LOCAL BRIEFS

STAPLES -- Staples-Motley Community Education will feature classes next week on defensive driving, investing and one-stroke painting.

Register for these classes with Community Education at (218) 894-2497.

The Minnesota Safety Council will sponsor the full eight-hour driving course 5:30-9:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday in Room 103 at Staples-Motley High School. Cost is $15.

Rules for investing and gaining financial independence will be discussed 6:30-8 p.m. April 14 in Room 100 at S-M High School.

The one-stroke painting technique will be taught 6-8:30 p.m. Monday in Room 100 at S-M High School. The project will be a garden sign. Cost is $22. Supplies are included but participants are asked to bring a No. 10 flat and No. 3/8 angle brush.

VFW Friday dinner set

The VFW Friday dinner will be Nedra's all-you-can-eat fish fry beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Brainerd VFW. The meal includes salad bar, coffee and dessert. Reservations are appreciated by calling 829-6393.

Camp Journey session set for grieving youths

Camp Journey, for youths ages 7-18 who have experienced the loss of a loved one, will run May 20-22 at Confidence Learning Center north of Brainerd.

There is no cost to attend the camp. A $25 deposit is required at registration for each child. This deposit is refundable when the child attends camp. A waiver for the $25 deposit is possible if necessary.

The Camp Journey weekend will begin 5 p.m. May 20 with check-in and a family dinner followed by icebreaker games, with parents included, from 6-8:30 p.m.

Activities May 21 will start with breakfast, followed by morning activities, group sessions, free time with counselors available if needed, fun activities, doctor question and answer, meals and snacks, and a memory session with a candlelight ceremony at night.

May 22, similar activities will culminate at 11 a.m. when parents arrive for individual debriefings followed by lunch, fun family and a closing ceremony.

The Camp Journey staff includes area professionals, social workers, psychologists, counselors and local volunteers who have experienced loss. Background checks on all staff and volunteers have been required.

Topics that may be discussed include anger, shock, loss, fear, sadness and memories.

Camp activities include archery, astronomy, campfires, canoeing, challenge course, climbing wall, fishing, games, hayrides, hiking, nature crafts.

The goal of Camp Journey is to increase friendships with peers through experiential activities and meaningful conversation while helping process and remember loss in a safe, fun environment.

Visit the Camp Journey Web site at www.campjourney.org.

For more information or to request a brochure or registration form, contact Jenni Bailey, camp director, at jenni@campconfidence.com or call 828-2344. Camp Confidence is at 1620 Fawcett Drive, East Gull Lake.

Camp Journey is a Brainerd Rotary Centennial Project.

Planning, park board to meet Wednesday

A special meeting of the Brainerd Planning Commission and Park Board will be 6 p.m. Wednesday at Brainerd City Hall to discuss park development in the community.