Fundraisers, classes, activities set for May in the Poconos | Kulick

Well, there we go, another month coming to a close. One where winter doesn’t seem to want to take leave and spring is doing its best to come into its own. But warmer and brighter days are ahead!

First and importantly, May is Mental Health Awareness month. You will see plenty of green lights on display this month as the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health & Developmental Services along with Carbon Monroe Pike System of Care launch their 5th annual Mental Health Awareness Campaign in collaboration with county offices and community partners. For more information visit www.soccmp.com, or for posters and other handouts, contact jchase@cmpmhds.org or larissa.kimmel@cmpsystemsofcare.org.

Meandering our way through the month, let’s start with a FREE seminar on Medicare enrollment on May 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The program will be held at the Elks Lodge #319 located in East Stroudsburg and the program is presented by Cheryl Cloke. The focus audience are those Medicare eligible and those Medicare eligible who may be losing employer healthcare. Reserve your spot by calling 570-213-1846 or email clokeagency@gmail.com.

No need to worry about the weather with the Annual Indoor Yard Sale at the East Stroudsburg Presbyterian Church located at 55 Smith St., East Stroudsburg. The event is taking place on both Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

May 5 offers a host of possibilities. Monroe County Hospice House is holding Designer Bag Bingo at the West End Fire Company in Brodheadsville. Doors open at noon and calling begins at 1 p.m. Advance tickets ($30), contact Susan at 570-977-8609 or Helen 908-242-42-78. $35 at the door. Perhaps you would like to hike on May 5 at Timber Hill Farm with Edie Stevens. Hosted by the Brodhead Watershed Association, the walk starts at 1 p.m. Perhaps you prefer an in-town walk. In that case, you may join the Karen Nickels Memorial PATH Walk in downtown Stroudsburg.  Registration for the walk begins at 12:30 p.m. at Courthouse Square and the walk begins at 1:30 p.m. As PATH’s largest fundraiser of the year, the walk helps the organization continue to provide, organize and operate housing with support services in Monroe County for the care and relief of families with children in a housing crisis. For more information, call 570-424-0542 or visit the website at www.pathhouse.org.

Chair Yoga more your style? Then register with Lucinda (tipoc@ptd.net or call 570-421-8781) at Temple Israel of the Poconos located at 711 Wallace St., Stroudsburg. It will be offered every Tuesday starting May 7 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Cost is $6 per session and must pre-register by 10 a.m. the Monday before each class. Prefer Chair Zumba? Then consider the evening class at the Hughes Library Community Room on May 21 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Registration at 570-421-0800, ext. 317. Walk-ins welcome, space permitting.

Mother’s Day Weekend, what better way to support the LVH-Pocono Family Birth & Newborn Center as well as the Monroe County Hospice House than to attend the 56th Annual Rose Berardi Gala on Saturday, May 11, at Mount Airy Resort in Swiftwater. The evening starts with a complimentary cocktail hour (6 p.m.) followed by a buffet dinner and music, the cost is $150 per person. For tickets or more information call 570-476-3530.

Warmer and brighter days ahead, time to get out on the golf course. The Stroudsburgs Rotary is hosting their 2024 Annual Golf Outing on May 16 at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort. Registration and Lunch at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. The day concludes with dinner at 6 p.m. Discounts for foursomes ($500) and single golfers $125. For more information or to register contact Don Hannig at 570-460-1373 or email dhannig@ptd.net.

The Hughes Library (1002 N. 9th St., Stroudsburg) is offering two back-to-back programs. One on May 15, Navigating Nature’s Neighbors: Understanding While-Tailed Dear in Your Backyards beginning at 5:30 p.m. and presented by Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center. The program is free, and no registration is required. May 16, the program Create a Backyard Pollinator Habitat will be presented at the library by Marie Bondi, starting at 2 p.m. This is also a free program with no pre-registration.

On Friday, May 17, consider attending the 11th Annual East Stroudsburg University Economic Outlook Summit at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions-Poconos. The event will start at 7:30 a.m. and finish at noon. It will feature presentations on the economic resurgence underway in the Poconos: Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties. Featured topics include artificial intelligence, rail transportation, housing, innovation and entrepreneurship as well as the Annual Pocono Economic Scorecard. For more information call 570-422-7920 or email mpostupack@esu.edu.

Looking to help your young person find a job this summer? Then plan to attend the 11th Annual Youth Job Fair at Northampton Community College-Pocono Campus (Pocono Hall Room 108) on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

More: Here are programs for teens, young adults to build skills, find summer jobs | Kulick

Finally, the month rounds out (before the holiday weekend) with a fundraising banquet supporting the Pregnancy Resource Center of the Poconos. The event will be held at Camelback Lodge and Indoor Waterpark on Thursday, May 23. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m. To RSVP or register call 570-424-0373 or visit www.prcpoconos.org.

A busy month with lots of choices offering a full range of experiences.

Debbie Kulick is an EMT who writes a weekly news column for the Pocono Record.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Fundraisers, classes, activities set for May in the Poconos | Kulick