The Community Calendar includes listing of events in and around the region that might be of interest to local residents. To have information included in this weekly calendar of events, email mjackson@oakdaleleader.com.
The next meeting for the combined Relay For Life of Oakdale-Escalon-Riverbank-Waterford is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11. Those on the Event Leadership Team, ELT, will gather at 6 p.m. and the Team Captain meeting will begin at 7 p.m.; location for this month’s meeting will be at Mountain Mike’s Pizza in Oakdale. All interested in learning more about the Relay, set for May 2 and 3, are encouraged to attend. You can join an existing team, start a team, help out with planning for the event and/or work the day of the event or just come out and support those participating. Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event, helping to provide money for cancer research, treatment and patient services.
*****
Members of the Good Time Accordion Club will meet on Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. at the Escalon Community Center, 1055 Escalon Avenue. The Good Time Accordion Club monthly music and social event is open to accordion fans and performers of all skill levels. Anyone with an accordion can sign up and play. On March 11 they will welcome a special guest from the bay area, Joe Domitrowich, Capricious Accordion. You can read about him at www.capricious-accordion. Also joining in is David Lang and a few friends from the Sacramento area who will be performing during the second half of the March program. Lang will also be introducing San Jose accordion repairman, Valdet Jakubivic. Admission is $5 at the door, light refreshments are provided. For more information you can contact Karl Wucherer at 209 556-3105.
*****
Karen Warner will be the featured guest speaker at the next meeting of the AAUW, American Association of University Women. Her talk, “Journey to a Career in Public Service” is scheduled for Thursday March 12 at 7 p.m. Warner grew up in Oakdale and holds degrees from Stanford and Harvard Universities. She has held a variety of leadership positions in the nonprofit, business, and government sectors both in the United States and abroad. Prospective members in the Oakdale, Riverbank, or Escalon area are invited to attend. The meeting will be held in a member’s home. Call (209) 847-0271 for more information.
*****
The TAPS, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Care Group meets the second Saturday of each month – except for holiday weekends – at Community Hospice in Modesto. The care group is a peer-based grief support group for survivors of military loss, and is open and available to anyone who loved and lost anyone who ever wore a military uniform and raised their right hand in service to our country. The next Modesto meeting is set for Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Community Hospice Haig and Isabel Berberian Patient Services Center, Conference Room A, 4368 Spyres Way, Modesto. Call 209-578-6300 for more information.
*****
Donors are urged to make an appointment to give blood now using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Blood remains in short supply and donors of whole blood and platelets are needed. Locally, donors can schedule visits at Red Cross Donation Centers in Modesto, 1900 W. Orangeburg Ave.; in Stockton, 2888 W. March Lane; and in Sonora, 850 Sanguinetti Lane.
*****
All are invited to the weekly meetings of TOPS, Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 1034 that gathers each Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the United Methodist Church, 1480 Poplar Ave., Oakdale. The group features help with weight loss in a supportive setting. Residents of Oakdale, Riverbank, Escalon and beyond are welcome to attend. Call Audrey Oliver at 209-765-7838 for information. You can also visit www.tops.org.
*****
Gerri and Debbie’s Stampin’ Up! Card Classes will be meeting several times during March and April. For location and more details, call Debbie at (209) 247-9989. In March, there will be a Stamp Camp with available dates of Friday, March 20 at 9 a.m. or 6:30 p.m.; or Saturday, March 21 at 9 a.m. or 3 p.m. Looking ahead to April, five classes are scheduled. They include Tuesday, April 14 and Thursday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, April 15 and Friday, April 17 at 9 a.m.; Saturday, April 18 at 10 a.m.
*****
Golden Agers weekly dances are open to those 50 and older from throughout the Central Valley and are hosted at the Riverbank Community Center, 3600 Santa Fe St., Riverbank. First time guests are admitted free. The annual membership fee is $12 and each Wednesday members pay $5 and non-members can enjoy a few hours of music and dancing for $6. The Golden Agers meet from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
*****
The local REO Speechtrain Toastmasters Club gathers for regular meetings every Wednesday morning, 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m., at Perko’s Cafe, Patterson and Oakdale roads, Riverbank. This is a fun way to learn the self-confidence and skills needed for public speaking. All are invited to come and check out the group. The next meeting will be March 18. For more information, call (209) 869-8200.
