Happy Saturday, everyone! Here are today’s resources – and three of them are local! You can find all the resources I post at the Resource Center.

Ancestry K12 – With school closures in effect across the U.S., Ancestry has made its AncestryK12 lesson plans available for free for anyone to download while they are educating children at home. The lesson plans target a number of core subjects, with educational topics ranging from the American Revolutionary War to the suffrage movement to haunted houses! They have been written by teachers according to the History Standards administered by the National Center for History in the Schools at the University of California, Los Angeles under the guidance of the National Council for History Standards.

Ancestry.com – The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration has teamed up with its long-term digitization partner Ancestry to provide FREE access to search nearly 500 million records and images on Ancestry. Exploring the records is completely free – just create an account by entering your email to start your search.  The almost half a billion digitized and searchable records being made available are comprised of nearly 300 different collections, including ship passenger and crew lists, naturalization and citizenship records, immigration records, and key military collections such as WWI and WWII draft cards. 

Cornell Lab’s All About Birds Live WebCams – Want to bird watch without ever leaving your home? You’re in luck! Cornell Lab offers live footage of owls, hawks, songbirds and more – 15 in all!

LOCAL Offerings

Shaker Bridge Theatre 10-Minute Play Contest – All plays should be received by May 15. When plays are received, they will be placed on the theatre’s web site so they will all be available for reading by everyone, but the playwright will remain anonymous. SBT will pick the best plays to be presented in public staged readings at the theatre over one weekend next fall. You’ll get to see your play performed in front of an audience by professional actors!
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Shakespeare Reading Group – Organized by Strafford resident and former Sharon Library Director Jared Jenisch, the Shakespeare Reading Group meets weekly, and all are welcome to join in!  No prior experience or attendance is required. The next meeting will be this coming Thursday evening, April 2, at 6:30 pm.  If interested, email Jared, and he’ll send you an invitation to join by Zoom.  
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Second Wind Recovery Meetings and Coaching – Although The Upper Valley Turning Point peer recovery center is closed and all onsite activities temporarily suspended, we are here for you! The isolation created by OVID-19 is difficult for many people. Those in recovery from substance use disorder and their families rely on a close knit and accessible community for support.  During this time the Turning Point is providing online alternatives. Please, consider the following:  

All Recovery Group: These facilitated groups are open to people in recovery from any addiction, and are supportive of all paths to recovery. Come find common ground with peers and discuss the challenges and joys of a life in recovery. We usually meet Wednesdays at 5:30pm. Due to COVID-19 we have created an online alternative and meet Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 5:30.  The meeting can be easily accessed through our website www.secondwindfound.org

Wit’s End is a support group for parents of adolescent or adult children who are having problems related to alcohol or other drug use.  Join others who can identify with your situation in this open, candid and confidential support group. The group meets every Monday from 6-7:30 pm.  Due to COVID-19 we are using an alternative online format and for extra support we have added a second meeting Thursday from  6-7:30.  You may easily access these meetings by visiting www.secondwindfound.org

Many other meetings have been made available online, as well. Just check the weekly calendar.

REGARDING ZOOM ONLINE MEETINGS:  Please “arrive” a few minutes early to become familiar with the ZOOM format.  Meetings will be open 15 minutes prior to start.

All of our services are FREE and there is NO need to register for groups.

Recovery Coaches are also available to assist people in creating a plan for recovery,  identifying and removing barriers, accessing community resources and connecting with recovery services. Learn more by calling (802) 295-5206 (leave a clear message which will be returned) or by emailing syoung@secondwindfound.org

In addition, our website provides information about other recovery groups and resources that are available in the Upper Valley and beyond.  

About us:  The Upper Valley Turning Point located in White River Junction, VT  is a program of the Second Wind Foundation whose mission is to advance recovery from addiction and addictive behavior. We offer recovery support services, education and advocacy for social, cultural and health care parity with other illnesses.

Our focus is on peer support, because of its effectiveness, affordability and sustainability. Our efforts are inclusive. We support a variety of recovery services by filling the gaps among existing programs as well as providing our own.

We seek to foster an environment in which people with addictive illness are accepted, treated and supported as any other patient, whether in a hospital, workplace, neighborhood or home. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization and are supported by the State of VT, Granite United Way, The Byrne Foundation, The Hope Foundation and other generous supporters. Contributions to support our work are greatly appreciated.