Volunteers Needed

Area schools and literacy programs seek volunteers to help children and adults improve reading skills and to assist in related projects.Among them is:Phillips School for Contemporary Education, 8920 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel, a nonprofit special education school, which needs volunteers from 9: 30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays for reading and tutoring in the classroom for students ages 8 to 21. Contact: Leneen Alston, 410-880-0730.If your school or organization is seeking volunteer reading tutors and would like to be included in this listing, call Sundial, 410- 783-1800, and enter code 6130.

Friends of Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway need 100 volunteers to plant 70 new trees and 10 bushes along Thistle Run in Catonsville. Friends of Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway need 100 volunteers to plant 70 new native trees and 10 bushes Saturday. The Nov. 5 effort from 9 a.m. to noon will provide a buffer along a section of Thistle Run, a small stream in Catonsville off Route 144 (Frederick Road), west of the intersection with North Rolling Road. Pre-register at http://www.patapscoheritagegreenway.org/eventcal.html to help determine amount of supplies needed.

Listings are accepted on a space-available basis. Deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday prior to date of publication at the latest. To submit volunteer items, mail to Volunteers, Patuxent Publishing Co. Editorial, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278; email hccalendar@patuxent.com ; fax 410-332-6336; or call 410-332-6497. Historic Ellicott City - Seeking volunteers for the 27th annual Decorator Show House for the following positions: hostesses, preview party assistants, office help, parking assistants and individuals with computer skills.

Years ago, diseases like cancer and HIV/AIDS presented patients with an imminent death sentence. While there's no doubt that receiving a diagnosis of serious illness remains a life-changer, today many patients with conditions like these can look forward to a much brighter prognosis, thanks to new and better therapies and the researchers who have dedicated their lives to developing them. Yet no matter how many researchers join the effort to find treatments that improve patients' lives, the endeavor cannot move forward without the active involvement of another group of participants.

Volunteers are needed for the annual Columbia BikeAbout on May 8. Volunteers will assist with traffic control, directions and registration, and act as guides along the 15-mile route. Flexible shifts are available between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Training, along with a free T-shirt, will be provided. For more information, call 410-715-3103.

A "Picture Book Parade!" for ages 2-5 with an adult, is offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. "Pajama Time" for all ages is at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Pajamas, teddy bears, and blankets welcome. The branch is at 9525 Durness Lane in Laurel. Around town Volunteers needed : The Volunteer Center Serving Howard County, in cooperation with the Community Emergency Response Network, is recruiting community members to assist nonprofit agencies in need of volunteers. 410-715-3179. Figure skating coaches : Special Olympics Howard County is seeking figure skating coaches.

Teachers' workshop : The environmental education office of the Patuxent Research Refuge will offer an orientation to the National Wildlife Visitor Center for teachers Saturday. The cost is $15. The National Wildlife Visitor Center is at 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, off Powder Mill Road, between the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and Route 197, south of Laurel. Information or registration: 301-497-5898 or 301-497-5763. Volunteers needed : The Volunteer Center Serving Howard County, in cooperation with the Community Emergency Response Network, is recruiting community members to assist nonprofit agencies in need of volunteers.

Historic Savage Mill, Maryland Public Television and MIX 107.3 FM will hold a "GreenLife Festival" May 2 and 3 to celebrate and instruct participants on going "green" and to raise money for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Events will feature a visit from a MIX 107.3 FM personality, live music, beer tasting by Rams Head Tavern, speakers and exhibitors, "green" offers by merchants at the mill, zip-line rides offered by Terrapin Adventures and a "GreeenScape" art exhibit and auction. An auction and reception are planned May 3 at the Savage Mill Cotton Shed Gallery.