NOTES AROUND TOWN Monmouth University's Graduate Department of Psychological Counseling and the university community collected school supplies for children who reside in the Long Branch Housing Authority's complexes. Monmouth University graduate students distributed the supplies at the Long Branch Housing Authority's Back to School Festival Sept. 8 at Jerry Morgan Park in Long Branch. The school supplies included backpacks, notebooks, pens, crayons, pencils, theme books and folders at the festival. The students wore T-shirts with the slogan "It takes a village" and, on the back, the declaration that Monmouth's Graduate Department of Psychological Counseling is "a part of the village." Architectural Accents Past and Present on Broadway in Long Branch is planning to open its kitchen for a cooking demonstration on Sept. 28 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Corporate Chefs Coleman Teitelbaum and Bridgitte Fouche with the New York City-based Westye Group East will be will be preparing an assortment of foods with the latest trends in kitchen design and culinary products. The event is free and open to the public and will give attendees the opportunity to explore the custom kitchen displays from the home and décor store. For more information or to register for the demonstration, call (732) 222-2844 or email at archaccents@ comcast.net. ***** The Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center at Monmouth Med- ical Center on Second Avenue in Long Branch is scheduled to host a program on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. for daughters who have lost their mothers. The program will focus on the challenges and grief many women experience after the death of their mother; daughters of all ages are welcome. For more information or to register, call Judith Zucker at (973) 322-4817 or e-mail at jzuckers@sbhcs.com. ***** The Human Resources team at Siemens Corp. began its annual off-site meeting last month with a team-building event benefiting community members in need. Last year, the group built picnic tables for the residents of HABcore's Coffey House in Red Bank. The house is a home for 21 homeless adults who are disabled or unable to care for themselves. This year, the Siemens HR team returned with more members, more tools and a lot more lumber. They built and painted four more tables for HABcore's Laurel Residence in Asbury Park. In addition, they repaired and installed fencing, power-washed the house and the wheelchair ramp and, within seven hours,, built a pergola to provide a shaded area for outdoor meals and serve as a reminder to the HABcore residents that they have friends in the community. The combined hours of time the group spent working at HABcore equated to over $7,000 in labor, but in truth, no dollar value can be placed on the lasting value their work adds to this unique home. Monmouth Medical will also host "Systematic Training for Effective Parenting of Young Children" or STEP on Sept. 19 and 26 and Oct. 3, 10 and 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. The cost of the program is $75 per person or $100 per couple. STEP addresses the challenges parents face with young children and the five-session program will focus on understanding the behavior of young children, communication, cooperation, effective discipline and nurturing children from infancy to 6 years old. To register, call (732) 923-6990. ***** The Prince & The Pawper on West Park Avenue in Ocean Township is scheduled to host its annual Halloween parade and party to benefit "Wag On Inn Rescue" on Sept. 29. Registration for the event will be held throughout September and from 10 a.m. to noon the day of the event. The parade will start at 12:30 p.m. with the party to follow. ***** The Long Branch Historical Association will meet Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the city's municipal building on Broadway. The meeting is free and open to the public and will feature a presentation by local author Sharon Hazard, author of "Long Branch in the Golden Age: Tales of Fascinating and Famous People." Learn how to recognize the hawks that fly overhead during their annual fall migration. The Monmouth County Park System is sponsoring a series of day trips to local hawk-watching hot spots. Bring binoculars and pack a lunch. Each of the day trips begin at 8 a.m. in the parking lot of Huber Woods Park Environmental Center on Brown's Dock Road in the Locust section of Middletown. Hawk-watching sessions will take place: Saturday, Sept. 22, Wednesday, Oct. 3, Saturday, Nov. 3 and Wednesday, Nov. 14. Participants will travel via minibus to some of the area's premier hawk-watching spots and return at approximately 5 p.m. The cost is $31. To register, call (732) 842-4000, Monday - Friday between 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.