CHARLESTON

    52%, a women's political action group, meets the third Monday of each month. The group also meets for happy hour every second Thursday at 5:30 at Channel Red on King Street, followed by a board meeting (open to all) at 7 p.m.

    Also, volunteers are needed for clinic defense at the Charleston Women's Medical Clinic Saturday mornings 7:30 — 10 a.m. to protect women from protesters. Call 803-853-0052.

    The Center for Women offers support services and enrichment programs for women. Hours are from 11 a.m. — 7 p.m. on Mondays; 9 a.m. — 4 p.m. Tues — Fri. The Center offers a support group for expectant mothers, which meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 11:30 a.m. at 20 Mary St. Call 803-772-4909 for details.

    East Cooper Democrats hold their monthly Democratic Revival on the first Tuesday of each month. Call 803-884-0624 or 884-6312.

    Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon holds meetings every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church community bldg., Rm. 5, 6650 Dorchester Rd. (near the air base). Call hotline at 803-744-4357.

    For information on gay-related events in your area, contact the Lowcountry Gay and Lesbian Alliance at 803-720-8088 or write: LGLA, P.O. Box 98, Charleston, SC 29402.

    Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) meets the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at Metropolitan Community Church, 2010 Hawthorne Dr. Call 803-856-0577.

    The Poets' Corner is a group for published and unpublished writers. For a calendar of events, send SASE to 5009 Jenkins Ave., N. Charleston, SC 29405.

    CLEMSON

    Dave Foreman will speak on the Wildlands Project Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Clemson University's Outdoor Laboratory. Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. BBQ and Foreman's address must be purchased in advance for $12.50. Call 864-654-8361.

    COLUMBIA

    Call the Association for Children for Enforcement Support for information on how to collect child support. Services are free. Call 803-892-3403 (Lexington County) or 803-755-6713 (Richland).

    Need a true-blue pal? Adopt a pet from the Animal Protection League, 6080 Old Leesville Rd. Call 803-783-2119.

    A Basic Training for Peace: Advocacy and Counter-recruitment Workshop will be held Sept. 21 — 22 in Columbia. The workshop is sponsored by Columbia Friends Meeting, Quaker House and the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors. For details or to preregister, call 1-800-394-9544.

    Carolina Cats, a pet rescue foundation, needs temporary homes for cats awaiting adoption. Vet care and supplies provided. Call 803-791-7707. Donations of all kinds are gratefully accepted. Write: P.O. Box 210705, Columbia, SC 29221.

    Columbia Audubon Society sponsors a variety of free events. Call 803-737-7204 or the Audubon Society's Infoline, 803-748-9066.

    The Columbia Zen Group meets Sundays from 6 — 8 p.m. at 2065 Blossom St. Call 803-790-5569 for details.

    Hombres!, a support group for gay men, meets at 7 p.m. Mondays; Les Ms., a confidential group for gay women, meets on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.; and PFLAG, a support group for family members, meets the third Thursday of each month at the Center, 1108 Woodrow St. Call 803-771-7713.

    The Columbia World Affairs Council invites you to a luncheon lecture: "How Many People Can the Earth Support?" with Dr. Joel E. Cohen on Sept. 26, 12:15 — 2 p.m., at the Capital City Club (top of AT&T Building). For details, call 803-252-2197.

    The Columbia Branch NAACP meets the third Sunday of each month at various churches. For details, call 803-256-8771.

    Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services offers confidential support groups for people with HIV; one for HIV+ men and women, one for HIV+ women only. Call 803-779-7257.

    Pets Inc., a pet rescue group in the Midlands that has saved more than 5,000 cats and dogs, needs your support. To make a donation, call 803-749-9391.

    Rape Crisis Network offers a support group for recent adult rape victims every 4th Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m at Richland Memorial. Sessions are free and facilitated by professionals. Also, if you are between 15 and 18, interested in public speaking or drama, and want to make a difference in your community, the Rape Crisis Network invites you to join its teen peer education program. Call 803-252-8393 for details.

    A South Carolina conference on Money and Politics will be held Sept. 28, 9 a.m. — 4:45 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2701 Heyward St. to explore the issue of campaign finance reform in South Carolina. The conference is designed for journalists, academics, environmentalists and community organizers. For information, call 1-888-OUR-VOTE.

