October has just begun and it is already very busy here at Youth Services.

We are getting ready for our sixth annual pancake breakfast on Sunday, Oct. 18 from 8 a.m. to noon at Mohegan Fire House on Route 32. Tickets are available at the door and are $6 for adults and $4 for kids and seniors. This is always a fun family event and wouldn't be complete without our basket bonanza, and we have some really great baskets this year! Please show your support for our wonderful program by stopping in for some of our famous homemade pancakes.

Shortly after the pancake breakfast we will be honoring our After School Program (ASP) with our third annual Lights On! After School celebration. This great event will take place on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 4 to 7 p.m., complete with a pizza dinner and a DJ. Lights On! After School helps to promote the importance of having after-school programming for kids. Our program participants and their families always have a good time.

The end of the month doesn't seem to slow us down. Just in time for Halloween we will be having our annual Halloween Social on Oct. 30, during the ASP with a costume contest, scary snacks, and lots of fun! As if that wasn't enough, we will be hosting our first family movie night here at the center. Mark your calendars! On Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. we will be showing Tim Burton's "Coraline" on a big screen, complete with popcorn and snacks. We are requesting a $5 donation per family (regardless of size). We are also asking that kids and teens have an adult accompany them that evening.

Also, keep those pennies coming! We will be collecting pennies from now until the end of December for the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, and every penny counts. Help us to make a world of difference.

For more information about any of the programs Montville Youth Services offers, feel free to contact Kim Grant at 848-7724 or Kimberly@montvilleyouth.org. You can also watch Channel 22 for information or visit www.montvilleyouth.org.