Southwest Daily News Community Calendar

DECEMBER 19 & 20
• A ‘Caring Christmas’ Applications
Care Help of Sulphur’s “A Caring Christmas” applications for Sulphur and Carlyss residents are Dec. 19 from  9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Care Help of Sulphur’s Community Education building 112 E. Thomas St. in Sulphur. Applications can be picked up ahead of time in Care Help’s “The Wise Penny” Thrift Store 200 N. Huntington St. in Sulphur. Bring applications and all information on one of the two application days. Visit Care Help of Sulphur at www.care-help.org and find us on Facebook do receive what is on sale, volunteer and donor news. You can donate through Paypal.com, or shop through www.iGive.com/carehelpofsulphur

DECEMBER 21
• Brownfields Program Meeting
The Quarterly Program Meeting for the City of Lake Charles Brownfields Program will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m. in the City Council Chambers, 326 Pujo St.
For information about the City of Lake Charles Brownfields Program visit the City of Lake Charles web site www.cityoflakecharles.com and Brownfields listed under the Planning and Development Department; or, e-mail brownfields@cityoflc.us; or call 491-1513.

DECEMBER 27-29
• Stark Museum of Art Drop-In Activities
The Stark Museum of Art will have drop-in art activities for visitors of all ages on December 27-29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Museum Lobby. Drop by and enjoy seeing the special exhibition Medieval Manuscripts: From the Stark Collections while participating in fun, educational art projects.
On drop-in days, docents will assist visitors in the lobby with creating art inspired by the exhibition. Visitors will learn how books were created in the Middle Ages as they try their hand at calligraphy, make their own bejeweled book or draw an illumination.
Located at 712 Green Avenue in Orange, Texas, the Stark Museum of Art is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for all ages. Group tours are available by appointment. For more information call 409-886-ARTS (2787) or visit www.starkmuseum.org.

JANUARY 4, 2012
• McNeese State Midpoint Assessment
McNeese State University students can register for the Midpoint Assessment of Academic Progress examinations during spring registration currently underway through Jan 4.
The MAAP exams will be given Feb. 8-11 in Parra Ballroom of the Student Union Annex. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requires that its member institutions measure knowledge/skills gained by its students to ensure that the university is effectively educating its students. The MAAP examination is one of the measures McNeese uses to test students. Every undergraduate student enrolled in a four-year degree program must take the MAAP exam after earning 48 semester hours and before earning 80 semester hours. For more information, call the McNeese Scholarships and Testing office at 337-475-5140.

JANUARY 9, 2012
• McNeese State Late Spring Registration
Students registering late for McNeese State University’s spring 2012 semester can register online or with their faculty adviser Jan. 9-12. Students must be admitted to the university prior to registration and should see an adviser to get their alternate PIN, if required, prior to registration.
Late registration begins at 7:45 a.m. Monday, Jan. 9, and closes at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12. To late register, students can go online to www.mcneese.edu and click on the “Current Students” tab and then select Banner Self-Service under Registration to begin the process
Students who late register must pay fees by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, or all courses will be dropped. Fee bills will not be mailed to late registrants.
For more information on McNeese’s late spring registration, contact the McNeese Registrar’s Office at 337-475-5356. McNeese offices will be closed Dec. 19-Jan. 2 and will reopen Jan. 3.

JANUARY 11, 2012
• McNeese State e-courses
McNeese State University will offer a variety of electronic learning courses for academic credit during the 2012 spring semester. The class schedule is now available online at www.mcneese.edu/schedule.
Regular registration is currently underway through Jan 4. Spring classes begin Jan. 11.
Convenient Study classes offer students an option of course preparation and study. Classes consist of a complete series of lessons either available online, through electronic learning or DVDs that may be rented or viewed in the McNeese Library. Some on-campus meetings are required. For more information about these courses, contact the McNeese Electronic Learning office at 337-475-5075.

