Saturday June 8, 2013: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Sensory loss is visible in the blind and the deaf, but what about people who lose their sense of smell?

Michelle Krell Kydd, editor of Glass Petal Smoke (http://glasspetalsmoke.blogspot.com), spent time talking to congenital and acquired anosmics to get a better understanding of how the absence of the sense of smell has affected their lives. What she's learned will inspire you to pay attention to a sense that is closely linked to memory.

As one of the first and most comprehensive arts in healthcare programs nationwide, Gifts of Art brings the world of art & music to the University of Michigan Health System. The exhibit program is designed to enhance the health system’s environment of care and help calm and bring comfort to patients, visitors and staff. All Gifts of Art programs are intended to assist and complement the healing process and reduce the stress and anxiety often associated with a healthcare setting. Gifts of Art is currently accepting proposals for the 2013-14 exhibit year. Individual artists or art organizations may apply. The galleries display both 2-D wall mounted art and 3-D works in display cases. Submissions may be made online or by mail. Please read the requirements and instructions carefully. Only submit images that reflect the proposed exhibit. Successful exhibits have a cohesive focus, theme or feel. Submissions must be received or uploaded by May 31, 2013. Final notifications will be sent by July 15, 2013.

Employees of the Ann Arbor District Library are signing up to participate in the 2013 Commuter Challenge. Have you signed up yet?? The Commuter Challenge is a fun, free commuting competition where you can win prizes for trying alternative commuting -- walking, biking, busing, carpooling, vanpooling, using the Park & Ride, telecommuting, or moped/motorcycling. For starters, every person who logs just one commute on the Commuter Challenge website during May will receive a coupon for free ice cream from Washtenaw Dairy! There are also lots of great ways for you to win additional prizes by logging commutes, submitting photos, and more. Interested? Get yourself to letsmakeamove.org and join in the fun.

teens using drugs

The "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What To Do" series will be presented again on Tuesday, May 7th (part 1, "What To Know") and the following Tuesday, May 14th (part 2, "What To Do"). This on-going & free series will be presented by Brian Spitsbergen, Director, Community Intervention and Treatment (CITx,) Growth Works, Inc. This two-part of series of Dawn Farm takes place at SJMH's Education Center. The series is co-sponsored by Dawn Farm, the Livingston/Washtenaw Safe & Drug Free Schools & Communities Act Consortium and SJMH Greenbrook Recovery Center.

Washtenaw Health Plan's Plan A/ABW Open enrollment is a month-long rare opportunity for uninsured Adult Residents of Washtenaw County to possibly become insured. Under this insurance plan, adults between the ages of 19-64 with NO minor children in their custody may be eligible for comprehensive health coverage-including a $1.00 co-pay for brand and generic prescription drugs. You can apply online or come to one of the numerous enrollment opportunities throughout the rest of April. The Washtenaw Health Plan office will be taking walk-in applicants all month. Additionally, there will be a chance to enroll at the following sites this week: Tuesday, April 23 Packard Health West, 1-3 pm; Ypsilanti Library Whittaker Road, 5-7 pm; Faith in Action-Chelsea;Wednesday, April 24th, 9-11 am; and Packard Health-Main; Thursday, April 25th, 9-11 am. Don't forget every day until May 1 at at Washtenaw Health Plan, 555 Towner, Ypsilanti, 8:30 am-5pm. College Students and other uninsured adults may be eligible for this program.

VegMichigan and US VegWeek have partnered together to start Ann Arbor's first Veg Week, starting Monday, April 21. Many other cities across the country have been hosting Veg Weeks since 2011. The goal is to reduce the impact of factory farming on the environment, reduce animal suffering, and improve health. Residents are encouraged to take a week long pledge and eat only vegetarian or vegan food. There will be restaurant specials, film screenings, talks by health experts, grocery store tours, and other events going on in the city. Most events are free of charge.

A list of events and participating restaurants can be found on the Ann Arbor Veg Week website. To get started, the library has a collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks. There will also be a viewing and discussion of the film "Vegucated" on Tuesday, April 23 at the downtown library.

It’s been said that the doctor’s office is a dangerous place for people in recovery from addiction. It’s also been said that recovering people are terrible patients. This program will discuss whether these statements are fair and why doctors and other healthcare providers are essential allies for long term recovery. They will describe in detail how recovering people can take responsibility for their physical health and how to recruit health care providers as allies. This Dawn Farm Education Series will be presented by Mark A. Weiner, MD; specialist in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine and Matthew Statman, LMSW, CAADC; University of Michigan Collegiate Recovery Program Manager on Tuesday April 16 from 7:30-9:00 PM.

Frustrated by tax season? Feeling down after the long, cold winter? Coworkers or bosses got your blood boiling? Kids driving you crazy? April is Stress Awareness Month, so take some time to relax and unwind! There are a lot of resources available from the library and the internet to help combat stress. Some folks find that exercise or yoga helps them calm down. Others enjoy digging deeply into a favorite hobby. Others prefer to get away to a tropical beach!

Try some of these books to get you started:

Manage Your Stress : overcoming stress in the modern world
You, Stress Less : the owner's manual for regaining balance in your life
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff series

Sunday May 5, 2013: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm -- Malletts Creek Branch: Program Room AB

At this time of year when everyone is preparing to celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day, it is important to create a time to honor the memories of parents who have died, whether the death was recent or in the past.

This workshop, presented by Arbor Hospice's Grief Support Services, will focus on ways to include our parents in the legacy we create in our own lives. Participants will share experiences and reflect on how their parent's death has influenced their lives.