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.

With the recent recovery of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight, the topic of missing children is just as important as ever. On May 25th, 1979 six year old Etan Patz disappeared in New York while walking to school. Though he still has not been found, his disappearance sparked a larger awareness of growing instances of missing children. In 1983 President Ronald Regan designated May 25th as National Missing Children’s Day in commemoration of Etan and other missing children. Every administration since has used May 25th “to renew efforts to reunite missing children with their families, remember those who are still missing, and make child safety a national priority.”

One of the challenges posed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is their Take 25 program. This program encourages parents to take 25 minutes to talk to their children and promote child safety. Wonder how to address such a topic with your child? The NCMEC has a page with some ideas for how to start the conversation.

Another way to promote child safety is to host an event or find and event near you. A Take 25 event is “any opportunity to begin a conversation around the issue of child safety.” If you register your event Take 25 will send you free materials to distribute. Ready to host an event? Click here.

This week is Bike to Work Week, and this Friday May 17th is Bike to Work Day!

Celebrate with Ann Arbor by riding your bike to work and logging it in the commuter challenge. On your way home from work, stop in the library and check out a book about bicycle repair, building your own bicycle, staying safe while bicycling, the joy of bicycling, or a story about bikes to read to a child!

Ann Arbor's Get Downtown program also has a lot of helpful resources for the local biker, such as tips for commuting, maps of bicycle trails and places to park your bike.

For those of you who prefer to celebrate Bike to Work Week outside of downtown Ann Arbor, the library has plenty of books featuring maps of bike trails throughout southeast Michigan and Washtenaw county.

This program, part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, will explore the differences in neurochemistry between the addicted brain and the normal brain, the progression of physiological changes that occur in chemically dependent individuals, the mechanisms of physiologic tolerance and withdrawal, and the effects of treatment on the addicted brain. Presented by Dr. Carl Christensen, MD, this program will be held at the SJMH Education Center on Tuesday, May 21st from 7:30-9:00 PM. For another interesting take on the topic, this book may be of interest to you titled, simply, Clean.

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...in English as a Second Language conversation group at three of our locations each week. AADL's partnership with Washtenaw Literacy provides us with trained volunteers to help participants get comfortable speaking English. Groups meet Mondays at the Pittsfield Branch from 1:00-2:30 PM; Wednesday at our Traverwood Branch from 7:00- 8:30 PM. There's also a group that meets at Mallets Creek on Fridays from 1-2:30 PM. Participants do not need to register to take part in these groups and can attend as many as they'd like. If you're interested in learning more about Washtenaw Literacy, check out their website or give them a call: 734-879-1320.

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.

The National Federation of the Blind of Michigan is pleased to offer two scholarships in the amount of $500 to outstanding blind college students in the state of Michigan. Scholarship winners will be required to attend the entire state convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan, and participate in all activities sponsored by the Michigan Association of Blind Students. This convention will take place October 18-20, 2013 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. All convention expenses including transportation, hotel accommodations, and registration will be provided as part of this scholarship. All application materials must be submitted by Sept. 6, 2013, and winners will be notified by Sept. 27. If you have questions or would like an application contact Terri Wilcox at 734-663-4050 or trising@sbcglobal.net.

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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.

Calling all runners, joggers and walkers: form a Run for Literacy Team to run or walk in the Ann Arbor Marathon on behalf of Washtenaw Literacy!

Race day is on June 9, 2013 and includes: a Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K & a 1.2 Mile Kids Marathon. Learn more about the Ann Arbor Marathon. Get inspired and raise funds with friends, family and coworkers for Washtenaw Literacy!