Trick-or-treating at SFCC

Santa Fe Community College will provide an alternative to traditional door-to-door Halloween trick-or-treating from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 31 at the college's main entry, 6401 Richards Ave.

The Aspire Club, an SFCC student group, organized the event, which is designed to give Santa Fe parents and children a fun and safe environment to experience Halloween festivities. SFCC students, faculty and staff will be giving out treats. During the event, children's movies also will be shown in the college's Jemez Rooms.

The event is co-sponsored by the Student Government Association and the Office of Student Development. For more information, call Justine Carpenter at 505-428-1266.

Shape-shifting workshop planned

From 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Oct. 27, a workshop titled "Shape Shifting: Bridging Realities" will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe, 106 Barcelona St. Connie Buffalo, a speaker and member of the Red Cliff Band of Chippewa, will share the Ojibway experience of these legends of shape shifters and bring the wisdom of the Native culture alive through stories and activities with participants and ceremony.

The workshop is sponsored by The SWAN Foundation of New Mexico, which promotes Native American spiritual teachers.

The cost is $75 for general admission, $65 for seniors over 60.

Reservations are required. Seating is limited.

For more information, send an e-mail to nativeintel@frii.com or call Buffalo at 466-3068.

Little League meeting planned

The Santa Fe National Little League will be holding a meeting for anyone interested in volunteering for the league in the 2008 spring/summer season.

Some of the volunteer positions available include umpiring, concession stand, field preparation and board of directors.

The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, at the Santa Fe Rodeo Grounds County Extension Building.

For more information, visit the Web site at www.santafenationallittleleague.org or call 474-2802.

Blankets needed for homeless

Bienvenidos Outreach is collecting sleeping bags, blankets and coats for Santa Feans who are in need of help to keep warm this winter.

Cash donations also will be accepted.

Items can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 1511 Fifth St.

For more information, call 986-0583.

Retreat focuses on nonviolence

A three-day retreat, "Creating a Culture of Peace: Nonviolence Training for Personal and
Social Change," will be held Nov. 16-18 for activists, peacemakers, teachers and healers. It is coordinated by the Santa Fe CCP Planning Team.

Conference facilitators Janet Chisholm and Timothy Pluta will guide participants in personal process, social change, community-building and action planning through reflection and action that will help draw on spiritual resources and the principles of active nonviolence. CCP training is highly participatory.

The CCP program is based at Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center in Bangor, Pa., but has representatives in many areas, including Santa Fe. Sarah Cutler is the area CCP coordinator for this retreat.

The nonsectarian interfaith retreat will be held at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat and Conference Center on Mount Carmel Road. It is limited to 30 participants. The basic registration is $190, which includes four meals. Lodging and additional meals are available at an additional cost.

Registration deadline is Friday. For more information, visit the Web site at www.laughingtreespace.com/ccp.aspex or call Cutler at 505-216-5219 or Barbara Conroy at 983-9217.

NAFTA talk set for Oct. 31

Cecilia Santiago Vera, a social psychologist from Chiapas, Mexico, will give a talk at
1 p.m. Oct. 31 at The Forum at the College of Santa Fe, 1600 St. Michael's Drive.

Her topic is "Free Trade and Community Resistance: Zapatista Solidarity, the Other Campaign and Alternative Economy."

She is one of the organizers who works with the Other Campaign in San Cristob & aacute;l, Mexico, and will discuss the effects of NAFTA and what she calls "neoliberal economic policies" on the indigenous communities in Mexico.

Her talk is free. It is sponsored by Mexico Solidarity Network. Crafts will be on sale after the talk.

For more information, call 973-650-6532.

Pageant open for Mrs. New Mexico

The Mrs. New Mexico-America Pageant is seeking applicants for the title of Mrs. Santa Fe to represent the community in the 2008 pageant, according to Sheree Channel, executive state director of the pageant.

Once selected, the Santa Fe winner will advance to compete in the 2008 Mrs. New Mexico-America Pageant to be held April 19 at the Performing Arts Center in Rio Rancho.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and there is no age limit; married at the time of competition; a citizen of the United States and a New Mexico resident.

No performing talent required.

The new Mrs. New Mexico wins a prize package valued at more than $8,000 including an all-expense-paid trip to the nationally televised Mrs. America Pageant. Going into its 32nd year, the Mrs. America Pageant is the only competition to recognize the one person who contributes so much to modern day life — America's married woman.

To get the official application or for more information, visit the Web site at www.mrsnewmexicoamerica.com or call 877-631-4447.

Grief group to start soon

TeamBuilders Counseling Services and Golden Willow Retreat are offering a community support group that will honor all types of loss and give information and hope to anyone who is experiencing grief.

The group will be sponsored by Rivera Family of Santa Fe Funeral Options and is open to people 15 years old and oler.

The group will be facilitated by Ted Wiard and Carder Stout. It will meet from 5:30 t0 7 p.m. on Thursdays from Nov. 1 through Dec. 6 at TeamBuilders Counseling, 5312 Jaguar Drive.

Drop-ins are welcome.

For more information on the group, call Stout at 471-5006.

Book signing at The Monks' Corner

From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 27, the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit, author and associate editor of America magazine, will be at The Monks' Corner, 235 Don Gaspar, for a book signing of his best-seller, My Life with the Saints.

The book, the first-place winner of the Catholic Press Association's award for spirituality books, will be available, along with other titles from Martin, including A Jesuit Off-Broadway, Becoming Who You Are; and his autobiography In Good Company: The Fast Track from the Corporate World to Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience.

Martin is a popular commentator on religion and spirituality in the national and international media, and has appeared in venues as diverse as National Public Radio's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and PBS's The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.