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You can now view Calendars of Events for today and upcoming weeks? A complete and up-to-date list of local events is now available on every section of PressRepublican.com.

Mentors needed
PLATTSBURGH — An orientation for Champlain Valley Family Center's Federal Mentoring Program will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, at Plattsburgh State's Angell College Center, meeting room 2.

The program matches adults in the community (including local college students), with children in Plattsburgh and Beekmantown school districts, grades 4 through 8. The mentors meet with their mentees weekly for 45 minutes to an hour during the school year on school grounds.

For more information, call 562-9009.

Parent program appoints new regional coordinator
TUPPER LAKE — Deborah Byrd-Caudle has been appointed Parent to Parent of New York State regional coordinator for northern New York and will work out of the Parent to Parent office in Tupper Lake.

Parent to Parent, which has 12 offices across the state, is a point of contact for parents who are parenting a child with an intellectual or developmental disability, including autism. A Support Parent Network of more than 1,200 parents is the backbone of the Parent Matching Program, which puts parents in contact, on a one-to-one basis, with other parents.

"When a family has a child with a disability, it is important to recognize the need for emotional support as well as the importance of parents knowing they are not alone," a press release said.

In addition to the Matching program, the organization fields calls from parents of children with special needs who are looking for resources, services and information. There is no charge for services.

Byrd-Caudle is the parent of a young adult with multiple disabilities and has learned to advocate for her son and navigate service systems to access health care, education and other needed services.

Reach her 359-3006, (866) 727-6970 or via e-mail at p2pnny@centralny.twcbc.com.

Learn more at www.parenttoparentnys.org.

Family Day set for Sunday at museum
PLATTSBURGH — Children in grades kindergarten through 6 are invited to explore the Plattsburgh State Art Museum with their families during Family Day at the Museum, set for noon to 4 p.m. Sunday on the second floor of the Myers Fine Arts building.

The current exhibition, "Expression: Portraits from the Permanent Collection," includes a variety of artists and mediums in portraiture. After children have viewed the works, they will be invited to create their own portraits to bring home or display in the museum's temporary student gallery.

The event is free and light refreshments will be served. For information, contact Marie at: mpurd001@mail.plattsburgh.edu

Consumer guide addresses medical debt
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Families USA, the national organization for health-care consumers, has released a consumer guide that offers strategies, tips and warnings to consumers as they struggle to manage medical debt and to avoid bankruptcy.

Titled "Your Medical Bills: A Consumer's Guide to Coping with Medical Debt," the handbook details the legal rights and primary actions consumers should take to deal with rising medical expenses. Designed for consumers, it offers step-by-step instructions on dealing with medical bills, beginning with the vital first step of reviewing each bill and learning how to appeal charges.

If medical debt looms, the guide offers advice on finding outside assistance, discusses federal and state protections for individuals, and what actions can be legally taken against them.

The guide is available on the at: http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/coping-with-medical-debt.pdf. A companion fact sheet, "Shortchanged by Medical Debt," can be found at http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/medical-debt-fact-sheet.pdf. Also available, "What States are Doing to Protect Consumers," spotlights states that have enacted various consumer protection statutes. Find it at http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/medical-debt-state-protections.pdf.