HELPING OUT
• The American Heart Association presents a weekly 5K training program Tuesday, March 26, at the Crossings of Colonie in advance of June 2 Capital Region Heart Walk and Run. An information session is set for 7 p.m. Monday at ABC Sports and Fitness, 3 Johnson Road, Latham. For information or to register, contact Kim.Sheedy@heart.org.
• United Way of the Greater Capital Region brought together more than 15 of its corporate and nonprofit partners to raise more than $22,000 for the local community at its annual Curling For The Community fundraiser on Friday at the Schenectady Curling Club.
• A cleanup of litter on roads in the Copake area will be 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 20, to mark Earth Day. Includes Copake hamlet, Copake Falls, Craryville and Copake Lake. Pick up along your nearby roads or meet at the Grange Hall, 628 Empire Road, Copake at 9 a.m. Trash bags provided. Bring gloves and wear sturdy shoes.
• The Rensselaer County 4-H Teen Exchange serves a pancake breakfast fundraiser 7:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 23, at the Easton Firehouse, 11804 Route 40, Schaghticoke. RSVP by calling 518-833-2490.
• Capital District Deaf Center will hold a pizza social event with a variety of games from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 6, in Niskayuna Reformed Church’s basement hall, 3041 Troy-Schenectady Road (Route 7). Admission: Members, $5; senior citizens, $3; and non-members, $7. Beverages, snacks and pizza on sale. It is an annual general meeting for ASL students, sign language interpreters, families of deaf/hard of hearing children and anyone who already knows sign language.
• The Open Space Institute announced the transfer of 90 acres of land to the town of Marbletown. Within walking distance of Marbletown’s Main Street and featuring forests and meadowlands, the land will become the site of a two-mile, multi-use community trail. The property is located within the watershed of the Esopus Creek and helps to clean and filter water before it enters the Hudson River.
• The cities of Little Falls and Amsterdam, Schuylerville village and town of Fort Edward will join the Empire State Trail-based economic development program, which recognizes and supports New York’s trailside communities that have demonstrated a singular commitment to leveraging the full economic potential of the trail. For details, see Parks & Trails New York’s website, ptny.org/ESTT
• For the first year, Galway Central School District will have an Odyssey of the Mind team from every division competing at the state tournament Saturday, April 13, in Syracuse. Teams had exceptionally creative solutions, hilarious performances and first place finishes March 9 in the Region 6 competition at Glens Falls High School.
• The town of Colonie has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to urban forest management.
• The Lexington Foundation, which operates the Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts, announced a grant award totaling $49,500 from the New York State Council on the Arts to assist with the expansion of the operations and to broaden the center’s offerings.