The Northern New England Region of the American Red Cross continues to deploy volunteers to large-scale disasters around the country. Faced with wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters, the humanitarian organization needs additional volunteers to help people in urgent need.
For the past several weeks, the Red Cross has been helping tens of thousands of people whose lives have been uprooted by the Midwest derecho, the relentless wildfires in the West, Hurricane Laura and catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Sally.
The Red Cross needs to add to its volunteer ranks to support disaster relief efforts locally and around the country. Volunteers are needed to help staff shelter reception, registration, feeding, dormitory, information collection and other vital tasks. Review the most urgently needed volunteer positions at redcross.org/volunteertoday. If you are interested in helping people in the face of disaster as a volunteer or want to learn more, contact Volunteer Services for the Northern New England Region at VolunteerNNE@redcross.org or 800-464-6692. Be sure to review the CDC guidance for people who are at higher risk for severe illness, consult your health care provider and follow local guidance. Our No. 1 priority is the health and safety of our employees, volunteers and the people we serve.
The Red Cross depends on financial donations to provide disaster relief immediately. Please donate to help now by visiting redcross.org, calling 800-RED-CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. The Red Cross urges eligible individuals in parts of the country unaffected by these disasters to give blood or platelets to help ensure a sufficient blood supply for patients in need. Please schedule an appointment to donate by using the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 800-RED CROSS.
Do you have concerns about your child’s overall development? The district is offering a free screening of your child’s abilities in speech, vision, hearing, motor and learning skills. The screening is administered by an occupational therapist, speech therapist and special educator. The SAU 53 district will hold the next screening Oct. 16 (rain date Oct. 23) at Allenstown Elementary School, 30 S. Main St., Allenstown. Make an appointment for a time by contacting Mary Dobson at 485-5187 or mdobson@sau53.org. The child must live in SAU 53 (Allenstown, Pembroke, Chichester, Deerfield, Epsom), they must be accompanied by a guardian, and they must be younger than 6. Parents with children older than 6 should contact Michael Sacharko, special education coordinator, at 485-4474.
Live music is returning to the Franklin Opera House on Oct. 30 with two performances by Studio Two, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Limited socially distant seating is available in the historic Opera House, and the evening show will be streamed live to those who want to experience the show in the safety of their own homes. On Oct. 3, 1960, the Beatles were finishing their first tour in Hamburg, Germany. Now 60 years to the day, Studio Two will be honoring that journey from the dark, dank and crowded clubs in Germany using period instruments, equipment, and costumes. Studio Two takes the audience on a journey through the stages of the Beatles ascent from a rough and ready Rock n’ Roll band to the polished and refined act on the Ed Sullivan Show. Through sight and sound the audience will experience their humble rock n’ roll beginnings and influences, to their own carefully crafted and refined look and sound that brought them to the center stage and world acclaim that we now know. The Franklin Opera House looks forward to sharing the raw energy and excitement of the Beatles Before America through Studio Two. Tickets for the in-person show or the livestream experience are available at FranklinOperaHouse.org.
NHTI will sponsor Ann McClellan to present “Storytelling in the Digital Age” through a grant received from the New Hampshire Humanities’ Humanities to Go series. The virtual program is scheduled for Oct. 13 from 6 to 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Those who are interested should email NHTILibrary@ccsnh.edu to register and to receive the Zoom meeting ID link as well as an evaluation link. In an interactive discussion, participants will explore how technology is affecting how we read, write, and experience stories. Participants will learn about the history and development of electronic literature and hypertext media, the rise of social media and how it affects digital literature. McClellan is professor English and associate provost at Plymouth State University where she teaches 19th and 20th century British literature.