METRO DIGEST || Volunteers needed to place flags on graves

May 14, 2017 at 12:02a.m.

Volunteers needed to place flags on graves

YOUNGSTOWN

Volunteers are needed to help place American flags on the graves of veterans buried at historic Oak Hill Cemetery on the city’s South Side before Memorial Day, which will be celebrated this year on May 29.

People interested in volunteering, including any VFW or AMVETS organizations, should contact Steffon Jones, local historian, at 330-259-2091.

Learn foster parenting

MERCER, PA.

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month. Come and learn what is involved in becoming a Certified Foster Parent from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Brandy Springs Park, 233 New Wilmington Road.

There will be carnival games and food, prizes for children, and a basket auction. Everyone will receive one ticket for the basket auction. Donations of canned goods will be accepted and given to local food pantries. Additional tickets to the basket auction will be given out for each canned good received. For information, call Debra Jezwinski at 724-662-2703.

BAZETTA

The 32nd Annual Trumbull County Fair Spelling Bee will take place at 1 p.m. July 13, on the fairgrounds stage in the historic area. Pre-registration begins Monday and continues through June 2. Free admission to the fair (rides not included) will be given only to pre-registered spellers, not those accompanying them. To pre-register, call Denise Deltondo at 330-530-4011. The bee is sponsored by Trumbull Retired Teachers who donate their time and money to ensure that every speller gets a gift bag. The winners of each grade level are awarded trophies.

Foster parents needed

YOUNGSTOWN

An informational open house concerning foster parenting and adoption will be Thursday at Newport Library, 3730 Market St.

There will be two two-hour sessions beginning at 1 and 5:30 p.m., with opportunities to speak to foster parents and meet with the Mahoning County Children Services foster and adoption teams.

Mahoning Children Services has a shortage of licensed foster homes, with 171 children in foster care, but only 43 licensed foster homes.

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month.

Call 330-941-8888, extension 2830 or 2850 for the required registration. The library is not sponsoring or participating in this event.

Warren Relay misses fund-raising goal

WARREN

The 2017 Warren Relay for Life, often the state’s top relay in the American Cancer Society’s signature fund-raising event, raised $266,735 after expenses.

The goal for the 24-hour event, which ran from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday on Warren’s Courthouse Square, was $288,000, said Phil O’Hara of Howland, lead chairman of the event.

Last year’s relay raised about $286,000, said O’Hara, who is a cancer survivor and was among the 1,100 participating in Friday’s ‘survivor lap.’ He said 50 teams representing 1,500 to 1,600 people overall took part.

“It amazes me, year-after-year, the dedication of the teams and the survivors. The Relay is such a wonderful event that shows what the community can do when it comes together for a common cause,” he said.

Bike to Work breakfast

WARREN

The sixth annual Bike to Work breakfast will be Friday.

Anyone participating is invited to stop at the Log Cabin on Courthouse Square for a free continental breakfast from 6 to 9 a.m. T-shirts will be given to the first 100 cyclists, with an opportunity to win other prizes.

“A lot of people ride their bike for fun, but this event is a great opportunity to promote using your bike for other modes of transportation,” said Cindy Woodward, Bike to Work volunteer and helper.

Safety tips to remember when bicycling on the road are to ride with traffic on the right side of the road, wear a helmet and obey traffic laws, including turn signals and stop signs.