Locks of Love event

BANGOR – A Locks of Love fundraiser will be held 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Spectacular Event Center.

Safe and Sound Youth Transportation Inc. is the sponsor and coordinator of the event. Spectacular Event Center will donate food for the event.

Robin Lozier of Safe and Sound and Spectacular Event Center staff are coordinating a silent auction as part of the event. Silent auction items will be awarded at 8 p.m.

Throughout the evening, participants will enjoy DJ entertainment and random prize drawings. A 50-50 raffle also will be available.

Admission is a Locks of Love ponytail at least 6 inches in length and in healthy condition. Bring it in, or have it cut at the event. Haircuts will be done on a first-come, first-served basis.

Volunteer at the event and receive free admission.

General admission is $10 a person with all proceeds going to Locks of Love. Proceeds will assist with the cost of processing the hair to create hairpieces for children experiencing hair loss due to illness.

Last year’s event yielded 240 Locks of Love and $3,200 sent to the Locks of Love headquarters in Florida.

Hairdressers are needed to volunteer for the event. For more information, call Lorraine Colpitts at 866-990-1900 or 989-4200.

Those who wish to make a monetary donation to the cause should mail a check made out to Locks of Love in care of Lorraine Colpitts, 34 Maple St., Brewer ME 04412.

Early language development

BANGOR -The Preschool Early Language Development Program at the Warren Center for Communication and Learning has received a grant of $25,000 from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.

The program exists to help children from birth to age 5 who have communication disorders. The goal is to help children overcome diagnosed speech communication disorders in the critical period of their early development so they may enter the public schools ready to learn without the need for further speech therapy.

Research has shown that early identification and treatment of communication problems is the best way to prevent a communication disorder from interfering with a child’s later development and education.

Some children with severe diagnoses, such as autism, cerebral palsy or mental retardation, might never enter school ready to learn at the same momentum as their peers. But early intervention has been shown to greatly improve their level of functioning. In such cases, the goal of treatment is to enable each child to develop optimal communication functioning abilities.

The Preschool Early Language Development Program at the Warren Center is staffed by professional speech-language pathologists who have graduate degrees and are certified by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. They also must hold a clinical license issued by the state of Maine.

Each child is given a complete clinical evaluation and, when therapy is necessary, a remediation plan is developed and treatment undertaken.

Treatment is provided in both individual and group therapy settings. The center also can provide therapy for non-speaking children using augmentative communication devices and technology.

Children struggling with communication disorders are not ready to learn at the same level as their peers. Research has shown that children who do not possess adequate oral vocabularies upon entering kindergarten frequently have difficulty learning to read, as they have not been exposed to as many words in sound or print.

Undiagnosed or untreated communication disorders can inhibit a child’s ability to succeed not only in school but for a lifetime. Communication disorders are the most often reported diagnosis in prison and homeless populations.

Every effort is made to see children in their natural environment of preschool or daycare. The speech language pathologist works closely with the parent or guardian to involve the family in carryover of goals and objectives. Families are encouraged to spend time reading and interacting with their children outside of speech language therapy.

The presence of the speech-language pathologists in the preschool and day care settings has proved beneficial not only to the children receiving early language development services, but also to the other students and staff at Head Start and preschool classrooms.

Early language learning is added to the quality of these programs without added cost to the preschool. The program depends on the collaboration between the Warren Center and many other agencies in the Bangor area. For more information, call 941-2850.

Support to stop smoking

OLD TOWN – A Stop Smoking Support Group will hold meetings 6:30-7:30 p.m. Mondays beginning Sept. 8 at the Old Town-Orono YMCA, 472 Stillwater Ave.

Classes will be held every Monday. Those interested in stopping tobacco use, as well as family and friends supporting their loved ones, are welcome to attend. For information, call Lynn at 973-7242.

Low-cost dental care

BANGOR – University College of Bangor, a campus of the University of Maine at Augusta, offers a low-cost dental hygiene clinic to the public from September through April.

Dental hygiene services provided are oral cancer screenings, dental cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, athletic mouth guards and X-rays. Services are provided by dental hygiene students under the close supervision of faculty.

For more information, call the University College of Bangor Dental Health Programs at 262-7872.

Addiction recovery summit

BANGOR – A Bangor area summit on addiction recovery, Broadening the Base for Recovery, will be held 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Bangor Civic Center. Keynote speaker will be State Attorney General Steven Rowe.

Those urged to attend the summit are individuals and families in recovery, treatment and service professionals, criminal justice and corrections professionals and interested community members.

A reception and recovery celebration, featuring entertainment and music by the Big Luv Band, will be held 4-6 p.m. in recognition of September as National Alcohol and Drug Recovery Month.

The event will include panel discussions on trends in addiction treatment, barriers to recovery and response of the recovering community.

Registration with lunch is $15. Scholarships are available by calling Anne Day, 561-0300.

Back to School Fair

BANGOR – Gov. John E. Baldacci recently joined Bangor community leaders, U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and area families at the Back to School Fair hosted by Penobscot Community Health Care.

“We know that children do better in school, and therefore have more opportunity before them later in life, if they eat right, exercise and have access to primary and preventive health care,” said Baldacci.

“Rev. Robert Carlson and his staff at Penobscot Community Health Care help families in Greater Bangor ensure that their children have such access to quality services,” he said. “Today, families across the region are offered a great variety of resources to help them get their children off to a great start.”

The daylong event held at the former Bangor Theological Seminary site included free health screenings, various health and education exhibitors and family entertainment. The governor also noted that this is Health Center Week in the state of Maine by his proclamation.

“All of Maine’s community health centers serve a vital role, and they are valuable partners in the communities they serve,” said the governor.