Paul W. Barret Jr. Charitable Trust gave a $25,000 grant to Mid-South Youth for Christ to assist in the organizations outreach efforts aimed at high-risk and at-risk youth in the Memphis community. Mid-South Youth for Christ also received the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for exemplary faith-based gang prevention/intervention programs from the National Gang Crime Research Center. To learn more about the organizations work, call Bashana Cox, 743-4000.

Southern author Lee Smith will discuss her latest novel, The Last Girls, during the Book Talk radio program taping in the WYPL broadcasting studio in the Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave., at 2 p.m. Oct. 14. Book Talk is produced locally by WYPL FM 89.3 then nationally distributed. For more information, call LINC, 415-2700.

Lichterman Nature Centers 15th annual fall plant sale kicks off with a preview party 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. Attendees will get first choice of the plants on sale, which include cool weather annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees. Complimentary food and beverages will be served. Tickets to the party are $10 for members and $12.50 for non-members if purchased by Monday. After Monday, all tickets are $15. To make reservations, call 767-7322, Ext. 121. The plant sale itself lasts from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 11, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12. Admission is free. For information about available plants, call 767-7322, Ext. 107.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. To raise awareness, the Shelby County District Attorneys Office and Verizon Wireless host the seventh 5K Run/1 Mile Walk to Stop Domestic Violence, beginning at the Overton Park Pavilion Oct. 12. On-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The run begins at 8 a.m. The walk gets underway at 8:45 a.m. Runners and walkers may register early by calling the District Attorneys office, 545-5150. In addition, registration forms can be picked up at Memphis area Verizon Wireless stores and any Memphis-Shelby County Public Library branch. The entry fee for the 5K Run/1 Mile Walk to Stop Domestic Violence is $10 for Memphis Runners Track Club members and $15 for non-members. Registration for children 10 or younger is $6. Proceeds from the event benefit Victims to Victory, Exchange Club Family Center and the Shelby County Domestic Violence Council.