Classes/Seminars/Events
American Red Cross blood drives Monday, St. John's Catholic Church in Warrenton, 1:30-7:30 p.m., Fitness University in Stafford, 2-7 p.m., and H.M. Pearson Elementary School in Bealeton, 2:45-6:45 p.m.; Wednesday, Chancellor Baptist Church, 3-7 p.m.; Saturday, Spotsy. Mall, noon-4 p.m.; also at General Washington Executive Center, 2217 Princess Anne St., Suite 104-A, Monday, 3-7 p.m.; Wednesday, 1-7 p.m.; and Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Fatigue: Take Control, a program designed by multiple sclerosis experts for people with MS, Feb. 21, 5:30 p.m., Mary Washington Hospital. To register, call 804/353-5008, ext. 10, or 800/344-4867, ext. 10.
Fredericksburg Area Sickle Cell Association meeting Monday, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m., Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site), 525 Princess Anne St. 540/898-2559 or 540/373-6226.
Open House and Nursing Career Event at Intrepid USA Home Health, 312 Progress St., Thursday, 1-4 p.m. 540/372-9865.
Self-Help/Support groups
Action in the Community Through Service Helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 703/368-4141; teen line 703/368-8069; Spanish line 703/368-6544, Monday-Friday, 6-10 p.m. Call 703/368-4141 for information on Surviving After Suicide Support Group.
Adult Children of Alcoholics meets Wednesdays, 7 p.m., The Lake of the Woods Church, 1 Church Lane, Locust Grove. Call the church office, 540/972-9060, for more details.
ALANON Serenity Seekers meets Mondays, 10 a.m., Salem Baptist Church, 4044 Plank Road; College Heights group, Mondays, 8 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church, 825 College Ave.; Stafford Serenity, Mondays, 8 p.m., Aquia Episcopal Church, U.S. 1 and State Route 610, North Stafford; Step by Step, Tuesdays, 8 p.m., Salem Baptist Church; Over the Rainbow, Wednesdays, 7 p.m., Peace United Methodist Church; Fredericksburg Mid-day, Thursdays, noon, Trinity Episcopal Church; Real Men Do Alanon (for men only), Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., Peace United Methodist Church; Solutions Family Group, Thursdays, 8 p.m., St. John's Episcopal Church Parish House, King George; New Beginnings, Fridays,
ALATEEN A.D.I.D.A.S. meets Wednesdays 7 p.m., Peace United Methodist Church, 801 Maple Grove Drive.
Alcohol, Drug and Other Addictions program meets Mondays, 7:30 p.m., Antioch Baptist Church, King George. 540/775-2117.
Alcoholics Anonymous groups meet in the Fredericksburg area. Call the AA hot line, 540/373-2028, for meeting times, dates and locations.
Alzheimer's Association family orientation program for those recently diagnosed and their family members, 2217 Princess Anne St., Suite 204-1. Call 540/370-0835 for appointments or support group information.
Attention Deficit Disorder information for children and adults is available from support group coordinator, 540/373-4584.
Autism Support Group meets monthly
Email: guy@att.net.
Bethany Christian Services, 910 Littlepage St., offers free pregnancy tests, one-on-one counseling, post-abortion trauma support, parenting support and adoption services. Call 373-5165 or 540/370-1800.
Bipolar/Depression Support Group, sponsored by Mental Health Association, meets the second and fourth Mondays of the month, 7-8:45 p.m., Snowden at Fredericksburg, 1200 Sam Perry Blvd. 540/371-2704.
Bipolar Support and Information meets first Monday of each month, Salem Church Library, 7-9 p.m. Call Tracy
Birthright of Fredericksburg helps women faced with unplanned pregnancies. Free and confidential. 540/371-6119; emergency 800/550-4900.
Cancer Center of Virginia, a support group for cancer patients. Call 540/786-5666 for meeting information.
Caregivers support group, sponsored by New Beginnings Adult Day Care Program, 397 Garrisonville Road, Suite 101, for individuals caring for the disabled, seniors or terminally ill. First-aid and CPR classes available. Call 540/288-9393 or 540/657-9833 for meeting information.
Caregivers support group meets second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, 7-8:30 p.m., Mary Washington Home Health/Hospice office, 5012 Southpoint Parkway, Massaponax. For more information, call Diane MacDonald, 540/741-1667.
