Author Michael Buchanan Book Signing

1. Volunteering to donate blood is a great form of community service. Volunteer blood donors are needed every day to meet the constant need for blood. Each blood donation may help save more than one life. Donate blood today at the Cobb Donor Center at 2145 Roswell Road. Click here to make an appointment to avoid a wait: Cobb Donor Center - American Red Cross Blood Drive.

2. Would you like to learn grant writing? As part of Educator Appreciation Week, all educators are invited to attend The Foundation Center Atlanta's presentation, "Grantwriting Basics: Demystifying the Process." With continuing budget cuts in education, more schools are looking for creative ways to fund needed projects. There is money out there; come to this seminar to learn more about getting it. 5:30 p.m. Barnes & Noble, 50 Barrett Parkway.

3. Are you an adult still feeling the effects of having been an overweight child? Do you know an overweight child? You will want to read The Fat Boy Chronicles. Michael Buchanan, author of The Fat Boy Chronicles, is having a book-signing event at 7 p.m. Barnes & Noble, 50 Barrett Parkway.

Inspired by a true story, The Fat Boy Chronicles reveals the emotionally painful world obese teens experience in the face of a thin-obsessed society. At age 14, 5-foot-5 Jimmy weighs 187 pounds. Outside the comfort of his family and church, life for Jimmy is a constant struggle. The cruel taunts of his classmates make going to school or playing sports a humiliating experience. Yet he manages to focus on his goals: to lose weight and win over the girl of his dreams.

4. If you live in Northeast Cobb and have adopted a pet from the Cobb County Humane Society, or helped the children of Cobb County's foster care system, I'd love to hear and publish your story. Please email julia.harris@patch.com.

5. Are you a Northeast Cobb organization or nonprofit in need of volunteers? Become a registered user of Northeast Cobb Patch—easy, and no spam—and enjoy the benefits of posting "volunteers needed" announcements, events and classified ads.