BEAUFORT
Beaufort County Coalition for Choice is building a network. To be added to its Action Alert mailing list, call 803-671-3449.
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 Kiva Han Cafe & Coffee House, 235 East Bay St., 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. For information, call 803-853-0052.
The Center for Women offers support services and enrichment programs for women. Hours are 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 every 2nd and 4th Monday 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 holds meetings every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church Community Bldg., Rm. 5, 6650 Dorchester Rd. Call the 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.
Lowcountry AIDS Services needs volunteers for their Buddy Program. Three training sessions are required. Call 803-577-2437 by Feb. 24 for details. Also, the group seeks people to host dinner parties in their homes as part of its major fundraiser Dining With Friends, which will take place on April 19. For information or to host a party, call 803-577-2437.
The 1997 Lowcountry Women's Political Forum will be held on March 15, 9 -- noon, at the Physician's Auditorium at College of Charleston. The event is sponsored by the Center for Women, College of Charleston, League of Women Voters, 52% and Tri-County Advocates for Women on Boards and Commissions. It will include workshops on: "How to be an Effective Advocate," "Women and Politics -- Using the Media," and "Cybersister -- Surfing the Policial Net." The conference costs $10 in advance; $12 at the door. College of Charleston students will be admitted free with a valid ID. Call 803-722-4909 for details.
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.
The Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry will meet on March 16 at Gage Hall, 4 Archdale St., at 4 p.m., and will feature Eric Frazier, religion editor of the Post and Courier. For details, call 803-763-4505. (The Secular Humanists' Web site is at: http://www.serve.com/SECHUMLO.)
COLUMBIA
The Women's Resource Center offers a Legal Information Clinic for Women. An attorney is available Mondays, 5:30 -- 6:45 p.m. Cost is $5 per session. Call the YWCA of the Midlands at 803-252-2151 for information.
Call the Association for Children for Enforcement of Support for information on how to collect child support. Call 803-951-7248 (Lexington County) or 803-755-6713 (Richland). Services are free.
Need a true pal? Adopt a pet from the Animal Protection League, 6080 Old Leesville Rd. Call 803-783-2119.
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 Film Society, a nonprofit community arts organization, is looking for volunteers. For information, call 803-254-8234.
The Columbia Shambhala Center offers free meditation instruction on Wednesdays, 7 -- 8 p.m., and Sundays, 9 -- noon at 2065 Blossom St. in Five Points. Call 803-254-9048 for details.
The Columbia Zen Group meets Sundays from 6 -- 8 p.m. at 2065 Blossom St. Call 803-779-4902 for details.
Harvest Hope Food Bank, a private, nonprofit clearinghouse for solicitation, storage and distribution of donated foods to help the needy, ill, elderly and infants, needs volunteers. For details on how you can help, call 803-765-9181.
HELPLINE, the 24-hour crisis intervention, suicide prevention, information and referral hotline of the Midlands needs volunteers. Call 803-790-4357.
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 Branch NAACP meets the third Sunday of each month. 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 at 7 p.m at Richland Memorial. Sessions are free and facilitated by professionals. Also, Rape Crisis seeks volunteer advocates to respond to crisis calls on the 24-hour hotline and to support victims of sexual assault while they undergo medical exams. Training is 26 hours long, and is scheduled for April 5 -- 6 and 12 -- 13. Volunteers must be at least 18 and have access to transportation. Call 803-252-8393 for details.
The South Carolina Committee Against Hunger will hold its annual Bid for Bachelors on March 16 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Comedy House Theater, 14 Berryhill Rd. Tickets are $20 in advance (buy at the office, 1719 Taylor St.) or $25 at the door. Proceeds benefit the Committee Against Hunger and the Giving Tree. For details, call 803-256-2749.
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
Downtown Residential Neighborhood (DRN) is establishing a citywide neighborhood network to protect communities from rezoning, crime, substandard housing problems and the like. Call 864-271-7678 for details.
STATEWIDE
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.
Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness offers legal assistance with rights violations. For information, call 1-800-922-5225.
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 Recycle for Gold program lets you recycle your unwanted car simply by calling 1-800-590-1600. The program benefits the donors, the environment and the 11,000 athletes in the S.C. Special Olympics.
The S.C. 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 a book-related event or to hear a list of upcoming events relating to the written word.
The South Carolina Organ Procurement Agency offers speakers for church groups, schools, businesses or civic clubs. For information, call 1-800-462-0755
The Grassroots Recycling Network is sponsoring a Zero Waste Action Campaign National Conference April 5 -- 7 near Atlanta, Ga. from Saturday noon until Monday noon. The conference is for community-based recycling activists and allies involved in waste facility disputes, local economic development, natural resource waste (forestry and mining), toxic waste and environmental justice issues. The goal is to develop a national grassroots campaign for zero waste, creating jobs from discards and ending corporate subsidies for waste. The keynote speaker will be Sen. Donzella James, author of zero waste legislation in Georgia, and other bills to turn waste into jobs.The Grassroots Recycling Network has formed in response to continuing attacks on many of the nation's most important environmental and recycling programs by powerful corporate interests and political reactionaries. Recycling is the way that more than 100 million Americans express their environmental commitment daily. It is a way for ordinary citizens to take action.
The Grassroots Recycling Network is a national coalition of community-based activists and leaders brought together by the Sierra Club Waste Committee, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and California Resource Recovery Association. They are dedicated to environmental stewardship and building a sustainable economy by eliminating waste and by using recycling and composting resources to support community economic growth, create jobs, save forests and wilderness, reduce pollution and conserve natural resources.For information, call the Institute for Local Self Reliance, Washington, DC at 202-232-4108 or email: ilsr@igc.org. For information on the campaign and zero waste, call 770-995-9606, ext. 19. Scholarships are available for a reduced fee of $30 for students and others. A day rate of $30 is also available for folk who do not need lodging. Limited scholarships for travel are also available. b
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. |
