Independent Living Day

Looking to volunteer? Newtown Youth & Family Services is looking for volunteers for Saturday, April 25, from 8 am until 3:30 pm, when Independent Living Day returns.

There are numerous shifts available if you cannot devote the entire day. Families are encouraged to volunteer!

An anonymous donor has offered to pay the registration fees for the 2009 Newtown Road Race for the first 100 people who register to volunteer for Independent Living Day.

Call Jessi at NYFS for more information and to register to volunteer.

NYFS Talent Show Auditions

Auditions for the 22nd Annual Newtown Youth & Family Services Talent Show are being held Friday, April 24, from 3 to 4:30 pm, at NYFS, 17 Church Hill Road.

Auditions are open to all students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

All talents are welcome, including singing, dancing, gymnastics, bands and stand-up comedy.

The talent show will be on Friday, May 22. Call Amanda or Jessi at NYFS.

Family Programs & Events

*Parent Education Program (PEP): “Putting Children First” is a State of Connecticut program required as a prerequisite to granting a divorce. Sessions are designed to help families cope with the effects of divorce on children.

The next available class will be Saturday, March 28, from 9 am to 3 pm.

*Gym Time At Edmond Town Hall: Spend some quality time with your children while preserving a healthy lifestyle, Wednesdays from 9:30 until 11:30 am. Cost is $50 per family per rotation. Call Elaine at NYFS for rotation schedule and more information.

Youth Programs & Activities

 *Job Bank is accepting applications from qualified 13- to 17-year-olds who want employment babysitting, pet sitting, or performing other household chores. Call between 2:30 and 4:30 pm weekdays for an application.

*Middle School Homework Club is running after school Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

*Reed School Homework Club meets after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

*Rock ‘N Roll Middle School meets on Wednesdays from 2:30 until 5 pm.

Support Groups

*Alateen meetings are Tuesdays from 7 to 9 pm. This program is for youth affected by somebody else’s alcoholism.

At meetings members share their personal experiences, and learn to find personal happiness, whether or not the alcoholic in their lives is still drinking.

*An Autism Group, for parents of children with special needs, meets at 7 pm the first Thursday of each month.

Call Wendy Suckow, 364-1133, for more information.

*CHAOS, or Choosing Healthy Alternative Over Substances, an adolescent substance abuse group, focuses on prevention and healthy alternatives to drugs. Sessions, which are Wednesdays at 6 pm, deal with issues such as coping techniques, emotions, addictions, peer pressure, choices, and consequences.

Contact Dorothy at 426-8103 for additional information.

*Children of Divorce Group, a special group to help your child heal from the pain caused by a separation or divorce, meets Thursday nights from 5 to 6 pm.

*The Me After We, an ongoing divorce support group for adults, meets Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 pm.

This coed group focuses on support, healing, and moving forward after a divorce.

Contact Laura at NYFS for more information.

*Mommy & Me, a support group for first-time mothers with children less than a year old, meets on Tuesdays from 10:30 am until noon. Call Elaine for more information.

*NAMI is America’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons with serious mental illness. Meetings are the third Monday of each month, 9 am to noon.

*Sibshop meetings are Wednesdays from 5 to 6 pm. This program acknowledges that being the brother or sister of a person with special needs is for some a good thing, for others a not so good thing, and for many, somewhere in between. Call Jessi to sign up.

*Women Empowering Women, an ongoing support group for women to empower and encourage each other to reach their fullest potential, meets Thursdays from 6:45 to 7:45 pm.

Contact Thea at NYFS for additional details or to register.

All programs take place at NYFS, 17 Church Hill Road, unless otherwise noted. For more information or to register call 270-4335.