The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department and the Northeast Community Coalition are partnering to offer Wake Forest residents an afternoon of family-friendly fun and share useful information during Unity in the Community on Saturday, Nov. 9. Free and open to everyone, the inaugural event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. both inside and outside the Alston-Massenburg Center at 416 North Taylor Street. Featuring free food, music and fun, Unity in the Community will also present several local churches and community organizations interacting with residents and sharing information about resources and services they offer. Churches scheduled to participate on Nov. 9 include St. John’s Episcopal Church, Olive Branch Baptist Church, Wake Forest United Methodist Church, Friendship Chapel Baptist Church, Wake Forest Baptist Church and Church of God of Prophecy of Wake Forest. The participating local organizations include Dress for Success, Smart Start, Temple Vitality, Fundamental IQ

The Town of Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce are partnering with the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) and Code 3 to bring the RALI CARES (Community. Awareness. Readiness. Engagement. Service.) educational trailer to the Joyner Park Community Center, 701 Harris Road, this Saturday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The RALI CARES exhibit is an interactive experience set up as a mock teenage bedroom for families to walk through and learn where possible warning signs of substance misuse may be hidden. Tours are led by former vice cops, local law enforcement and other leaders. As attendees walk through the trailer, law enforcement and experts answer questions and teach participants about warning signs, potential areas of concern and how to talk about substance misuse with young people. The experience is often an emotional one as parents see firsthand how normalized the issue has become.

The Town of Wake Forest will host a retirement reception in honor of Planning Director Chip Russell on Sunday, Nov. 17, from 3 to 6 p.m. A program celebrating Chip’s 32 years of service to our community will begin at 4 p.m. Please make plans to join us for this special occasion at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre at 405 South Brooks Street. Light refreshments will be served. #  

The Wake Forest members of Soroptimist International, a new group in town, will hold a meet and greet at Brunch at Bada Bean, 938 Gateway Commons Circle, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17. “Come and hear about an amazing organization that empowers women and young girls to live their dreams,” a member said. See if at www.soroptimist.org. You are asked to RSVP to tarapp@yahoo.com by Wednesday, Nov. 13. #

It’s November and close to crunch time for the Wake Forest Police Department’s 13th annual Turkey Drive. They need to have your donations by the end of day Saturday, Nov. 23, the same day they will also accept donations of frozen turkeys at the Wake Forest Police Department Main Station, 225 South Taylor Street, from 9 a.m. until noon. Police officers and staff will distribute the turkeys while they last on Monday, Nov. 25, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the Wake Forest Community House, 133 West Owen Avenue. So, you can submit online donations via PayPal at http://bit.ly/2019TurkeyDrive. Cash and checks written to the Wake Forest Police Department are also accepted. Anyone wishing to contribute cash or a check to this year’s Turkey Drive should contact Det. M.W. Sattler at 919-795-7270 or msattler@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:msattler@wakeforestnc.gov>. All monetary donations will be used to purchase additional turkeys. Det. Sattler organized the police department’s first Turkey