Donate Your Car, Change a Life

Good News Mountaineer Garage is hosting a car drop-off day Saturday, October 20 from 10 am–2 pm at Asbury United Methodist Church, Shepherdstown, on Route 480 South Instead of trading in or selling a used vehicle, consider donating it to the Garage. These cars change lives and the donor is eligible for a federal income tax deduction if they itemize their taxes.  Donors may also be eligible for a West Virginia income tax credit, if available. All the group needs are your keys and the title. If you cannot drive the vehicle because you do not have a license plate or insurance or can’t make it on the 20th, they can pick it up for you.

The Good News Mountaineer Garage is a nonprofit agency that helps getting low income West Virginians back on the road to work. Providing those in need a repaired donated car, van, or truck changes the life of a family trying to become economically independent. A lack of transportation limits a family’s ability to get a job, access safe and affordable housing or even to buy groceries. For more information, driving directions to the Church or to request pick-up, call (304) 260-0566. www.goodnewsmountaineergarage.com.

Carved Relief Wood Carving Workshop

October 21–26, “e” expressions will offer a woodcarving course at Priestfield Pastoral Center. Students will be taught the proper use of carving tools, the precise way to begin a carving and the progression steps toward the work’s completion. Two sessions will be offered daily. The workshop will be taught by master carver, Aturo Vonn Hartung, whose works are exhibited in churches, public buildings and private collections around the world. For information or to register call 876 384. Registration closes October 13.

Local Journalist Hosts New VOA Show

Shepherdstown resident, journalist, and author Susan F. Benjamin will host a new radio show: The Greater Voice, airing Thursdays at 11 am on VoiceAmerica.com radio network. Benjamin’s guests will include such notables as activist Tom Hayden, New York Congressman Charles Rangel, NPR biotechnology reporter Moria Gunn, novelists, poets, and chefs—to name a few.

“On the show they give voice to everything from poetry to protest, science to sensuality,” says Benjamin, formally co-host of the nationally syndicated Michael Dresser Show. “They’re voices shape people’s lives, open their minds, and amaze them. Regardless of the subject matter, I work to ensure my questions are informed and intelligent, although in no way leading.”

VoiceAmerica.com is the nation’s largest online network reaching approximately 5 million people. Listeners can access Susan’s show by going on www. thegreatervoice.com and www.susanfbenjamin.com. They can read Susan’s blog about the show, The Greater Voice, at Typepad.com and her column by the same name appears in publications nationwide.

Could You be Shepherdstown’s Biggest Liar?

On Election Night, November 6, local storytellers will compete for election as “Shepherdstown’s Biggest Liar.” All who attend the event will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite liar. Sponsored by the Friends of the Shepherdstown Library (FOSL), the event will take place at 8 pm at the Shepherdstown Men’s Club. The evening will feature music and refreshments. Beer and wine will be available with a donation. All proceeds will support Shepherdstown Library programs. Admission will be $10. Tickets will go on sale in mid-October. FOSL is seeking additional people who might like to join the competition. Anyone interested should contact Edwinna Bernat, 876-8444, edwinnab@citlink.net, or Donna Marshall, 304) 264-0787; shelsfoundation@aol.com, before October 5. Auditions may be held.

Local Nonprofit Welcomes New Associate Director

Martinsburg resident Julie Lozinski is a local guardsman and former reporter; she’s also the newest addition to the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation staff. She brings many of the things she learned in the 167th Airlift Unit in Martinsburg to her new position as associate director of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation. Founded in 1995, EVCF provides financial stewardship for $6.5 million in endowment funds and distributes grants and scholarships of $150,000 each year to Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan counties.  Donors craft the vision to determine how their fund serves the community. There are 26 in West Virginia. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can give a gift that lasts lifetimes, contact the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation at (304) 263-0353.

Audubon Society Events

The October meeting of the Potomac Valley Audubon Society will feature a presentation by Maryland nature photographer Middleton Evans, who will discuss and show images from his latest book Rhapsody in Blue, A Celebration of North American Waterbirds. The program is free. The meeting will be held at 7 pm, Wednesday, October 10, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center on Shepherd Grade Road, just north of Shepherdstown. It will be held in Room 160 of the Center's Instructional West Building. For more information contact Peter Smith at 876-1139 or pvsmith@frontiernet.net.

The group also is sponsoring two family-favorite nighttime field trips this fall to watch an expert catch, band, and release migrating owls on South Mountain, in Washington County, Md. They will start at about 8:30 pm and last until about 10:30, Saturday, October 27 and Saturday, November 3. The expert leading is Steve Huy, who has been banding owls on the mountain for many years as part of Project OwlNet. Pre-registration is essential because space is limited to 20 persons per trip. To pre-register or get more information, contact Carolyn Thomas at (304) 267-3115 or webethomas@aol.com.

These trips involve a walk over uneven ground and are not recommended for anyone who needs assistance. Participants should bring a flashlight and dress warmly. The trips will be cancelled if it is raining. The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is a nonprofit organization, and is a member of the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle and the Combined Federal Campaign.

Shepherd’s social work department receives grant

The social work program at Shepherd University has secured a grant application of $183,316 through Title IV-E of the Social Security Act and West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) thanks to Co-principal Investigators, Dr. Geri Crawley-Woods and Dr. Douglas C. Horner. This grant has provided more than $1.4 million of additional funding to Shepherd University since 1993.




It helps in three areas. To support students preparing for employment as child protective service workers with the DHHR. The second component involves the provision of training to non-social work credentialed employees of the DHHR throughout the 15-county region of Eastern West Virginia and other areas of the state. The final component provides pre-service training to foster parents in the eastern region of the state.

SU Alumni Association Holds Wings Eating Tailgate