Last month, Shelby County celebrated our senior citizens with the annual picnic. This year, we gathered at the new senior center in Alabaster and enjoyed great music, lunch and, most of all, great fellowship. The senior picnic and the senior Christmas party are two events that I look forward to because it gives me a chance to honor those who have contributed so much to our county and to spend some time with good friends.

While I was at the picnic, I learned of a program sponsored by the Shelby County Schools. If you are interested in learning something new or expanding your knowledge, I recommend you check out the Shelby County Community Education programs by visiting Shelbyed.k12.al.us/communityed.htm or by calling Janet Gulledge at 682-5941. This is a program for adults and youth offering dance, computer, gardening, photography and much more. There are very practical classes like self defense for women and grant writing classes too. This is a great way to broaden your horizons by learning something new and to make new friends.

But taking classes is not the only benefit this program offers. If you have talent or knowledge in a particular area that would be of interest to others, perhaps you could teach a community education class. Think of the joy you would experience from sharing and passing on your gifts to others and meeting new friends in the process. If you have an interest in teaching a class, I encourage you to contact Shelby County Community Education and talk about your ideas.

A constant theme of my column is how lucky we are to live in this great county because we are a community that cares for each other. Shelby County Community Education is another example of people in our county sharing their talents and ideas with others in a positive way. This makes our county a better place to live.

Jim Fuhrmeister is the Shelby County Probate Judge.