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The Digits' fifth annual benefit concert at Woodley Gardens Pool will be held Saturday from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. to benefit Mann Food Center's Smart Sacks program.

Smart Sacks provides backpacks full of food every Friday for children who are at-risk of hunger over the weekend.

The cost for admission is a $5 donation. Silent auction items will also be available for bidding and purchase during the first three hours of the concert. 

The Digits is a classical-rock band based in Rockville. Tom Miner, founder and bass guitarist, said the group started nine years ago and played for friends and neighbors in the College Gardens and Woodley Gardens neighborhoods. Miner said the band had a gig scheduled after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans five years ago and decided to hold a benefit concert for the victims. The group raised $6,000 that year and donated the money to the American Red Cross.  

"That kind of event just made us realize that we wanted to accomplish more than just a fun night," Miner said. "We also wanted to benefit the community."

The Digits have held a benefit concert every year for a different charity. Last year, the band raised close to $6,000 for the Wounded Warriors Project. The year before, the band raised money for two people who needed kidney transplants.    

Miner said the band heard about Manna's Smart Sacks through long-time Digits fan Dawn Titmus, who is helping to organize the silent auction.

Kim Damion, executive director of Manna Food Center, said the program feeds about 1,400 children from over 40 schools in Montgomery County. 

"We were seeing that kids on the free and reduced lunch programs at their schools were not getting enough to eat on the weekends when there were no school lunches," Damion said.

Miner said neighbors and businesses have in the past donated items such as free weeks or weekends at summer beach houses, gift and party baskets, and works by local artists.   

"I'm always overwhelmed by the generosity of neighbors who step forward to donate items for the auction, and then turn around and buy most of the items," Miner said.

Woodley Gardens Pool is located at 805 Nelson St in Rockville. 

For more information, visit www.mannafood.org or www.TheDigitsBand.com. 

Recreation department

to hold open houses

The Montgomery County Department of Recreation will host its "Back to Fun, Back to Recreation" open house events on Sunday at six community centers throughout the county.

The open houses will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at the following centers:

-Bauer Drive Community Center, 14625 Bauer Drive, Rockville

-Damascus Community Center, 25520 Oak Drive

-Germantown Community Center, 18905 Kingsview Road

-Long Branch Community Center, 8700 Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring

-Marilyn Praisner Community Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville

-Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road

The open houses will feature demonstrations of fall programs and classes, facility tours, games, prizes and other activities. Visitors can also register for fall programs and activities that are offered in the 2010 Fall Guide.

The events are free. For more information, call 240-777-6840.

The Goddard School holds trike-a-thon for St. Jude

Preschoolers at the Goddard School in Rockville's King Farm community raised more than $1,550 in a charity trike-a-thon for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in late July.

St. Jude partnered with preschools and day care programs to teach children safety lessons for riding bicycles, tricycles and other toys while raising funds to support the hospital's mission.

The preschoolers spent a week learning how to ride safely, and brought their tricycles and riding toys to the school July 23 to practice the rules they had learned. Family and friends sponsored the young participants by pledging an amount per lap the children rode or by making a one-time donation.

The proceeds will go towards the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

The school in King Farm, at 900 Gaither Road, has raised nearly $10,000 for St. Jude since the program was introduced to the school almost four years ago.

The Goddard School provides educational early development programs for children ages six months to 6 years. For more information, call 301-330-2300 or visit www.goddardschool.com.

Montgomery Alliance awards grants to five nonprofits

The Montgomery Alliance for Community Giving in Rockville awarded $25,000 in grants to five non-profit organizations in the county this summer.

The following grants were awarded:

-$6,000 to Interfaith Works' Project LEAD, which assists unemployed and underemployed clients of the Interfaith Clothing Center to seek better paying jobs.

-$4,500 to the Housing Opportunities Community Partners Inc. to assist families with application fees, security deposits, utility connection fees and other move-in costs while they are making the transition to permanent housing.

-$7,500 to Gaithersburg HELP Inc. to purchase emergency prescription medications and eyeglasses for individuals, including students.

-$4,500 to Top Banana Home-Delivered Groceries for its operating expenses that provides groceries to 220 senior citizens.

-$2,500 to The Dwelling Place Inc. to furnish apartments for families entering its housing program.

Grant recipients were chosen from 38 applicants.

Founded in 2005, Montgomery Alliance is an all-volunteer nonprofit that supports health and human services agencies in the county.

For more information, call 301-990-3005 or visit www.montgomeryalliance.org.

Doggie Dip Day

set for Saturday

The Rockville Swim and Fitness Center will open for its annual Doggie Dip Day from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The cost is $5 per dog. Owners and human guests enter free, unless they will be swimming in the indoor pool or using other Swim Center facilities. People will not be allowed to enter the outdoor recreation pool with their dogs due to health and safety concerns.

All dogs must be under the control of their owners and have a current rabies certificate or letter from their veterinarian stating they have received the shots in order to gain entry to the event.

Participants are invited to bring canned goods to benefit Manna Food Center. Participants who bring a canned food item will be entered in a raffle for a gift basket and/or gift certificate from Dogtopia of White Flint.

For more information, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/swimcenter.

Montgomery County to mark African Heritage Month

Montgomery County's celebration of African Heritage Month will continue later this month with two events. The schedule includes:

-Sept. 18, 4-9 p.m., Pan African Cultural Festival at the Silver Spring Civic Building in Silver Spring.

-Sept. 21, 5-10 p.m., African Leadership Congress at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C.

For more information, call the Office of Community Partnerships at 240-777-2584.

Mentors needed to work

with students

The City of Rockville is seeking volunteers for its Mentoring Program, which pairs adults and high school students with elementary and middle school students to help them develop academic and social skills.

The program, entering its 16th year, is designed to improve the self-esteem and confidence of the students, to motivate them academically and in other avenues, assist them with problem solving, and teach life skills, the city reported.

"Mentoring provides a wonderful experience for the volunteers and students," said program coordinator Cynthia Bangali.

The pair meets for one hour one day each week after school from October through May. They work in a group setting with other mentors and students.

High school students can earn Student Service Learning credit hours for their participation.

For more information, call Bangali at 240-314-8317 or e-mail cbangali@rockvillemd.gov. Information and an online application are also available at www.rockvillemd.gov/

residents/ncs/mentoring.

Teens needed for advisory group at libraries

Montgomery County Public Libraries is seeking members for its Teen Advisory Group, which promotes library programming and advocates for teen library services.

Teens ages 14-18 can apply online at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/

library. Applications are due by Saturday. Teens accepted in the program will serve from September to May and meet monthly.

For more information, send an e-mail to teensite@montgomerycountymd.gov. 

Items appropriate for this column should be sent to Mimi Liu, Staff Writer, The Rockville/Aspen Hill Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877; faxed to 301-670-7182 or 301-670-7183; or e-mailed to mliu@gazette.net. Deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m. for consideration for the following week. Items are used on a space-available basis.