Celebrate Recovery, a group providing support, education and accountability for each other through 12 biblically based steps and eight principles. Meets Thursdays, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Mount Ararat Church Annex 2, sponsored by Horizons Community Church, 540/658-0584 or 540/288-0018; meets Thursdays, 7 p.m., Stafford Crossing Community Church, Chatham Square Office Park. 540/654-5266; meets Fridays, 6:30 p.m., Salem Fields Community Church, 11120 Gordon Road. 540/786-6212 or e-mail
Email: cr@salemfields.com; meets Fridays, 7-10 p.m., Spotswood Baptist Church. 540/898-0757.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Support Group meets the third Thursday of the month, 7-8:30 p.m., Stafford Baptist Church, 2202 Jefferson Davis Highway, Stafford. 540/659-7517.
Co-dependents Anonymous support group meets Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Peace United Methodist Church, 801 Maple Grove Drive, Spotsylvania. 540/786-8585.
Compassionate Friends and Siblings Group, a support group for parents who have lost a child, meets third Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Redeemer Lutheran Church fellowship hall, 5120 Harrison Road. 804/224-4244 or 866/900-4244.
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Support Group meets first Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Mary Washington Hospital, Auditorium 1. 877/807-5271, 540/659-5099 or 540/898-5035.
Culpeper Regional Hospital offers various support groups and community education classes. Call 540/829-4100 for details.
Diabetic Support Group meets fourth Tuesday of the month, 6:15 p.m., Carbway Health Foods. 540/368-1260.
Fredericksburg Area Amputee Support Team meets the second Tuesday of each month, 7-9 p.m., disAbility Resource Center, 409 Progress St. Call Greg Wright, 540/898-5372, or Allen Hays, 540/972-9087.
Gamblers Anonymous support group meets Sundays, 7 p.m., Snowden, 1200 Sam Perry Blvd. 540/371-8385.
Gastric Bypass support group meets second Wednesday of each month, 6:30 p.m., Carbway Health Foods, 332 Amaret St. 540/368-1260.
Herpes and HPV support group, Rappahannock Help, meets second Tuesday of the month at Mary Washington Hospital, lower level. Call 540/455-4186 for more information.
Hospice Support Care offers grief support groups for adults, teens and children in Fredericksburg and Colonial Beach. Call Hospice Support Care office at 540/361-7071 for further information.
La Leche League meets weekly to offer breast-feeding information and support. For Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and Stafford meeting times and locations, call 540/785-5849, 540/371-8813, 540/786-4105, 540/373-7609, 804/663-2897, 540/775-0194 or 540/775-9346. Web site: lalecheleague.org.
Life Conservation support group
meets Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m., at AMF Fredericksburg Bowl in Spotsylvania. 540/752-7153.Low Carb support group meets third Tuesday of each month, 6:30 p.m. Carbway Health Foods, 332 Amaret St. 540/368-1260.
Lupus Foundation, Fredericksburg chapter, meets the second Monday of the month. Call patient information line, 540/898-9238, for details.
Mary Washington Hospice Grief
Mary Washington Hospital, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department offers a variety of support groups. Call 540/741-1404 for more details.
Migraine support group meets the fourth Monday of each month, 6-7 p.m., Mary Washington Hospital. 540/374-8223.
Multiple Sclerosis support group meets the second Tuesday of each month,
Nar-Anon Family Group, which helps families of drug users attain serenity, meets first and third Tuesday of each month, 7-8 p.m., Fredericksburg Baptist Church, Room A-4. 540/809-1063.
Narconon, a narcotics anonymous group, addiction helpline available seven days a week, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., 800/556-8885.
Narcotics Anonymous, a group for recovering addicts, meets Mondays, 7-8 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1115 Caroline St.; Tuesdays, 7:30-9 p.m., Fredericksburg Baptist Church, 1019 Princess Anne St.; Wednesdays, 7-8 p.m., St. George's Episcopal Church, 905 Princess Anne St.; Thursdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Fredericksburg Baptist Church; Fridays,
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, support group for families and friends dealing with brain disorders or mental illness, meets first and third Wednesday of each month, 7 p.m., except July and August, Kenmore Club, 632 Kenmore Ave. For more details, call 540/899-2719 or e-mail
Email: dfvaughn@cox.net.
