



Amador Pregnancy Help Center

The Amador Pregnancy Help Center will hold a banquet fund-raiser Saturday, Feb. 27 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Grace Fellowship, 8040 Highway 49, Jackson. Tickets are $20 each. A table for eight can be reserved for $160. There will be a tri-tip and pasta dinner with a pick-your-prize raffle. Tickets are available at the Amador Pregnancy Help Center, 601 Court St., suite 208, and at the Lighthouse Christian Bookstore in Martell. Call 223-3813 for information.



Mother Lode Newcomers Club

The Mother Lode Newcomers Club's monthly luncheon is Thursday, March 4 at 11 a.m. at Mel and Faye's Diner on Highway 49/88 in Jackson. Lunch is at noon and the cost is $20 per person. Reservation deadline is Monday, Feb. 22. Call Sharon Quintana at 772-0783 or e-mail resv4nc@yahoo.com for reservations. Membership enrollment will be available for May 2010 through April 2011 and is $20 for the year.



Advance Health Care Directive Workshop

A free workshop on completing an Advance Health Care Directive will be held Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Amador Senior Center, 229 New York Ranch Road, Jackson. The workshop will include both parts of an accepted California Health Care Directive: Durable Power of Attorney for Health (naming a surrogate decision maker), and the Living Will (health care instructions for the surrogate). Bonnie Evans will be facilitating the workshop. She received her advance directive certification through Coda Alliance, a nonprofit organization created to address end-of-life issues. To register for a class, for more information, or to schedule a workshop, contact Evans at 296-6996.



Overeaters Anonymous

Do you have a problem with food? Come join Overeaters Anonymous for fellowship and support. There are no dues, fees, weigh-ins or diets. Overeaters Anonymous meets three times every week: Big Book Study Meeting is Mondays at 5:30 p.m. at Sutter Amador Hospital's conference room next to the cafeteria; Topic/Discussion meeting is Wednesdays at noon at the meeting room beneath Pine Grove Market on Highway 88 in Pine Grove and Fridays at 5 p.m. at Sutter Amador Hospital's conference room next to the cafeteria. Everyone is welcome at any or all of the meetings. Call Liz for more information at 295-6921.



Dad and Me

First 5 Amador presents Dad and Me February Snow Day Saturday, Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. to noon at Veterans Memorial Hall at Pioneer Hall, 25110 Buckhorn Ridge Road in Buckhorn. All dads, uncles grandpas, etc. are invited to attend this event for children 0 to 5 years old. Participants will build a snowman, go sledding, enjoy hot chocolate and will take home a free book. Space is limited to the first 20 children. Call Tracy at 257-1092 for reservations. If the weather is stormy, the group will meet at the Amador Cooperative Preschool in Jackson. Call Dave at 304-4905 to check in the day before the event.



Argonaut A's

The Argonaut A's Ford Model A Club will meet for lunch at Colina de Oro in Plymouth at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20. After lunch, the group will be taking a "mystery tour" led by one of its members. Anyone who owns a Ford Model A or is interested in Model A's is invited to attend. Meetings are held the third Saturday of every month. For more information about the Argonaut A's, see www.argonautasford.blogspot.com or call 223-7852 or 267-0937.



Hospice volunteer training

Hospice of Amador and Calaveras is offering training for family support volunteers. Volunteers provide special comfort to terminally ill patients and their families. Volunteers can help by sitting with patients and listening, reading to them, running errands or assisting in many other ways. The training will be held March 9, 10 and 11 at the Calaveras Senior Center in San Andreas. For those interested in finding out more about the training or about working with hospice, contact Ann Metherd at 223-5500 or ann.metherd@hospiceofamador.org.



Adult Education computer classes

Adult Education computer classes will be held at Independence High School, 525 Independence Drive, Sutter Creek. Four two-hour classes will be available: Intermediate Microsoft Word class will be Tuesdays, Feb. 16 to March 9, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Beginning Excel class will be Thursdays, Feb. 18 to March 11 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. A $45 fee will be charged for each class, in cash only. For more information, call 257-5100. There are textbooks for these classes, which can be purchased online. Book information: "Learning Microsoft Word 2002," Publisher DDC, ISBN # 1-58577-137-6, and "Learning Microsoft Excel 2002," Publisher DDC, ISBN # 1-58577-138-4.



Grandparenting workshops

Amador County Library in Jackson will be offering "Grandparenting in the 21st Century," a series of six workshops offering information and resources to grandparents who have full-time care of their grandchildren. The first workshop was postponed due to bad weather conditions and will now be held on Wednesday, Feb. 17 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., with a presentation on "Legal Rights for Grandparents" by Nannette Stomberg, a local attorney who has practiced law for 17 years. Included in this discussion will be a grandparent's legal rights to a grandchild as against a parent (with and without a guardianship in place) and how to enroll a child in school and/or obtain medical care without guardianship. For more information about the workshops in this series, call the library at 223-6400. The workshops are sponsored by the Amador County Library and Amador Senior Center.



The Compassionate Friends of Amador

The Compassionate Friends of Amador is a support group for bereaved parents whose child (or children) of any age has died. The meetings are held at the offices of Hospice of Amador and Calaveras, located at 1500 S. Highway 49 in Jackson. The February meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Those attending for the first time, or for more information, can call Lynne at 223-4762. This support group is affiliated with the National Organization of The Compassionate Friends. The national Web site is www.compassionatefriends.org.



Kiwanis Candy Wagon

The Kiwanis Club's Candy Wagon is open at its usual location in front of Save Mart at the Amador Plaza in Martell. See's Candies and chocolates are being sold daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Valentine's Day, Sunday, Feb. 14. There is a large variety of See's products available, including special heart boxes, lollipops, candy bars, mints and peanut brittle. Some sugar-free items are also available. This Kiwanis fund-raising activity supports local youth programs and college scholarships.



Support Equals Success weight-loss support group

The Support Equals Success weight-loss support group meets the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 7 to 8 p.m. The group meets in the conference room in the Sutter Amador Hospital main lobby. All are welcome, whether a person has had or is thinking about weight loss surgery. For more information, contact Sue Nielson at 274-6299 or e-mail execsue@yahoo.com.



Items for Community Briefs are invited from nonprofit clubs and organizations in Amador County. Deadline is Monday at noon. Material must be typed in upper and lower case and no more than 125 words. E-mail to editor@ledger-dispatch.com. Be sure your name and telephone number are included.