FEBRUARY 9, 2012
• The LIttle Mermaid Performance
The Little Mermaid launches The Children’s Theatre Company’s 2011-12 season. Directed by Kerry A. Onxley, this family musical will play for area schools on Thursday, February 9, 2012. The Little Mermaid is based on the animated 1989 Disney film and the classic story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. Ariel, youngest daughter of King Triton, is dissatisfied with life in the sea. The school performance will be held at the Central School of the Arts & Humanities Center (809 Kirby Street) located in downtown Lake Charles. Ticket prices are $7 per person including students, teachers, chaperones, parents and bus drivers. Seating is limited. Schools interested in booking should contact the theatre at (337) 433-7323 or e-mail at mail@childrenstheatre.cc  School booking deadline is Friday, December 9, 2011. For more information, visit www.childrenstheatre.cc.

MARCH 31, 2012
• 37th Annual Tour of Homes in Lake Charles
The 37th Annual Palm Sunday Tour of Homes will feature properties and lifestyles of Margaret Place, Lake Charles’ original streetcar subdivision celebrating 100 years of its founding. Tour events have expanded to fill the entire March 31 to April 1, 2012 weekend. Walking tours both days will showcase the rich variety of bungalows and revival-style homes and gardens in this jewel-box historic district. Special educational exhibits, displays of vintage vehicles, and in-depth interior tours of eight privately owned homes offer unique views of a bygone age. A historically significant, yet modern, sustainable and friendly jewel-box neighborhood will be showcased during this special weekend celebration.
This event is a joint project of the Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society (CHPS) and the Margaret Place Historic District Association.

ONGOING
• Care Help of Sulphur Seeks Volunteers
Care Help of Sulphur is in great need of volunteers. We are getting busier by the moment and need extra hands to keep things moving. If you have an hour or two, we would be so thankful for your help. There are many openings in the donation processing area, pricing linens, housewares, clothing and weekend help. We would love to meet you, so please call at 528-2273. Choose any day or time that is convenient for you Monday through Friday 8-5 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We are REAL people meeting REAL needs. Care Help of Sulphur is a Christian non-profit organization that assist Sulphur residents with short-term emergency needs.

• Care Help-Community Education Computer Classes
Care Help of Sulphur is offering self teaching interactive programs on Monday from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and on Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Available are Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista, Touch typing, Word, Excel, Access Outlook, Powerpoint, and Internet Explorer 6/7/8. Care Help is located at 112 E. Thomas Street in Sulphur. Beginners are welcome. Please call 528-2273 to sign up as seating is limited. Free and open to all regardless of income.

• Free Beginners Knitting Class at Care Help
Would you like to learn to knit? Free knitting class with Helen on Tuesdays, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Care Help’s Community Education Building, 112 E. Thomas Street in Sulphur. Bring #8 knitting needles and a skein of yarn. Call to sign up at 528-2273.

• Sulphur Kiwanis Club Meeting
The Sulphur Kiwanis Club meets each Wednesday at noon in the West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital conference room located at 701 Cypress Street in Sulphur.

• Maplewood/Hollywood Lions Club
The Maplewood/Hollywood Lions Club meets every second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Club house on Maplewood Drive.

• Grief Support Group
South Sulphur Grief Support Group meets at 10 a.m. every first and third Tuesday of each month through December. Meetings are held in the education building at South Sulphur Church of Christ located at 3101 Highway 27 South. Anyone who has lost a loved one by any means is welcome to join the group and find benefit for others and yourself by sharing your loss.

• Family Day Care Home Food Program
The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Office of Community Services has announced its sponsorship of the Family Day Care Home Food Program component of the Child and Adult Care Food Program. All children in attendance will be offered the same meals as no separate charge and with no physical segregation of or other discrimination against any child because of race, sex, age, color, disability or national origin. Participants who are members of FIT AP assistance units or Food Stamp households are automatically eligible to receive free meal benefits. This statement applies to all family day care homes under the jurisdiction of this agency.
If any member of a household believes they have been discriminated against, they should write immediately to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6362 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

If you have an item for Community Calendar, send to Brian Trahan at swdailyeditor@gmail.com, FAX to 337-528-9557 or drop off at the Daily News office at 716 E. Napoleon in Sulphur, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.