In Our Towns | Choose to lose weight in the new year

Local

GRAND STRAND

Choose to lose weight in new year

Myrtle Beach will offer its Choose to Lose program starting in the new year, and this time, it has 75 fitness classes for participants to take during the 12-week period.

People who want to shape up after the holidays can join Choose to Lose, Choose to Move or Choose to Train. Each includes classes, weekly prizes, encouragement and the use of city recreation facilities.

The program kicks off with the city's Health and Fitness Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 8 at Pepper Geddings Recreation Center.

For details, visit www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/choose.html.

CONWAY

Students helping other kids with toys

Students at Early College High School are holding an ECHS Gift Givers fundraiser through Jan. 28 to raise money and give brand-new toys for children who are in the hospital during the Christmas season.

Anyone can donate toys that are suitable for ages 3 to 15 that are new, with smooth edges and no breakage or small parts. Early College High School is located at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, 2050 U.S. 501 E., Conway, and donations may be dropped off at the college's main entrance.

GRAND STRAND

Charter school taking applications

Applications are being accepted for S.C. Whitmore School, South Carolina's newest online public charter high school, for grades 9-12 for the 2011-12 school year, according to a news release from the school.

The school is an option for students who need to work during traditional school hours, don't do well on tests, need a flexible school schedule or want to accelerate their graduation, the release said. SCWS will serve students from across the state and plans to open with 215 students in August.

Applications will be accepted through Jan. 14 and must be postmarked by that day, the release said. Applications may be found online or requested by phone. Students must be residents of South Carolina and age appropriate for high school. If the school receives more applications than there are available slots, a random public lottery will be held Jan. 24 at 11 a.m.

Each student has access to individualized learning with qualified teachers, the release said. Working one-on-one with their teachers, students are allowed to revise each lesson until they have achieved an A or B. Each student learns in a supportive, challenging environment that is emotionally and physically safe.

For more information, go to www.sc.whitmoreschool.org or call Ellen Ray, project director, at 866- 476-6416.

GRAND STRAND

Flu shots offered daily at medical center

South Strand Medical Center, formerly South Strand Ambulatory Care Center, is offering flu shots from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays through December.

No appointments are necessary.

South Strand Medical Center is on U.S. 17 Bypass between S.C. 707 and S.C. 544.

Flu shots are for adults 18 and older and cost $20. There is no charge for Medicare Part B participants with red, white and blue Medicare cards.

For more information, call 692-4444.

HORRY COUNTY

Library offers free online classes

You can take one or more of 500 continuing education courses online through the Horry County Memorial Library.

Classes include high-school equivalency, accounting and bookkeeping, alternative medicine, religious studies, crafts and hobbies and more.

They are not for credit, but for personal enrichment, according to a press release from the county.

Log onto the Horry County Memorial Library at www.horry.lib.sc.us/ and click on the Universal Class link. There is no cost as long as you register through the county website.

Then simply register. You can enroll in up to five classes at a time, and you have six months to finish each.

Classes can be accessed on the Internet around the clock every day, and have a real instructor, the press release said.

For more information, call the Horry County Memorial Library at 915-7323.

GRAND STRAND

Sample classes before enrolling

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Coastal Carolina University will hold Free Week, a sampling of short, noncredit courses from the OLLI spring schedule from Jan. 5-7, according to a news release from CCU.

Potential students may visit the OLLI facilities, meet the instructors and enjoy free lectures, demonstrations and refreshments at each of the outreach centers, the release said.

Free Week will be held at the Foundation Center in Conway on Jan. 5 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Waccamaw Higher Education Center in Litchfield on Jan. 6 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and at the Myrtle Beach Education Center at 79th Avenue North on Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Most presentations will be 30 minutes.

The spring term officially begins Jan. 10.

OLLI membership - $20 for Jan. 1 through Sept. 30 - is a prerequisite to taking courses, although you can elect to be a member without signing up for coursework.

For more information, call 349-2767 or go to www.coastal.edu/olli, where the complete spring catalog is posted, as well as the schedule for Free Week and each weekly e-newsletter.