Statewide Vermont – NPR host John Hockenberry, Pulitzer Prize winners Joseph Ellis and Hedrick Smith, and Grammy-nominated musician and historian Stephen Wade are among the presenters in the fourteenth season of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays lecture series beginning October 7 at nine sites statewide. The series runs October through May at 7:00 pm on the first Wednesday of each month (unless otherwise noted). Talks take place in Brattleboro, Essex Junction, Manchester, Middlebury, Montpelier, Newport, Norwich, Rutland, and St. Johnsbury.

Beginning on Thursday, October 8, 2015 Brattleboro Area Hospice will offer a Bereavement Volunteer Training at its home office at 191 Canal Street in Brattleboro. This 21 hour volunteer training will run on Thursdays from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The final session will take place on November 19th.

Bereavement Volunteers provide emotional support and companionship to individuals grieving the death loss of a loved one. Trained volunteers are asked to commit to one hour per week spent with a bereaved individual.

Parents and children are invited on Saturday, September 26, 10:30 – 12:00, to a free workshop, Calling all Kids: It’s OK to Talk about Death! at Brooks Memorial Library Upstairs Meeting Room (next to the Children’s Section).

Children who have experienced a death loss, whether of a beloved pet, friend or family member, don’t often have the opportunity to meet with other children who’ve had a similar experience. Through facilitated art activities and guided conversation led by Children’s Bereavement Counselor Elizabeth Ungerleider, this is an opportunity for children of all ages to ask questions, share stories and express feelings in a safe environment.