Calling all grandparents! Heatherdowns Branch Library’s new Grandpal program is gathering children and senior citizens for an intergenerational experience! Children ages four or five years old can come with their own grandparents for some fun bonding time, or a child can be paired with a senior citizen from the community for an afternoon of crafts and sharing. This new program also features fun themes. Monday, February 15 at 2 p.m., grandpals will celebrate Mardi Gras — sharing stories, a puppet show, Cajun music, refreshments, and the making of Mardi Gras masks! In May, join Grandpals for a Mother’s Day preparation event on Monday, May 3, at 2 p.m., with music, stories, a puppet show, and a Mother’s Day card craft.
For more information, call 419-259-5307. 3265 Glanzman Rd.
www.toledolibrary.org.

Second graders at Sylvania’s Highland Elementary are unleashing their creative side to help feed the hungry in the Toledo area. The children will make bowls in their art classes, while learning what hunger means. Then, on Friday, February 12 at 2:30 p.m., those bowls will be filled with soup, which will be served to the students’ parents. All donations made by the parents will be given to Toledo’s Agape Soup Kitchen. Now in its fifth year, the Empty Bowls… Full Hearts event has raised thousands of dollars for the hungry. Highland Elementary, 7720 Erie St., Sylvania. 419-824-8611/www.sylvania.k12.oh.us/schools/highland.htm

Heatherdowns Early Learning Center recently earned a Two Star rating in Ohio’s Step Up To Quality program, a voluntary quality rating system operated through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The Center has participated in the program since its pilot year in 2005, consistently earning a one star rating. Heatherdowns was awarded the Two Star rating in December 2009, making it part of a small number of child care centers in Lucas County to achieve the designation.
Benefits associated with the star rating include lower than state required teacher to student ratios, smaller group sizes, higher staff education, specialized training and continuing education for staff, and adherence to early learning standards. Heatherdowns Early Learning Center accepts children ages 18 months through school age. For more information, call 419-385-5880. 3544 Glendale Ave.

The story of 4-year-old Hannah Turner, the catalyst for the founding of nonprofit organization Hannah’s Socks, is familiar to most Toledoans, but the story, and the organization, continues to reach people outside the local community. Now 9 years old, Hannah is still part of the organization that collects new clothing essentials, including socks and men’s, women’s and children’s undergarments.
In its few years of existence, Hannah’s Sock’s has been featured in People magazine and, in 2009, partnered with The Clorox Company for a special Holiday Sock Drive. The organization also recently expanded to include Dayton, Cleveland, and Akron, in addition to its offices in Toledo and Cincinnati.
For more information, visit www.hannahssocks.org.

At the start of this new year, the Toledo Museum of Art unveiled four new series of guided tours, Inside Stories, ArtSpeaks Series, Tour & Tea, and — a new family favorite — Storytime Tours. Every Sunday at 2 p.m., Storytime Tours begin at the Family Center, taking children and their adult partners through the museum to view works of art related to the Family Center’s weekly art project. After the tour, participants head back to the Center to dirty their hands, creating their own works of art. The tours are free and are led by a Museum Docent. For more information, visit www.toledomuseum.org.