Leukemia benefit to be held Saturday

Big Sky Cyclery will host a Miles Against Leukemia and Lymphoma benefit Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Participants will pick a piece of fitness equipment that you would like to use for 20 minutes -- bike, treadmill or elliptical. Children will go for 10 minutes. At the end of 20 minutes observers will write down participants' mileage. There will be prizes for the longest distances as well as children's prizes.

Cost is $3 for adults and $2 for children.

Big Sky Cyclery is at 1419 11th Ave. across from Capital Hill Mall.

For more information call Rebecca at 594-0457 or Melinda at Big Sky Cyclery 442-4644.

Hospice Lite a Life event set for Thursday

The annual Lite a Life event to benefitHospice of St. Peter's Hospital is Thursday, 4:30 p.m., at the Helena Civic Center.

Following a brief indoor candle-lighting ceremony in the ballroom to honor the names of all those for whom lights have been given, the 80-foot tall evergreen in front of the Civic Center will be lit. Each bulb on the tree is in memory or in honor of a loved one and will shine throughout the holidays. Scrolls will list the names of all those remembered.

Lite a Life is the only fund-raising event for Hospice of St. Peter's. Hospice care provides physical, emotional, and spiritual comfort and support to patients and their families.

For more information, visit www.stpetes.org or call the Foundation at 444-2370.

Red Cross holding blood drive Dec. 17

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive at St. Peter's 123 Conference Rooms from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 17.

For an appointment, contact Trish Terry at 444-2130 or tterry@stpetes.org with a preferred time. Include your date of birth. Walk-ins are welcome.

Donor identification is required. For more information about the blood donation process and donor eligibility, please visit www.helpsavealife.org.

Saturday events on tap at ExplorationWorks

ExplorationWorks museum in Helena's Great Northern Town Center will have science-related special events the next two Saturdays.

- Dec. 13 n Tree Walk n Jack Kendley will lead visitors on a guided tour through the Native Montana Conifers Exhibit

- Dec. 20 n The Science of Solstice with Dr. Liz Gundersen.

Community meetings set for planning new mental health center

The Center for Mental Health Foundation in Helena is having three community meetings seeking public input for planning the new Care House, a voluntary, residential, short-term crisis facility.

Mosaic Architecture will facilitate the meetings in which the public is encouraged to attend. All meetings will be at 7 p.m. at the Center for Mental Health Montana House; use the 16th and Jackson Street entrance.

A meeting Dec. 16 will give people an opportunity to look at the possible locations for the new Care House and help select the one that best meets the needs of clients and staff.

On Jan. 13 there will be a workshop to review the preferred location.

On Jan. 20 there will be a followup workshop to discuss the preferred location further.

Mosaic will complete a preliminary architecture report with the information.

MSU event to reveal science of magnetism

Kids can experience the wonders of magnetism at a free Montana State University event on Saturday.

MSU Science Saturday offers hands-on experiments and a close-up look at science and research projects occurring at MSU. The event takes place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Studio 1080, the Burns Technology Center's interactive multimedia center in the atrium of the EPS Building.

Science Saturdays are designed for kids aged 10 to 15, but younger kids may attend with a parent.

Enrollment is limited to 100 students. To pre-register, call (406) 994-6550 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.