Sumter NAACP to hold Martin Luther King program

Clarendon School District One will conduct free vision, hearing, speech and developmental screenings as part of a child find effort to identify students ages 3-5, who may need special education services and are not enrolled in a public school. Screenings will be conducted from 9 a.m. to noon at the Summerton Early Childhood Center, 8 South St., Summerton, on the following Tuesdays: Jan. 8, Feb. 12, March 12, April 9 and May 14. Call Robert Collar at (803) 574-2117.

Palmetto Health will offer free tobacco cessation classes to Sumter residents from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays: Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29 and Feb. 5 and 12 at Palmetto Health Tuomey. The program will be led by registered nurse and nurse educator Catherine. All classes are open to the public. The Sumter program includes: Free counseling and consultation; free one-month supply of medication to those who qualify; and six sessions over six weeks. If you'd like to participate in the Tuomey sessions, register today by calling (803) 774-CARE (2273) or emailing Catherine.Matthews@PalmettoHealth.org.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Walk will be held on Monday, Jan. 21. The walk will start and end at the Nettles Building at USC Sumter, 200 Miller Road. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the walk beginning at 9:30 a.m. There will be a program at 11 a.m. The theme is "Now is the Time." Chavis Lesane will serve as grand marshal and speaker.

The Sumter Branch NAACP's Martin Luther King program will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 21, at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, 155 Wall St. The Rev. Nelson B. Rivers III will speak.

A free pardon, expungement and employment workshop will be held 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, at MH Newton Family Life Center, 415 Manning Ave. Mechelle Potts, of the Third Judicial Circuit Expungement Office, and Sharon Holland, of S.C. Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, will speak.

Sumter AARP Foundation Tax-Aide will offer free tax preparation services from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays (walk-in services) Feb. 4 through April 15 at South Sumter Resource Center, 337 Manning Ave., and by appointment on the following Saturdays: Feb. 9, Feb. 23, March 16 and April 13. No age requirement and you do not have to be an AARP member. Services will also be available by appointment from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays (walk-ins allowed based on counselor availability) at Spectrum Senior Citizens Center, 1989 Durant Lane. Applicants are advised to bring ID, Social Security cards, last year's tax return (if available) and all other pertinent tax documents needed for filing return. For additional information, call Lula King at (803) 316-0772 or Emily Dinkins at (803) 983-2514.