The Humane Society of Baltimore County is seeking volunteers to assist with walking dogs, grooming cats, feeding animals, taking digital photos of shelter animals and posting them to the webpage, and other tasks. Volunteers must be 18 years or older and attend a two-hour orientation session. The Humane Society is located at 1601 Nicodemus Road, Reisterstown. For additonal information, call (410) 833-2387.

Make a difference in your community through a one-year commitment as a member of AmeriCorps. Extensive training, a $12, 000 living allowance, health care, and a post-service education award of $4, 725 are included. Full and part-time opportunities available. Candidates will have basic computer skills and their own transportation. For more information and an application, log on to volunteermaryland.org, or call (410) 514-7270.

Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) is accepting low-income individuals seeking free legal assistance, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. MVLS also offers free income tax preparation, self-help bankruptcy classes, and courthouse advice clinics. For more information, call 410-539-6800.

Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) will hold bankruptcy classes for limited income individuals on the following Thurdays: Oct. 10, Nov. 14, and Dec. 12, 2002. Classes are from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The service is free with a $30 fee to cover the cost of materials. To apply, call MVLS at 410-547-6537, daily from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Maryland Cares!, an association opposed to the conversion and sale of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, has created a website, marylandcares.org, designed to keep the public informed through information, talking points and newsletter articles. For information on joining Maryland Cares!, refer to the new website, call (410) 269-7954, or email mcarter@vsadc.com.

The Southwest Senior Center offers the following classes: beginning and intermediate quilting, flyer and greeting card design, internet and email computer classes, current events, general crafts and exercise classes. For class dates, times, and costs, call (410) 566-1311.

Maryland is now proud to offer its first comprehensive driving tour, the Antietam Campaign Trail, which covers 90 miles of scenic and historic roads starting at White’s Ferry in Montgomery County and traveling through Frederick into Sharpsburg. The trail also highlights many recreational opportunities in the region, from biking on the C & O Canal to rafting on the Potomac River. Maps will be distributed by the Maryland Welcome Centers. Visitors may also call 800-719-5900 or order via Mdisfun.org.

Sheppard Pratt Health System is recruiting volunteers to work at: The Gatehouse Shop, the hospital shop, The Bargain Nook, the hospital thrift/consignment shop, administrative offices, inpatient care programs, and the special needs school. Volunteers should be 18 or older and ready to make a 3-month commitment. Training will be provided. For more information or to volunteer, call 410-938-4850, or email Volunteer Services at bsimons@sheppardpratt.org.

The Twelve Step Recovery Workshop is an open meeting, free of charge, for people suffering from any sort of addictive or compulsive problem, including alcoholism, compulsive overeating, anorexia-bulimia, codependency, emotional compulsions, etc. The meeting is at Ascension Lutheran Church, 7601 York Road in Towson every Thursday at 7 p.m. Call 410-880-2439.

Tri-Churches Housing, Inc. is offering a free Homebuyer’s Seminar on Thursday, October 17, 2002 at 6:30 p.m. in the upper hall of the St. Jerome Head Start Center on 765 W. Hamburg Street (bus route 11). Meet industry professionals and learn how to avoid the “pitfalls” in homebuying. The seminar is open to the public and no registration is required. This seminar is certified by HUD to count toward the 15-hour requirement for the Easy K and $1,000 Incentive Programs. For more information, call 410-385-1463.

Come to a free series of introductory talks and discussions on Quakerism’s values, history, and community life. Sundays, 9 - 10:30 a.m. on October 6, 13, 27, and November 3 and 10 at Stony Run Friends Meetinghouse, 5116 North Charles Street. For more information, call 410-435-3773.

“The Ten Best 1-hour Hikes to Take with your Dog in the Baltimore Area this Fall”:

The Camel’s Den Trail, Patapsco Valley State Park, Daniels Area, Howard County.

Circle Trail, Cylburn Arboretum, Baltimore County.

South Trail, Gunpowder Falls State Park, Hereford Area, Baltimore County.

The Hashawha Trails, Bear Creek Nature Center, Carroll County.

Hemlock Gorge, Pretty Boy Reservoir, Baltimore County.

The Loggers Red Trail, Oregon Ridge Park, Baltimore County.

The Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenways Trail, Susquehanna State Park, Harford County.

Savage Historic Mill Trail, Savage Park, Howard County.

The Serpentine Trail, Soldiers Delight NEA, Baltimore County.

The White Trail, Rocks State Park, Harford County.

Sheppard Pratt Health System will join health care providers and advocates across the nation in providing free, anonymous mental health screenings, educational materials, and referral information for those in need on National Depression Screening Day, Thursday, October 10, 2002. The screenings will be offered at six locations throughout central Maryland; among them, Sheppard Pratt Conference Center, 6501 N. Charles Street, Towson, Hours: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.; Dulaney Station, Inc., 1931 Greenspring Dr., Timonium, Hours: 2 - 4 p.m. For more information about the screening site locations and hours, call Sheppard Pratt at 410-938-3120 during business hours, or visit sheppardpratt.org.

Project Lift and the United Way of Central Maryland present a free one-day educational conference on substance abuse issues and treatment: “The Whole Picture: Substance Abuse in Central Maryland,” Thursday, October 17, 2002 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., with registration at 8:30 a.m. The conference will be at the Maritime Institute, 5700 Hammonds Ferry Road, Linthicum Heights, MD. To register, call 410-895-1467, email janice.nolley@uwcm.org or log on to projectlift.org.

The Black Mental Health Alliance (BMHA) offers free “stop smoking” classes beginning every six weeks. Call 410-338-2642 to sign up for the fall cycle of classes. Participants must pre-register. BMHA’s “Free Yourself Stop Smoking Prevention Program is intended to aid tobacco users in developing effective strategies to achieve a smoke-free lifestyle.