Regional

College Goal Sunday: The first Rhode Island College Goal Sunday will be held Sunday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Community College of Rhode Island campus in Newport, 1 John H. Chafee Blvd.

The event will help students and their families explore educational opportunities. Financial aid professionals will assist college-bound students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is required for any student seeking financial aid nationwide. It is also the form residents complete to determine eligibility for Rhode Island state grant programs.

For more information and to register for the event, visit www.collegegoalri.org.

Relay for Life: The kickoff event for the Relay For Life of Aquidneck Island will be held Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Gaudet Middle School, Aquidneck Avenue. The celebration is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the Relay For Life and how to get involved. Relay For Life is a community event, which honors cancer survivors — anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer — and their caregivers. The relay also pays tribute to those who have lost their battle with cancer.

The Relay For Life of Aquidneck Island will be held May 9 and 10 at the Gaudet Middle School track. For information, contact event chairs, Karen Johnson, johnsonk1@cox.net or Sally Jenkins, sallyrelay@cox.net. For more information about the American Cancer Society, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit main.acsevents.org/rflriaquidneckisland.

Black Storytelling Festival event: As part of the statewide Black Storytelling Festival, FUNDA FEST 10, a family storytelling concert will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 20 Dr. Marcus F. Wheatland Blvd., Newport. Admission will be by donation at the door.

The RI Black Storytellers will host FUNDA FEST 10 Jan. 20 to 27. Funda means to teach and to learn in Zulu and KiSwahili. For a full schedule of events, visit www.ribsfest.com or call 439-7122.

Barrington

Writing for Teens: Students in grades five to eight are welcome to register for Flying Pens, a free writing workshop, which begins Tuesday, at the Barrington Public Library, County Road. The group will meet each Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. through Feb. 19 to share ideas, learn how writers work, and find a writing process that works for each of them. To register, call 247-1920, ext. 2.

Annual meeting: Beyond Our Walls, Barrington’s interfaith organization, will hold its annual meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Rd. Election of officers will take place along with a discussion of plans for the new year. The public is welcome. For information contact Bill Oehlkers, 433-0058 or e-mail at wjo@jhu.edu.

Community School offerings: Registration for winter/spring term courses offered by the Barrington Community School is under way. Many courses begin next week , although there are some late-starters as well.

All trips still have openings, except for: March 6 to 7, Philadelphia Flower Show, and the July 11 Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Wait lists are being maintained for filled trips. The April 16 family trip to The Little Mermaid in New York is now confirmed. Those interested in the Jan. 30 ski trip to Sunday River, co-sponsored by the BAY Team, are reminded that the deadline to sign up is tomorrow.

Additional copies of the winter brochure are available at all area libraries and many businesses. For more information, call the BCS office, 245-0432, weekday mornings, or visit www.barrcommschool.com.

East Providence

Library programs: The Fuller Library, Dover Avenue, will offer a variety of programs this month. Toddler story time for ages 2 and 3 will be held Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Included will be songs, stories and crafts. Straw painting for all ages will be held Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. For ages 10 and older, Pictionary and pizza will be offered Jan. 31 at 3 p.m. All programs are free. No advance registration is necessary. For information, call 434-1136.

Neighborhood meeting: East Providence City Councilwoman Valerie Perry of Ward 3 will hold a neighborhood meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Riverside Public Library, 475 Bullocks Point Ave., to discuss the proposed abandonment of Cedar Avenue from Bluff Street to Narragansett Bay. The issue was discussed at length at the council’s Jan. 2 meeting by city officials and residents for and against the change. A decision was postponed to get more input from those living in the area. The council, city manager, members of East Providence’s Planning Department and other appropriate local board and commission members plan to attend.

Anime group: Middle and high school students in 6th through 12th grade are invited to watch and discuss new and old anime favorites while snacking on Japanese snacks Monday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Riverside Branch Library, 475 Bullocks Point Ave. The group will watch Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Since most anime are rated PG-13, new group members under age 13 must present signed parental permission slips at the beginning of the meeting. Permission slips can be picked up at any East Providence Public Library location. For more information, call the youth services department, 435-1978 or send an e-mail to epteens@yahoo.com.

Harry Potter book club: Harry Potter fans in grades four and up are welcome to join the Weaver Library’s Harry Potter book club. The group participates in discussion, trivia, games, food, crafts, and other activities relating to their favorite wizard. The club’s next meeting is Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. for a game of “Who Said It?” where participants try to guess who said various quotes from the movies and the books. No advance registration is required to attend. The program is free. For information, call Pam Purdue, 435-1978.

Middletown

Blood drive: The Middletown Knights of Columbus, 7 Valley Rd., will hold its annual community blood drive today from 3 to 7 p.m. All donors will receive a free steak dinner and a certificate for one pound of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Newport

Seal watch cruises: Save The Bay and the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation will offer seal watch cruises tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Participants will board the motor vessel Alletta Morris for an up-close look at the winter seals of Narragansett Bay. Each cruise includes a lecture by an expert guide and binoculars are provided. Cruises depart Bowen’s ferry landing.

Reservations are recommended and can be made online at www.savebay.org or by calling 324-6020. Tickets are $20 or $15 for Save The Bay and Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation members, seniors and children 6 to 12.

Winter Lecture Series: The Newport Art Museum, 76 Bellevue Ave., continues its Winter Lecture Series Saturday at 2 p.m. with “God, Darwin and Design: Science, Faith and the Human Imagination” by Kenneth R. Miller, Brown University biology professor and author of Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution.

Admission is $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers, which includes admission to the museum. Tickets for each lecture can be purchased in advance at the museum’s reception desk. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door an hour before the start of each lecture. Seating is limited.

Exhibit on display: The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, 194 Bellevue Ave., has opened a special exhibit in Newport titled, “Breaking The Barriers: The ATA and Black Tennis Pioneers.” The exhibit opened Monday, in honor of Martin Luther King Day, and will continue through March 9.

“Breaking The Barriers” blends photos, newspaper accounts, video, and player memorabilia. For information, call 849-3990 or visit www.tennisfame.com.

Neighborhood meeting: The Off Broadway Neighborhood Association will hold its next meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Mount Zion Church, Van Zandt at Tilley avenues. The guest speaker will be Newport’s animal control officer, Julie Sweeney. All neighbors who live in the parameters of Malbone and Tilley Avenue/Pond Street to Van Zandt and Broadway are more than welcome. For information contact Ellen Nichols, theel@cox.net or 864-0372.

Gym open: The City of Newport Recreation Department opens the gym at the Martin Recreation Center, “The Hut,” Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m. for adult walking on a drop-in basis. The open gym time is designed to offer individuals the ability to exercise during the cold winter months in a safe, warm environment. Those who walk around the gym four times have walked the equivalent of one-quarter mile. This drop-in program costs $1 per visit, or, monthly passes are available. The program is suspended during school vacation periods. For information, call the Recreation Department, 845-5800.

Warren

Coffeehouse performance: The Church Street Coffeehouse will present Eric Behr, a singer, songwriter and stage actor who is often seen at the 2nd Story Theatree, Saturday at 8 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 25 Church St. Behr founded the coffeehouse in 2001 and led it for most of its history. Tickets are $10 at the door.