– Talk on evolution slated for Darwin Day
The Red Bank Humanists will celebrate Darwin Day from 10:30 a.m.-noon Feb. 8 at the Red Bank Charter School, 58 Oakland St., Red Bank. Admission is free.
The speaker will be Rob Richard, president of the Biology Teachers Association of New Jersey, who will present, “Teaching Evolution in Secondary Schools — Methods and Challenges.” He will discuss why evolution should be taught as science; how evolution is the common tie that binds all of biology; and attempts to undermine the teaching of evolution and how to address it.
For more information, contact Trudy Lagan at 732-927-1RBH or visit www.meetup.com/redbankhumanists.
– Vietnam veterans to lead memorial tours
The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation (NJVVMF) will hold free tours of the Memorial, led by volunteer Vietnam veteran tour guides on Feb. 7, March 7 and April 11 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at 1 Memorial Lane, Holmdel.
Visitors can experience history with those who lived it during a one-hour tour. Appointments or reservations are not necessary. Tour groups should meet in the museum lobby.
The tour guides include Jim McGinnis, who served with the U.S. Army 196th Light Infantry Brigade from1966-67, and Dick Furlong, who served with the U.S. Army 198th Infantry Brigade from 1966-69.
High school seniors applying for scholarships through the NJVVMF are invited to attend the tours. For more information on the scholarship program and to download the application form, visit www.njvvmf.org.
– Monmouth Players to present ‘Rabbit Hole’
The Monmouth Players will present David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Rabbit Hole” at 8:15 p.m. on Feb. 7, 14, 21, 27 and 28 and 2 p.m. on Feb. 8, 15 and 22 at the Navesink Arts Center, 149 Monmouth Ave., Atlantic Highlands.
Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize, the drama focuses on the Corbetts, who have everything until a life-shattering accident turns their world upside down and leaves the couple drifting perilously apart. The play charts their bittersweet search for comfort in the darkest of places and for a path that will lead them back into the light of day.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for seniors and students. For reservations, call 732-291-9211. For more information, visit www.monmouthplayers.org.
– Volunteers needed to pack up donations
SHREWSBURY — The Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals will host a volunteer day at 86 Gilbert St. W., Tinton Falls, for businesses, schools, organizations and individuals of all ages who would like to participate in letter writing and packaging of donations for U.S. military working dog teams deployed in the Middle East.
Volunteers should arrive by 2:30 p.m. at Purr’n Pooch’s Training Hall and can receive service credits for their participation. To volunteer or learn more information, email info@purrnpooch.com.
The Purr’n Pooch Foundation for Animals is an organization dedicated to providing financial support and educational resources to animal-rescue groups and organizations across the United States. For more information, visit www.purrnpoochfoundation.org.
– Essay contest celebrates George Washington
The Old Barracks Museum in Trenton invites fourth- and fifth-grade students to celebrate George Washington’s birthday through an essay contest.
Participants must answer the following question: If George Washington could visit America in 2015, what do you think he would be most proud of in our country today?
All entries must be received by mail by February 6. The winning essays will be chosen based on content, style, originality and grammar.
Two lucky winners from each grade will be invited to meet Washington and share his birthday cake. Winners and their immediate families will also be given complimentary tours of the museum.
Winners will be notified by phone and/or mail by Feb. 11.
Contest rules and details are available at www.barracks.org under “Events.”
– Jersey Shore Gospel Music Fellowship will sponsor a Message and Gospel Music Program Night at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Francis Asbury Chapel, 70 Stockton Ave., Ocean Grove.
The program will feature the Rev. Howie Van Dyk Jr. of Hawthorne Gospel Church and music by Hearts Alive of Montrose, Pa. An update will also be given on the current activities of the Cranbury-based Tri-M County Chapter of Child Evangelism Fellowship.
For more information, call 732-897-0800 or email jsgospel@aol.com.
– Making a Difference award deadline Feb. 13
Nominations are being accepted for the 2015 Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference. Members of the community are invited to nominate New Jersey residents whose deeds, carried out in the state, make them worthy of recognition. Up to 11 individuals are eligible for cash awards of up to $50,000, which will be presented with the awards at a ceremony on May 1 at Ramapo College, Mahwah.
For more information, contact The Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference, c/o Office of the President, Ramapo College of New Jersey, 505 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah 07430. Nomination forms are also available at www.ramapo.edu/berrie-awards/.
The deadline for entries is Feb. 13.