Special Olympics
receives grant
GENESEE COUNTY — Area 13 Special Olympics is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from The Whiting Foundation of Flint. The grant will help support Area 13 summer programs, including the state summer games.
Area 13 athletes compete in myriad of summer sports such as track and field, volleyball, bowling, bocce, swimming, gymnastics, weight lifting, power lifting, developmental and wheelchair events, golf, soccer and more.
Special Olympics does not receive federal or state funding and is not a United Way agency, so grants and donations are vital to the organization’s programs. Area 13 serves more than 1,000 special athletes in Genesee and Lapeer counties.
For more information, call 810-232-1313. — N.B.

McLaren hosts
blood drive
FLINT — McLaren Regional Medical Center, Ballenger Auditorium, 401 S. Ballenger Hwy., hosts an American Red Cross blood drive from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 30.
Blood donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Call Barbara Worrell at 810-342-4475 to make an appointment. — K.S.

Sec. of State
offices closed
for Labor Day
MICHIGAN — All Secretary of State offices will be closed Sept. 3 in observance of Labor Day, and SUPER!Centers normally offering Saturday hours will be closed Sept. 1 as well.
Driver’s licenses and license plates that expire on a day when state offices are closed, such as a holiday or weekend, can be renewed the following day without penalty.
Branch offices are generally open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Most offices are open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Wednesday, except for city centers, which are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. PLUS and SUPER!Center offices are open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Wednesdays, and SUPER!Center offices are open 9 a.m.-noon on Saturdays.
For more information, visit the Sec. of State website, www.michigan.gov/sos. — J.N.

Red Cross needs donors
GENESEE COUNTY — The American Red Cross is urging people throughout Michigan to become a blood donor. The Red Cross needs to rebuild a blood supply in both Michigan and Ohio, as the inventories of critical blood types dip below safe and adequate levels.
“There’s no question. You’re needed,” said Sharon Jaska, CEO of the Great Lakes Region, which serves 65 counties in Michigan. “Blood supplies have been extremely low for about a month now. We simply need more people to volunteer to give blood — especially with a major travel holiday on the horizon.”
The Red Cross says a minimum of about 275 units of O-negative is necessary to treat the state’s hospital patients everyday.
Blood donors must be at least 17, weight at least 110 lbs. and be in good, general health. For more information, call 800-GIVE LIFE or visit www.givelife.org. — K.S.

Retired school
personnel meeting
GENESEE COUNTY — The Southeast Genesee Association of Retired School Personnel (SE-GARSP) and Genesee Association of Retired School Personnel (GARSP) hosts its first meeting of the season on Sept. 26.
The luncheon meeting, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Woodfield Golf Club in Grand Blanc Twp., features guest speaker Marie Wilkerson, president of the MARSP. Pre-registration for both the lunch and the meeting is required, but lunch attendance is optional.
SE-GARSP seeks to keep retired school employees informed about benefits, state legislation and lobby efforts, and other items affecting schools and retired staff in Michigan. New members are welcome to attend the luncheon/meeting.
For more information on the meeting or membership, contact Joan Ferrell at 810-232-3345. — J.N.

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