    Vis-a-Vis is a confidential social support group for bisexual women. To assure anonymity, meetings and locations may change regularly. Call 803-771-7713 and leave a first name and phone number stating where and when you may be contacted.

    GREENVILLE

    ProJustice Carolina will fill the void created recently when a Seattle church declined to come to Greenville County to work with Habitat for Humanity because of County Council's passing of its anti-gay resolution. So ProJustice, which was formed to fight the resolution, will join forces with Habitat for Humanity to build a house in Greenville. ProJustice will work on the Habitat house at Cone Crest Court from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sept. 21. For details, call 864-370-0089.

    STATEWIDE

    Beach Sweep volunteers are needed to come out and clean their favorite beach, lake or river Sept. 21 between 9 and noon. In coastal counties, call S.C. Sea Grant at 803-727-2078; inland, call the Department of Natural Resources at 803-727-0800.

    Citizens Opposed to Domestic Abuse offers 24-hour crisis line counseling, emergency shelter and help with orders of protection. Call 1-800-868-2632.

    Call the GI Rights Hotline at 1-800-FYI-95GI to be connected with organizations in your area for assistance and support.

    Rural Southern Voice for Peace offers The Listening Project, conflict resolution training, public education and action. For details, call 803-252-2221.

    A Minority HIV/AIDS Conference, sponsored by the S.C. African-American HIV/AIDS Council, will be held at C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia on Oct. 4 — 5. For details or to register, call 803-254-6644.

    On Sept. 25, Jobs with Justice will coordinate national actions to oppose excessive executive compensation, layoffs and the abuse of workers. To take part in the National Day of Action Against Corporate Greed, call 202-434-1106.

    The National Library of Poetry will award $48,000 to 250 poets in this year's North American Open Poetry Contest. Deadline to enter is Sept. 30. The contest is open to all and is free. Poets, published or not, may win. To enter, send one original poem, any subject and style to: The National Library of Poetry, 1 Poetry Plaza, Suite 1989, Owings Mills, MD 21117-6282. The poem should be no more than 20 lines, and the poet's name and address should appear on the top of the page.

    Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness offers legal assistance with rights violations. For information, call 1-800-922-5225.

    The Recycle for Gold program lets you recycle your unwanted car simply by calling 1-800-590-1600. The program provides benefits to the donors, the environment and the 11,000 athletes in the S.C. Special Olympics.

    Quaker House offers soldiers help. Want out? AWOL? Homosexual? Call Quaker House at 1-800-FYI-95GI (394-9544) for free, confidential information about your rights and discharge options. Call 803-252-2221 for a Columbia contact.

    The South Carolina Center for the Book, dedicated to building a "book culture," has a toll-free number. Fax 803-765-9219 or call 1-888-SC-READS or 803-765-9209 to leave information about an event or to hear a list of upcoming events.

    For the first time in 15 years, the national forest managers are asking for public input into new management plans. During this 120-day comment period, the public will have the chance to talk to the people who will shape the fate of Sumter National Forest. Contact S.C. Forest Watch at 864-647-8804 for information or meeting dates. The Sumter National Forest is one of five national forests in the southern Appalachian region just beginning their forest plan revision process. For information on the national forests, call the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition at 1-888-8FOREST (836-7378).

       The S.C. Sierra Club holds monthly meetings across the state. Find the group nearest to you and help wage the fight to save South Carolina's environment.

Charleston	1st Thursday	Baruch Auditorium, 284 Calhoun St. 7 p.m.
Clemson	1st Tuesday	Unitarian Church, 226 Pendleton Rd. 7:30 p.m.
Columbia	3rd Monday	Unitarian Church, 2710 Heyward St. 7:30 p.m.
Florence	2nd Thursday	John Calvin Presbyterian, 2000 Marsh Ave. 7:30 p.m.
Greenville	3rd Wednesday	Unitarian Church, 37 Hillcrest Dr. 7:30 p.m.
Hilton Head Island	1st Tuesday	Palmetto Electric Bldg., Matthews Dr. 7:30 p.m.
Murrells Inlet	2nd Monday	Belin Methodist Ed. Bldg., Business 17 7:30 p.m.
Rock Hill	2nd Thursday	Wesley Foundation, corner of Stewart and Park 7:30 p.m.