n Hazleton: The Greater Hazleton Health Alliance will join with Boyer's Food Markets to offer free health screenings several store locations in August. Dates, times and locations include: 9 to 11 a.m. Aug. 20 at the Hazleton store, glucose screenings; 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 20 at the McAdoo store, body mass index screenings; 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 27 at the Tamaqua store, pulse/oxygen screenings. No registration is necessary for the screenings. For additional screening times and dates, call the alliance's Community Outreach Department at 570-501-6204.
n Jim Thorpe: The Carbon County Department of Veterans Affairs will conduct a Patriot's Day-9/11 memorial service at 8:40 a.m. Sept. 11 at the Josiah White Park. All emergency services personnel, including fire, police and ambulance as well as veterans organizations and the general public are invited to attend, according to a release.
n Pottsville: Michelle G. McGinty, director of counseling at Pottsville Area High School, announced the counseling department will conduct freshman and new student orientation in the high school auditorium. Students whose last names begin with A to L should report at 7 p.m. Thursday, and those whose last names begin with M to Z should report at 7 p.m. Aug. 20. Parents of all incoming students are encouraged to attend this program. If there are any questions or problems with the assigned evening, please contact the counseling office at 570-621-2964.
n Pottsville: The Schuylkill United Way Pacesetters' Club has been awarded two matching grants from the John E. Morgan Foundation, according to a release from United Way's William J. Folk III. Folk said the grants represent "two tremendous opportunities to help the community." For the third consecutive year, the foundation will "match all new dollars donated to the Pacesetters' Club during the 2014 campaign. New Pacesetters who join will have their donation matched 100 percent while current club members who increase their donations over last year will have their increase matched by the $50,000 matching grant." Also, a second matching grant will be attached to the Physicians' Division for the 2014 campaign. This matching grant works the same as the other matching grant, but its value is up to $10,000 of new money in that division. The role of the Pacesetters' Club, according to the release, is to get a head start on the annual campaign, which begins in September. Club members "set the pace" for giving by running their part of the campaign prior to the kickoff of the general campaign. The club is divided into six divisions according to the amount of the donation and includes only individual contributions. The divisions include: Copper, $500 to $749; Bronze, $750 to $999; Silver, $1,000 to $1,499; Gold, $1,500 to $1,999; Diamond, $2,000 to $2,499, and Platinum, $2,500 and higher. Last year the Pacesetters' Club had a record 406 members and combined to donate $367,000 toward the 2013 Schuylkill United Way Campaign total of $1,077,000. The 2014 campaign goal has been set at $1,025,000. Titled "Together We Can," the 2014 campaign will kick off at 8 a.m. Sept. 6 at Penn State Schuylkill campus, Schuylkill Haven, and will run through November. For additional information, contact the Schuylkill United Way at 570-622-6421 or go to its website at www.schuylkillunitedway.org.
n Tamaqua: Horses & Horizons Therapeutic Learning Center Inc. is looking for volunteers to help with its special program of therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults with special needs. The center, which offers special riding lessons on Monday and Wednesday evenings from May through October, is located ten miles south of Tamaqua, near Route 309. There is a required volunteer training session from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, August 24 at the center. Anyone who wishes to volunteer to help with the riding lessons must attend this hands-on training. To become a volunteer or to request more information, contact Janie Miller at 570-386-4280 (wintsprg@ptd.net) or Elaine Smith at 570-386-5679 (elshhtlc@ptd.net).