To the Editor:
On April 29, Colonie came together for “Kicking Out Hunger,” a community-wide kickball tournament to benefit the Northeast Regional Food Bank. The event was a lot of fun and a big success, exceeding its $5,000 goal to raise $6,000.
I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this event successful – including Colonie High’s ICARE team and the Town’s Junior and Senior High Youth Advisory Boards, who volunteered at the event. In addition, eleven local businesses provided sponsorships or food and sixteen adult and high school kickball teams battled it out before the CAP COM team earned the winning trophy.
Sponsors included Barbera Homes, CAP COM, Capstone Inc., Catseye USA, CommerceHub, Martin Harding & Mazzotti, RedMark Realty, and Sunmark Charitable Community Foundation. Food and beverages were donated by Adirondack Beverages, SaraBella Pizza, and Texas Roadhouse. We thank all of them for their generosity.
The tournament was held on Global Youth Service Day, a world-wide volunteer day designed to engage young people in public service. Each year, our Youth Services Division organizes town-wide GYSD service events, and this year “Kicking Out Hunger” was the focus for students from the Town to see firsthand the benefits of giving their time and efforts to a worthy cause.
Of course, our community is made stronger all year long by countless public service efforts involving adults and young people. There is simply no better way for young people to become good citizens than by spending time working for others, and the adults who work with them are helping to create the next generation of volunteers.
I was very proud recently when Colonie was named “Best Suburb” in the annual Times Union readers’ poll for the fourth year in a row. We enjoy a great quality of life here in the Town of Colonie, and the community’s public service efforts are a big part of what makes living here so fulfilling.
Sincerely,
Paula A. Mahan
Town Supervisor