High Notes: Golfing for ALS, outdoor exercise, graffiti cleanup

PHOTOGRAPHER: Gazette Editorial Board

In Clifton Park, more than 250 golfers and 60 volunteers helped raise over $125,000 for the St. Peter’s ALS Regional Center as part of the 28th Annual ALS Memorial Open. The event was held at the Van Patten Golf Course in Clifton Park. The total contributions from this year’s fund-raiser bring the total contribution to the center for this event to more than $2 million. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This donation will help the St. Peter’s ALS center continue to provide essential support services and free medical equipment to ALS patients and their families. For more information on the St. Peter’s ALS center and to donate, visit: www.sphcs.org/alsregionalcenter.

In Glenville, a partnership of the Glenville YMCA, Clynk, the Glenville Rotary and the town of Glenville has helped create an outdoor exercise gym in Indian Meadows Park. The park features durable outdoor equipment such as shoulder presses, an elliptical machine, leg- and arm-press machines, a stationary bike and step-climber. The park cost about $10,000 and the town of Glenville Highway Department provided assistance with construction. Seniors in particular will enjoy the equipment, which can be used year-round, even in the winter.

In Schenectady and Amsterdam, the YouthBuild program at the Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center in Schenectady are teaming up with Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara’s office to help clean graffiti from local neighborhoods while providing area youth with an opportunity to give back to their communities through this service project. YouthBuild Schenectady is a nine-month program designed to engage young people ages 18-24 that need to complete their high school education and receive career training. The graffiti cleanup program is just one of numerous community service projects performed by the teens. To learn more about the SEAT Center and YouthBuild, visit: www.seatcenter.org. To report graffiti that you would like to see cleaned up, visit Santabarbara’s website: nyassembly.gov/Santabarbara and clicking on the banner that says, “Report graffiti in your neighborhood” to access an online form.

High Notes is a feature of The Gazette Opinion section that appears every Monday to spotlight the good being done in our communities by individuals, organizations and businesses. Reader submissions to High Notes are welcome. Send suggestions to Editorial Page Editor Mark Mahoney at [email protected]