Community Bulletin Board Marines collecting for Toys for Tots until Dec. 23 The Avenel Detachment of the United States Marine Corps League is collecting toys for the Toys for Tots Children’s Fund at the Woodbridge Center Mall outside the Sears second floor wing. Collection takes place daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and ends Dec. 23. Only unwrapped new toys will be collected and monetary donations can be made. Coast Guard Auxiliary offering boating courses The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 44, Sewaren section of Woodbridge, is offering boating courses during the summer. The new boating law, Assembly bill 2624, requires a boating license. Upon successful completion of the ABC course, students will receive certification and their N.J. State Boating Safety Certificate, which allows individuals to operate a personal water craft and a recreational motorboat on N.J. waters. For a list of Coast Guard Auxiliary courses, visit www.cgaux1sr.org/uploads/education/pecourses.pdf. To register, call Bob at (732) 442-5367 or e-mail rjbunten@comcast.net. Edison hospice now seeking volunteers The Barbara E. Cheung Memorial Hospice, located on the campus of Roosevelt Care Center in Edison, is looking for volunteers to assist families that are going through the grieving process. Volunteers are needed to visit patients, console the bereaved and help in the office. Hospice staff administer their programs at the six-bed, homelike building on the Roosevelt campus, and at the homes of patients or their loved ones. The hospice offers a 12-hour educational course to adequately prepare volunteers for the challenges of working with the dying and their families. Workshops, videos and lectures are completed in four or five weekly sessions. For more information, call Jill Zhou, licensed clinical social worker and the hospice’s volunteer coordinator, at (732) 321-9335. VFW Ladies’ Auxiliary hosts Brownies, Scouts The Ladies’ Auxiliary of Colonia Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Memorial Post No. 6061, Colonia section of Woodbridge, conducted its Americanism and Youth Activities programs last month for the Carteret Brownie and Girl Scout troops, respectively. Flag etiquette was explained and demonstrated to the Brownies by the auxiliary’s president, Helen Dennis, and the Americanism chairwoman, Doris Morecroft. Each Girl Scout received a teddy bear with an American flag and also participated in crafts, which included holiday-themed projects for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Elks scholarships available The Woodbridge Elks Scholarship Committee announced that the Most Valuable Student Award scholarship for high school seniors is available. Applications may be obtained by contacting the Woodbridge Elks at (732) 634-2116. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 12. Christmas dinner slated at Port Reading church The annual Christmas Friendship Dinner at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Port Reading will be held on Christmas Day from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.. The dinner is open to the public and is free of charge. The dinner is organized by former Woodbridge Councilman Bob Sobieski and his wife, Michelle. Though there is no charge for the dinner, those planning to attend are asked call (732) 636-1124 to confirm attendance. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac and other township officials will be on hand to assist in greeting and serving holiday guests. St. Anthony of Padua Church is located on Port Reading Avenue in the Port Reading section of Woodbridge. Quilt exhibit opening at Arts Guild in January The Arts Guild of Rahway will present “The Naked Truth: Quilted and sewn figurative works and nudes,” an art exhibit of sewn/quilted works by nearly a dozen local artists from Jan. 14-Feb. 9. There will be a reception with the artists, open to the public on Sunday, Jan. 14 from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact the Arts Guild at (732) 381-7511 or by e-mail at artsguild1670@verizon.net. JFVS has formed weekly group for young teens Jewish Family & Vocational Service (JFVS) of Middlesex County, 515 Plainfield Ave., Edison, is now sponsoring a supportive counseling group for adolescents ages 13-15. The primary goal of “Coping With Early Adolescence” is to encourage members to share their experiences with one another through discussion and therapeutic activities in order to gain a better understanding of themselves and their families. For additional support, family therapy will be provided once a month for each child, which will help coordinate treatment for members. The group began Nov. 6 and will continue to meet every Monday from 6-7 p.m. at the JFVS offices. For further information, call JFVS at (732) 777-1940. ‘N.J. Shouts Down Drugs’ music competition The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey has announced its 2007 “New Jersey Shouts Down Drugs!” (NJSDD) music competition. NJSDD is a music and song-writing competition for high school students who live or attend school in New Jersey. Students who participate must write a song promoting a substance abuse prevention message. As a culmination of the competition, a finalist from each of New Jersey’s 21 participating counties will perform in a statewide concert to be held May 17. The statewide winners will share more than $10,000 in prizes including a music contract and having their song professionally recorded. All submissions must be received by Jan. 12 at 4 p.m. For entry forms and contest rules, visit the Web site at www.drugfreenj.org. Middlesex JFVS offering educational workshops Jewish Family and Vocational Service (JFVS) of Middlesex County is sponsoring one-day educational workshops to help families manage everyday struggles with Hebrew school attendance and deal with stress related to the year of the bar/bat mitzvah. A six-week workshop in basic Judaism is also being offered for young couples in interfaith relationships. For more information, call (732) 777-1940.