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia, a self-help organization meets the second Thursday of the month, 7:30 p.m., disAbility Resource Center, 409 Progress St. 540/760-3885. Web site: nfbv.org.
Near Death Experiencers and Those
Overeaters Anonymous meets Wednesdays, 7-8:30 p.m., VFW Post 7728, Remington. 540/439-2446.
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a support group to promote the well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, meets the second Monday of the month,
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome support group meets second Monday of each month, 6:30 p.m., Carbway Health Foods, 332 Amaret St. 540/368-1260 or visit carbway.com.
Potomac Hospital and The Potomac Center offer community education programs and support groups. Call 703/221-2500, 703/445-0777,
Rappahannock Breast-feeding Task Force offers answers to questions about breast-feeding. Call 24-hour help line at 540/899-6121 or 800/224-4999.
Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault offers closed, structured support groups for adult survivors of child sexual abuse and adult rape survivors. For more information or an interview, call 540/371-1666.
Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault has a "banner project" for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Participants make cloth panels with their handprints; panels are made into a large banner for display. 540/371-1666 for details.
Rappahannock Council on Domestic Violence holds support groups for women, children and teens, as well as a batterer-intervention program for men and women. Call 540/373-9372 or 877/734-7238 for information.
Scleroderma Foundation Support Group, Fredericksburg Chapter, meets third Thursday of each month, 6:30 p.m., Mary Washington
Email: hamblinc@aol.com.
Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People, Rappahannock Chapter, meets third Saturday of the month, September-June, 10:30-12:30 p.m., disAbility Resource Center, 409 Progress St. 540/373-2559 or 540/373-5890 TTY; e-mail
Email: advocate73@aol.com.
Sena Foundation, a loss and transition center in Bowling Green; 804/633-7575 or sena.org.
Sexaholics Anonymous, a 12-step program of recovery for those who want to stop sexually self-destructive thinking and behavior, meets weekly in Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. Call 703/866-6929 for information.
SHARE, a monthly support group for parents who have lost a child due
Stroke support group, meets second Monday of each month, 6:30 p.m., Fredericksburg Ambulatory Surgical Center, 1001 Sam Perry Blvd. 540/741-4483.
Substance Abuse Treatment and recovery program for youth, weekly parent-peer support group, for adults with teens who are involved with alcohol and drugs, meets Mondays, 6:15-7:30 p.m. 540/659-4459.
Take Off Pounds Sensibly Local groups meet at Porter Library, Stafford, Tuesdays, 9:30-11 a.m., 540/720-3588, and 6:30 p.m., 540/659-5805 or 540/659-5995; Christ Lutheran Church, Tuesdays, 7 p.m., 540/891-8020; Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Garfield and Boundary streets, Tuesdays, 6 p.m., 804/224-0021 or 540/775-3176; Oakland Baptist Church, King George, Tuesdays, 7 p.m., 540/775-7704; Snow Library, 8840 Courthouse Road, Spotsylvania, Thursdays, 9:30-11 a.m., Room 2, 540/891-1162; County Line Baptist Church, Ruther Glen, Thursdays, 6:30 p.m., 804/633-7997. Call 800/932-TOPS for other local meetings.
Teens Helping Teens, grief support group for high-school-age teens who've lost a loved one, meets fourth Tuesday of each month, 7-8:30 p.m. Hospice Support Care office, 2215 Fall Hill Ave. Parents/guardians must call 540/361-7071 to register.
The American Adhesions Support Group Inc., an international support group for sufferers of postoperative adhesions. For information, contact Leigh Weins at
Email: leigh357@att.net.
Weight-Loss Surgery support group meets second Tuesday of each month, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Rappahannock Area YMCA, Falmouth.
To have your event or group listed in The Free Lance-Star, send a notice to: Health Calendar, c/o Healthy Living Section, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401; fax to 540/373-8455; or e-mail to
Email: newsroom@freelancestar.com. Include a phone number. Deadline is noon the preceding Tuesday.
Information about new classes, seminars and events will run each Sunday. Health-agency listings will run on the first Sunday of every month, requests for volunteers on the second Sunday, self-help/support groups on the third Sunday, and ongoing classes, seminars and events on the fourth Sunday.