The city of Danville is sponsoring a blood drive with Community Blood Services of Illinois from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 15 in the council chambers, 17 W. Main St.

Refreshments will be provided. Walk-ins are welcome.

For more information, call 1 (800) 217-GIVE. For an appointment, call Stacey Trosper at 431-2318.

The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Vermilion County will sponsor the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program specifically for families of persons diagnosed with serious mental illness. The 12-week series of classes will be from 5:30-8 p.m. beginning Feb. 19 at the First Assembly of God Church, 428 N. Walnut St.

The course will cover information about schizophrenia, mood disorders (bipolar disorder and major depression), panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, coping skills such as handling crisis and relapse; basic information about medications; listening and communication techniques; problem-solving skills; recovery and rehabilitation; and self-care around worry and stress.

The curriculum has been written by an experienced family member mental health professional and the course will be taught by NAMI Vermilion County family member volunteers who have taken intensive training as course instructors. The teachers for the Danville area will be Denise Cottingham and Debbie Taulman.

“This course is a wonderful experience!” say instructors Denise Cottingham and Debbie Taulman. “It balances basic psychoeducation and skill-training with emotional support, self-care and empowerment. NAMI Vermilion County hopes families with relatives who have a serious mental illness will take advantage of this unique opportunity.”

The course is designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, teenage and adult children and significant others of persons with severe and persistent mental illness. The course is not appropriate for individuals who themselves suffer from one of the major mental illnesses.

The course is free. For more information or to register call the NAMI Vermilion County Mental Health Board at 443-3500.

University of Illinois Extension, Vermilion County will explore the “3Ps” Procrastination, Perfectionism and Pessimism and ways to regenerate motivation at Finding Your Get Up and Go at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 21 at the Vermilion County Extension Office, Route 150.

The workshop will be facilitated by Cammy Seguin, extension educator for Family Life.

We’ve all had the feeling--there is much to do, but you just can’t get motivated to do the tasks. Does your enthusiasm need a boost?

Putting things off due to a lack of time or skills, wanting to do them perfectly or generally talking yourself out of doing them can give you an excuse to delay getting started. Yet, the rewards of completing a “round-to-it” list produce much satisfaction.

If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in the program, make the request when registering. For more information on Finding Your Get Up and Go or to register to attend, call 442-8615.

Vermilion Autism Network (VANS) Support Group will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28 at the VASE offices located in the VOTEC building at 15009 Catlin-Tilton Road.

VANS is a support group for families and educators who are working with children who have been diagnosed with or are exhibiting symptoms of an autism spectrum disorder.

Call VASE at 443-8273 if you are in need to child care and how many children you will be bringing.

Prairie Center Health Systems, Inc. is hosting a free community showing of the award-winning HBO documentary, “Addiction,” from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the Danville Public Library, 319 N. Vermilion St.

The documentary reveals the science of addiction, treatment, recovery and its toll on families and society. The showing will be followed by an expert panel discussion.

The event is free of charge and all are encouraged to attend.

Faith in Action, a program of Provena Untied Samaritans Medical Center Foundation, is offering free furnace checks to senior adults 60 and older. To be eligible, you must be a resident of Danville/Southern Vermilion County area, homeowner 60 years of age and older, low income ($20,000 per year or less) and furnace not inspected in 2007.

To be included, call the office at 431-8489 no later than Jan. 25.

A free rules of the road review course will be offered for all citizens in the Danville area from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23 at the Danville Public Library, 319 N. Vermilion St.

The purpose of the course is to help participants pass the Illinois drivers license renewal examination. The course prepares applicants for the general written and road sign examination and also provides information on the vision screening.

The Court Appointed Special Advocates of Vermilion County will conduct training classes for children advocates beginning Feb. 4 through March 10 from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Thursdays (no class Feb. 18) at the Danville Township Building, 101 W. North St.

Trainees must be 25 years and older and pass routine background checks. Once trained, advocates become officers of the court and will report back to judges on the well being of the child assigned to them.

Call Director Heather Fox at 446-5975 to find out more on this training.

The North Ridge Middle School Choral Music Department is sponsoring a bus trip April 19 to see “Jersey Boys,” the Tony award winning musical in Chicago.

You will see and hear the story of Frank Valli and the Four Seasons, filled with classic pop tunes such as “Sherri,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Who Loves You,” and many others.

The cost of the trip is $100 which includes one ticket to the show, charter bus transportation, breakfast and late night snack.

The buses will leave North Ridge at 8 a.m. April 19. There will be time for shopping and lunch in the city. The show is set for 2 p.m. at the LaSalle Bank Theatre (formerly The Schubert). A dinner snack will be provided on the bus. Arrival back at North Ridge is scheduled for 8 p.m.

This trip is open to the public. Due to some language within the play, students must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets are limited. To reserve your seat, send a check for $100 made payable to North Ridge Middle School to: Jennifer Woodrow, Jersey Boys Trip, 1619 N. Jackson St., Danville, IL 61832. You will receive verification of your reservation in the mail. For more information, contact Woodrow at 444-3476.

The Family Life Center of Provena United Samaritans Medical Center offers the following educational classes for expectant parents:

Breastfeeding class: This class on the basics of breastfeeding is offered the last Wednesday of every month, from 7-9 p.m. This class is free to mothers who deliver at Provena USMC.

Childbirth Education Series: Childbirth education classes are offered as a six-week course eight times throughout the year. Participants should be enrolled by the fifth month of pregnancy to begin the course at 32-34 weeks gestation. A Cesarean Section course is included on the fourth week, which includes a tour of the Family Life Center. Classes are held on Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Fee is $25 to cover cost of class materials. The schedule for 2008 is as follows: Feb. 7-March 13; March 27-May 1; May 15-June 19; July 3 – Aug. 7; Aug. 21-Sept. 25; Oct. 9-Nov. 13; Nov. 20-Dec. 18.

Planning Your Childbirth: Pain Relief During Labor and Delivery: This course reviews pain control options for expectant mothers during labor and delivery. Class is conducted by a certified nurse anesthetist and is held the third Wednesday of every other month from 6-7 p.m. with the first class scheduled for Jan. 16. This class is free to mothers who deliver at Provena USMC.

Registration is required for all childbirth education classes at Provena USMC. For more information or to register, please call toll-free (866) 776-8362 .