West news briefs: Benefit for the Westonka Historical Society March 23

A fundraiser for the community history museum which hopes to move to a permanent site this spring will be held March 23 at the Gillespie Center, 2590 Commerce Blvd., Mound.

The event runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and features food, music, videos, a silent auction and a raffle. Tickets are $25.

For more information or to buy tickets, contact the Westonka Historical Society's voice mail at 952-472-9800 or stop by the museum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets also can be ordered by mail and picked up at the event by sending a check to WHS, P.O. Box 84, Mound, MN 55364.

Golden Valley City Council member DeDe Scanlon and her husband, Tom, will prepare a five-course Italian dinner for eight for the winner of a raffle to benefit Peace House, a volunteer-run Minneapolis shelter that offers homeless and marginalized people meals and a safe retreat during the day.

After 28 years on Franklin Avenue, the shelter is moving to a new building, which raffle proceeds will help outfit.

The raffle's grand prize is dinner for eight at the Scanlon home in Golden Valley. The meal will feature antipasto, dishes of chicken, sausage and salmon, desserts and wine. The dinner date will be on a mutually agreed-upon Saturday night before Oct. 31, 2013.

Other raffle prizes include Sunday brunch for four at the Jax Cafe in northeast Minneapolis, a $50 gift card to Kafe 421 in Dinkytown, and two $25 gift cards to D'Amico and Sons restaurants.

The prize drawing is at 2 p.m. on May 30 at the new Peace House at 1816 Portland Av. in Minneapolis. Raffle participants need not be present to win.

Golden Valley is seeking applicants to serve on its reconstituted Human Rights Commission. The new commission will have seven regular members and two student members to advise and assist the City Council on human rights issues.

Applicants must live in the city or attend schools within the city boundaries or served by the Robbinsdale or Hopkins school districts. Candidates should be able to attend evening meetings on the fourth Tuesday of each month.

Applications are available at www.goldenvalleymn.gov/boards/humanrights/. Deadline is April 1 at 4 pm.

The city of Golden Valley is seeking nominees for its Hall of Fame, which honors people affiliated with the city who have made contributions to the community. Current members of the hall include musician and conductor Philip Brunelle, grocery store entrepreneur Don Byerly, civil rights activist Gleason Glover, war hero and civic volunteer Robert Provost and international home cooking icon Betty Crocker.

The nomination deadline is March 22.

"Medicare Topics You Need to Know" will be the topic of a Senior Program class to be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at the Lenox Community Center, 6715 Minnetonka Blvd. in St. Louis Park.

The class is for Medicare beneficiaries or those caring for someone who is.

For more information, call 952-928-6444 or go to www.slpcommunityed.com/.

"A Matter of Balance," an award-winning eight-week class designed to help seniors avoid falls, begins April 4.

Register for the program now by calling 952-928-6444.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Plymouth's volunteer program, 20 volunteers from the past 20 years will be recognized this year.

Nominations will be accepted until March 29. To nominate a volunteer, go to www.plymouthmn.gov or call 763-509-5230. Nominees must be an individual, family or an organization that has been or is a current city volunteer contributing at least 100 hours.

The city also is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the program by seeking submissions for a sculpture that will be installed inside City Hall. Local artists are encouraged to apply, but any U.S. artist is eligible. The deadline for proposals is 4 p.m. May 7. For more information, call 763-509-5223 or go to www.plymouthmn.gov/sculpture or www.plymouthartscouncil.org/create/sculpture.

SouthWest Transit is adding more direct service between Chanhassen and downtown Minneapolis due to rider requests.

SouthWest Transit will have two new members on its seven-person commission.

Chaska City Council Member Jay Rohe and former Chaska Mayor Bob Roepke join the commission in 2013.

One elected official and one appointed citizen from each of the agency's three founding cities — Chanhassen, Chaska and Eden Prairie — serve three-year terms. The seventh member is a rider representative who also serves a three-year term and is appointed by the commission members.