Thousands of volunteers participated in service projects during the week of October 20 - 27 to commemorate the 27th Annual Montgomery County Community Service Day. Volunteers taught seniors ipad skills, cleared storm water fields, organized clothes donations, collected food for the hungry, prepared after school snacks for homework clubs, served as ambassadors at the World of Montgomery Festival, collected acorns for re-forestation, and volunteered in many other ways. Over 50 local organizations benefitted from the work that was performed. Mark your calendars for the next Day of Service, Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 20, 2014, and next year's Community Service Day on October 26, 2014.

Go to www.montgomeryserves.org to find ways to make a difference all year!

Nearly one hundred Capital One employees participated in Montgomery County's annual Community Service Week by working to spruce up the grounds and facilities at the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF) in Bethesda on Friday October 25. Photo with NCCF's Sheryl Brissett Chapman, County Executive Ike Leggett, and Capital One's Jonathan Witter and Jeffrey Hearle. Saturday October 26 will mark Montgomery County's 27th Community Service Day. For information about service opportunities, please log onto www.montgomeryserves.org.

Event: 28^th Annual Montgomery County Executive's Ball for the Arts and Humanities

Date/Time: Sunday, November 24, 6 p.m.

Location: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Rd., North Bethesda

Annual Thanksgiving Parade
November 23 in Silver Spring. 

More Than 100 Units to Participate.

The local holiday season officially gets underway on Saturday, November 23 when the 16^th Annual Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade steps off at 10 a.m. from Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street in Downtown Silver Spring. Traveling the same route as last year, the parade will proceed south on Georgia Avenue, ending at Silver Spring Avenue.

ABC 7 Meteorologist Brian van de Graaff will once again serve as master of ceremonies introducing more than 100 parade units. In addition to the ever-popular Marching Band of the Washington NFL football team, the parade will feature glittering floats, a wide variety of local marching bands, beauty queens, clowns, fire engines and animal groups. As always, the parade will end with elves, reindeer and Santa's sleigh.

The parade will be held rain or shine and will be broadcast live on NewsChannel 8. The telecast will be repeated on Thanksgiving Day.

For more information about the parade, call 240-777-6821.

• Put together a Thanksgiving basket for a family in need for the Holiday Giving Project: Contact: holidays@awidercircle.org
• The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (MCCH) needs volunteers to prepare meals for the homeless 365 days out of the year, not just Thanksgiving!
• Click here to see more holiday opportunities in the Volunteer Center Database!

* Explore Montgomery County Volunteer Center's rich resources for finding volunteer opportunities. It's all about the right match!

* Learn about the award-winning Pro Bono Consultant Program to share your professional skills on short-term projects.

* Learn about the challenges that nonprofits face and how you might help.

* Want to know more about getting involved on a nonprofit Board? This is the place.

The Senior Spelling Bee is open to Montgomery County residents 55 years of age and older. The registration fee is $25 per person, and participants may seek sponsors to cover the fee. Sponsors will be acknowledged in program materials and at the event.

Persons may register by downloading an application at www.folmc.org/senior-spelling-bee/, calling 240-777-0020 or emailing staff@folmc.org.

Hillcrest Heights Public Library 

2398 Iverson Street, Temple Hills, MD 20748

Saturday, November 16, 2013 from 10am to 4pm