“No More Back Pain” is a workshop sponsored by Achieve Fitness & Rehabilitation on Wednesday, April 10, at 7 p.m., at Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road. The workshop will be led by health and fitness expert Jesse Cannone and Steve Hefferon, director of the National Capital Sports Massage Team. Cost is $19. Call to register at 240-731-3724 or visit www.achieve-fitness.com.
Individuals suffering with chronic pain may attend the next monthly support meeting sponsored by Potomac’s Pain Connection on Thursday, April 11, from 10:30 a.m.-noon, at Davis Library, 6400 Democracy Blvd. in Bethesda. The topic will be “Being a Witness to Your Pain.” Call 301-309-2444.
Montgomery County is seeking to fill four vacancies of the county Board of Social Services. Four incumbents are eligible to apply for reappointment. The 13-member board advises the county on the local application of state policies and procedures, receives briefings on local department activities and communicates to residents broad and comprehensive information regarding objectives, policies, programs and problems of local social services and public assistance administration in the county. Members serve three-year terms without compensation and meet the first Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in Rockville. Apply by April 15 to County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe St., Rockville, MD 20850.
A free forum concerning leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma will be held on Saturday, April 13, from 9:30 a.m.-noon, at the Shady Grove Center of the University of Maryland, 9630 Gudelsky Drive in Rockville. Vaccines, mini-transplants and antibodies will be discussed during “Cutting Edge Treatment for Blood-Related Cancers,” with investigators from the National Cancer Institute, the Lombardi Cancer Center and Washington Cancer Institute of the Washington Hospital Center. To register, call 703-960-1100, Ext. 231, or e-mail singers@dc-cap.leukemia-lymphoma.org.
The International Psoriasis Community, a nonprofit organization, will be hosting a Psoriasis support group on Sunday, April 14, from 10 a.m.-noon, at the Ratner Museum, 10001 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. R.S.V.P. by e-mail to slwises@aol.com or call 301-984-2522.
Bethesda Senior Source, 4805 Edgemoor Lane in Bethesda, offers programs and activities for seniors 55-plus.
* Ongoing events include two-hour computer classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Monthly computer classes are held offering a variety of topics in the computer lab. For a schedule, call 301-951-1990.
* Getting control of your papers, personal space and time, from 10-11:30 a.m. Cost is $40. April 1-15.
* Music Club Concert, Strathmore Hall, 10701 Rockville Pike, April 4, 11 a.m. Adults and seniors. Free. Call 301-530-0540.
* Polite to Political: A History of Women in Washington, D.C., will be held from 10 a.m.-noon on Fridays, April 5-26. Review the suffragette movement, legislation, abolition, social changes and employment opportunities for women. Cost is $40. Tuition waived for individuals over 60.
* Writing your Memories will be held on Tuesdays, April 9-May 7, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Cost is $30.
* Sushi-making class will take place on Thursday, April 11, from * Tai Chi Club is a workshop designed for students who wish to learn more and for those who want to brush up on skills, on Thursday, April 18, from 10-10:45 a.m. Free.
* “America the Beautiful” will explore the country's natural grandeur as artistic inspiration, on Monday, April 22, from 10-11:30 a.m. Free.
* Foreign Film: "The Town of Rosi," will be shown on Wednesday, April 24, from 2-4 p.m. Cost is $4.
* Transfers at Death under the Will (Probate and Non-Probate) will include discussion of charitable trusts, life insurance, annuities and more, on Thursday, April 25, from 2-4 p.m. Free.
* The Art and Romance of Tea will be held on Thursday, April 25, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sample teas, bake tea treats and learn the health benefits of certain types. Cost is $8.
* The World of Art will study Thomas Eakins on Friday, April 25, from 9:30-11 a.m. Cost is $4.
* The Cultural Social Hour will discuss Bolivia, Friday, April 26, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Music, videos and refreshments. Free.
The Jewish Social Service Agency offers support groups for families dealing with a variety of health issues. Parents and adult family members coping with children with disabilities or serious medical illness meet on Tuesdays, from 7:30-8:45 p.m. Meetings are held at the Jewish Social Service Agency, 6125 Montrose Road in Rockville. Call Martha Mervis at 301-990-6880, Ext. 316.
In addition, the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA), ARC of Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Aging and Disabilities Services are co-sponsoring free monthly seminars for family members caring for children or adults with disabilities. "Special Education Services and Resources" is the topic on Wednesday, March 20, from 7-9 p.m. at Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville. Call Lisa Marino at 240-777-1138.
Support Group for Newly Bereaved Spouses meets weekly for spouses bereaved in the past year. Meets on Tuesdays, 9:30-11 a.m. Call Mary Hull Levyne, 301-816-2680.
Next Step Support and Activities Group is for individuals 50-65 who have been widowed for more than a year. Meets on Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m. Call Mary Hull Levyne at 301-816-2680. Group meetings are held at 6123 Montrose Road in Rockville.
Volunteer opportunities exist in the county addressing a wide range of health issues.
* The Pulmonary-Critical Care Medicine Branch of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is seeking healthy female volunteers to participate in an outpatient study. Participants must be 20-70 and must not smoke. Compensation is available. Call 301-496-9077.
* An NIH study needs women with breast cancer for a study. Study-related care will be provided free. Call 1-800-411-1222. TTY users call 1-866-411-1010, e-mail prpl@cc.nih.gov, or visit http://www.cc.nih.gov.
* NIH is seeking men 21 or older as well as post-menopausal women for a study on heart disease. Volunteers who smoke or have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes are needed. Call 1-800-411-1222. TTY users call 1-866-411-1010, e-mail prpl@cc.nih.gov, or visit http://www.cc.nih.gov.
* The National Institute of Mental Health seeks persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder for a study on the effectiveness of Mirapex. Participants should be 18-60, currently depressed and taking lithium or valporate. The study includes medical and psychiatric evaluations and treatment optimization at no cost. Call 301-496-5645.
* Montgomery County is seeking residents interested in helping sexual assault victims and their families. Volunteers provide 24-hour crisis counseling and companion services at hospitals and police stations. Call 240-777-1355.
* Hospice Caring Inc. is seeking volunteers to offer nonmedical support to families facing terminal illness. The job involves providing companionship and respite care, assistance with household errands and tasks, and transportation. Call 240-777-2600.
* Montgomery County Hot Line The Mental Health Association is recruiting volunteers for the Montgomery County Hot Line, a 24-hour telephone support, suicide prevention and crisis intervention service. Volunteers are asked for a minimum of four hours a week for at least one year after training. Call 301-424-0656, Ext. 117, to request an application.
* American Cancer Society The Road to Recovery Program is looking to recruit and train drivers from Montgomery County. Donate a few weekday hours to transport patients to chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments. Must have own vehicle.
* Volunteer licensed estheticians and cosmetologists are also needed to teach women cancer patients beauty techniques to restore patients' appearances and self-image.
Call 301-933-9350.
* Healthy male volunteers 40-59 are needed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) for cognitive and psychological studies. Compensation will be provided. NIAA is also looking for parents and their healthy adolescents 12-17 for a study involving an interview and brain scan. No medication is involved. Participants will receive compensation. Call 301-594-9950.