AUGUSTA – Former military servicewomen of all branches of the Armed Forces, and those on active or reserve duty, are invited to attend a luncheon honoring them on Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Senator Inn on Western Avenue.

For the past 17 years, Unit 41 of Women Accepted For Volunteer Emergency Service National has sponsored an annual luncheon to meet others who have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force or their Nurse Corps, in the Marines, Coast Guard, the National Guard or Merchant Marines.

Registration will start at 10 a.m., at noon entries (costing $15 each) will be served, followed by a message and update on military affairs from Brigadier General John “Bill” Libby, Maine’s adjutant general. For information and reservations by Oct. 9, call 474-2235 or send check with entre designated to 11 Northside Lane 55, Skowhegan, ME 04976.

Silver tea award

AUGUSTA- The Maine Leadership Award for Breast Health will be presented at the ninth annual Silver Tea hosted by First Lady Karen Baldacci at the Blaine House at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year’s recipient is Robin Long of Bangor, who is being recognized for her leadership role in advocating for the breast cancer needs of the women of Maine.

Long is assistant director of the Women’s Health Initiatives Department at the YWCA of Bangor-Brewer which manages Caring Connections, an affiliate of Eastern Maine Medical Center.

School open house

LIMESTONE – The Maine School of Science and Mathematics, a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology and Maine’s only public residential chartered school, will host an open house for high school sophomores and juniors on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 10 and 11.

Visiting students will be hosted by MSSM students, stay in the residence hall, attend classes and learn about the opportunities that the MSSM provides during a faculty/student panel presentation.

To reserve a space or to request a 2005-2006 application, call the admissions office at 1-800-325-4484 or visit the Web at www.mssm.org.

AIDS conference

BAR HARBOR – Students at the College of the Atlantic will host a conference on the global AIDS crises on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15 and 16.

The Maine Student Conference on Global AIDS, organized by students from Argentina, Costa Rica, Poland and the United States, is geared to raising awareness about the global crisis that AIDS presents, the facts of its treatment and prevention and the importance of student activism in eradicating the epidemic.

The conference will include speakers, films, workshops and an exhibit. It is free and open to the public. Contact Andres Jennings of the Student Global AIDS Campaign at [email protected] to register for Saturday workshops. For questions, call 288-5015, ext. 291.

Library conference

AUGUSTA – The Maine Library Association will host its annual Maine Libraries Conference on Sunday through Tuesday, Oct. 17 to 19, at the Augusta Civic Center.

A main event will be the awards night dinner at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct 18. Among the awards being presented will be the Maine Library Journalism Award, sponsored by the MLA Communications Committee. The award will recognize the most outstanding print or broadcast story about libraries in Maine, published in 2003, and honor its Maine writer.

For more information, visit the Web at http://mainelibraries.org/awards/journal/htm.

Spirituality is focus

PORTLAND – Jane Honeck is hosting and organizing the first Women In God (WIGout) conference to address issues of spirituality on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 17 to 18, at the Holiday Inn By the Bay.

The conference will run from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 17 and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 18 and includes workshops and a keynote speech by Dr. Lonise Bias.

Cost is $135. Call 233-7658, or e-mail [email protected]. For a conference brochure, go online to www.womeningod.com.

Autism program

NEW GLOUCESTER – The Autism Society of Maine reports more than 1,200 individuals in Maine have been diagnosed with autism.

On Thursday, Oct. 28, from 7 to 9 p.m., Jane Carlson, PhD, BCBA, clinical director of the May Center in Freeport and an expert in the field of autism, will provide a comprehensive presentation on what applied behavior analysis is and how it works.

The presentation will be held at Pineland Farms, 16 Pineland Drive. For more information or to RSVP, call 865-1993. For more information about May Institute, visit www.mayinstitute.org.