LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The St. Elizabeth Regional Hospice in Lafayette has scheduled their summer hospice volunteer training classes for new volunteers to work with hospice patients and their families in your area.

Class sessions will be on the following dates and times:

• Saturday, July 19: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Monday, July 21: 5 to 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 23: 5 to 8 p.m.
• Monday, July 28: 5 to 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 30: 5 to 8 p.m.

All sessions will be held at the Kathryn Weil Center for Education. The Kathryn Weil Center for Education is located in the Medical Arts Building, 415 N. 26th St., Suite 400 in Lafayette on the Home Hospital campus.

Volunteers provide non-medical services to hospice patients and their families that include a break for caregivers, patient companionship, listening and emotional support, basic bedside comfort measures or assisting with shopping, yard or household chores. Volunteers can be a wonderful support for families during this difficult time.

Those who have lost loved ones within the last year are strongly encouraged to wait for at least one year before volunteering for direct care with our hospice families; however interested persons could volunteer to provide office support.

For more information, to request an application packet or to register for the class, please contact Diana Salazar, St. Elizabeth Hospice volunteer coordinator, at (765) 423-6924 by July 12.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Grant proposals that address needs in the areas of children’s music education, children’s needs, and community beautification are being accepted at The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette from now until noon on Tuesday September 2, 2008. Not-for-profits serving the Tippecanoe County area are encouraged to apply. For information, go to www.cfglaf.org or call (765) 742-9078.

For projects benefiting “Music Education for Disadvantaged Youth”, $8,500 is available for grants in 2008. In 2007, grant awards from the Louisa Lee France Endowment funded $1,400 in music lesson scholarships (Children’s Music Foundation, Inc.) and $2,000 for piano tuning and repair (also at Children’s Music Foundation, Inc.)

For projects benefiting or addressing “Children’s Needs” a total of $7,500 is available for grants in 2008. 2007 grant awards from the Fund for Children’s Needs were awarded to:

• $350, spring break theatre classes, Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette.
• $2,100, membership fees, uniform pieces, and troop start-up money for 100 Hispanic girls as well as funds for participation in a Piñata Party and Fiesta Camp, Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.
• $5,000, Systems of Care flex fund for small, one-time expenses impacting seriously emotionally disturbed children, Wabash Valley Hospital Department of Child & Adolescent Services.

A total of $2,300 is available for the 2008 grant cycle for “Community Beautification”.

This is the first year for grant awards from the Virginia B. Huth Fund and the George and Betty DeVault Fund.

The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette is a nonprofit public charity established in 1970 to inspire, nurture, and practice philanthropy, stewardship, and leadership in the communities we serve. Additional grant opportunities are also available through The Community Foundation. For further information or to access a grant proposal application, visit www.cfglaf.org, call (765) 742-9078 or e-mail to info@cfglaf.org.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The dream of having a home with a white picket fence will become reality for Lafayette resident Marjorie “Margie” Britton when the Purdue Research Park companies’ Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette home is dedicated on Sunday (June 8).

The $40,000 West Lafayette home is the culmination of the combined efforts and contributions of volunteers from the Purdue Research Park and many park companies. Construction on the home began April 12.

More than 100 people are expected to attend the 2 p.m. dedication and house blessing at 2 p.m. at 2428 Crestview Court in Lafayette.

“Building this home for Margie has been one of the most personally rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on as part of a team,” said James Elsner of Butler International Inc., who will be speaking at the dedication. “Even before we broke ground just eight weeks ago, we’ve been meeting and planning on how to make this happen. Margie has worked hard all her life and owned the previous home on this build site. Unfortunately, that home was literally falling down around her. We are happy that we could help to rebuild Margie’s new home, a home that is now safe for Margie and her family.”

The enterprise is called Project White Picket Fence, in honor of Britton’s lifelong dream of owning a home with such a fence.

Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette chooses recipients based on a set of guidelines that include the need for housing, willingness to partner in the program and the ability to repay the mortgage.

In addition to individual monetary contributions, corporate donations also were given. Companies and individuals affiliated with New York Life Insurance Co., Endocyte Inc., Research Park Associates LLC, Advanced Process Combinatorics Inc. and Purdue Research Foundation made contributions to Project White Picket Fence.

“The cooperation and collaboration among the park companies and the Purdue Research Park has been phenomenal, as well as the donations by the Lafayette and West Lafayette community and business owners,” Elsner said.

The last fundraising event for the project will be Tuesday (June 10) at the Lafayette Brewing Co., with a percentage of the day’s profits going to benefit the project.

Past events held to raise funds for the undertaking included:

• Capp ‘n Gino’s coffee benefit.
• Waldenbooks merchandise fair.
• Nine Irish Brothers restaurant in West Lafayette donated a percentage of its profits of a day’s sales to the program.
• Conrad Bone Band performed at the Lafayette Brewing Co. with proceeds benefiting the project.
• Texas Roadhouse night with an amount from one evening’s sales supporting the project.

For more information about Purdue Research Park’s Project White Picket Fence and to learn how to make donations or volunteer for future Habitat projects, contact Constance Alstad, project coordinator, at (765) 496-7721, cmalstatd@prf.org.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — “Motion for Moms” – a light exercise and fitness program for expecting moms, as well as for moms who have recently delivered – is set to start at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10 through Thursday, July 17.

Motion for Moms is sponsored by St. Elizabeth Regional Health’s Physical Therapy Department.

Featured activities include traditional strengthening, resistive stretching and endurance exercises including yoga and Pilates to prepare the new mom for her childbirth experience and for caring for her newborn. An educational component will be a part of each section. Topics that will be covered will include nutrition, pain management during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, relaxation techniques, posture, foot care and safety information.

“Motion for Moms provides a fun, supportive environment for exercising moms before and after delivery,” said Dusti Chase, MS, PT, a physical therapist who is leading the program. “These exercise classes are specifically designed for women at any stage of pregnancy. The class is also a chance for expectant moms and new moms to network and meet other people.”

This session of Motion for Moms is set for 1 to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning on Tuesday, June 10 and going through Thursday, July 17. Cost is $40 for the 12 sessions. Medical clearance from your doctor is required prior to participation. A release form can be obtained by calling the Kathryn Weil Center for Education at (765) 449-5133.

Classes will be held at the Kathryn Weil Center for Education, which is located in the Medical Arts Building, located at 415 N. 26th St., Suite 400 in Lafayette on the Home Hospital campus.

For more information or to register, please call the center at (765) 449-5133.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Physicians and staff representatives from the St. Francis Weight Loss Center will present two community education programs on “Medical Weight Loss” on Wednesday, June 18. The program will be held at the Kathryn Weil Center for Education located inside the Medical Arts Building at 415 N. 26th St., Suite 400 in Lafayette, IN.

The first session will start at noon and include lunch. The evening session will start at 6:30 p.m.

The St. Francis Weight Loss Center, located on the south side of Indianapolis, provides medical and surgical weight loss solutions, including Roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery, Lap-Band surgery and fills, gastric sleeve, as well as nutrition and behavioral counseling.

Since 2002, the center and its staff have helped more than 1,000 Hoosiers achieve a healthier weight and life through its weight management services.

The St. Francis Weight Loss Center was named a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery in 2007. This recognizes the safety, efficiency and overall positive surgical results of the bariatric surgical program at St. Francis. The ASMBS Center of Excellence designation is awarded to surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

For more information on the services, please visit www.stfrancishospitals.org/weightloss.

These programs are free, but registration is required. To register or for more information, call the Kathryn Weil Center for Education at (765) 449-5133.