Washington Trust donates to help operate Budlong Pool Mayor Allan Fung announced last week Washington Trust’s Charitable Foundation has continued its support of Cranston community efforts through a $1,000 donation to assist the city in operating the Budlong Pool. Fung’s current budget includes funding for the pool, although less than last year’s amount. The mayor said that contributions such as this will help Cranston avoid having to shorten the length of the season the pool is available. Washington Trust, based in Westerly, is the oldest community bank in the country and currently has two branches in Cranston, the first of which opened in 2002. Since that time, the bank has been actively involved in supporting Cranston. The donation for the pool is in addition to what has become an annual contribution to support the city’s Summer Concert Series. Additionally, Washington Trust has sponsored peanut butter drives and is an active member of the Cranston Chamber of Commerce. The bank sponsors little league teams and is working with an electronic waste company to promote environmentally prudent computer disposal practices. Miss Mia goes to Washington Mia Hanley, 4, of Cranston, recently had the opportunity to meet President Barack Obama during a visit to the White House with Children’s Miracle Network. Hanley, along with her parents, Dawn and Sean Hanley, toured the White House and met the president, who then invited Mia and other children to play on the playground on the South Lawn. Mia had the opportunity to meet President Obama while participating in Champions Across America, presented by Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. Diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at 4 ½ months after she had trouble feeding and gaining weight, Mia underwent extensive testing that, at six months, revealed infantile-onset Pompe disease, a genetic abnormality resulting in the body storing excess glycogen; the condition causes an enlarged heart, breathing difficulty and muscle weakness. Before enzyme replacement therapy was introduced, most children with this disease did not live beyond their first birthday. Hasbro Children’s Hospital doctors got special permission to utilize enzyme replacement therapy, which has since been FDA-approved. Today, Mia is a happy and healthy 4-year-old who enjoys school, blowing bubbles and joking with her family, friends and the caring team at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Parks & Rec wants summer applicants

The city of Cranston Parks & Recreation Department is in the final weeks of accepting summer youth employment applications from youngsters 16 and older. The deadline to submit an application is May 1. Applications are available at the Parks and Recreation Office, 1090 Cranston St., and the Personnel Department, First Floor, Cranston City Hall, 869 Park Avenue.

Applicants must be Cranston residents.

Positions include playground counselors, pool attendants, pool maintenance laborers and lifeguards. Lifeguards must provide copies of all certifications at the time of application.

Parks and Recreation will begin filling vacant positions starting at the beginning of June. Budlong Pool positions will be selected by lottery, while all other summer positions will be selected based on the qualifications of the applicant. Everyone who applies will be notified as to the status of their application.

If you have any questions concerning the application, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 780-6169. Be the biggest loser in Cranston! Shape up for summer and be spring's biggest loser at Shake Works, located at 1300 Park Ave. Open to the public, Shake Works is running the challenge, conducted by two wellness coaches. Space is limited to 25 participants and the cost of the program is $40 per person. Five dollars of the registration fee will be donated to a fundraiser that will go toward sending a child to summer camp at the Cranston YMCA. The registration fee is paid back in cash and weekly prizes. Winners are determined based on percentage of body weight lost. Each participant will receive their own personal coach, free body analysis and nutritional classes for the entire 10 weeks. The next class starts on Thursday, May 7, with weigh-ins beginning at 6 p.m. and a nutrition class beginning at 6:30. Classes run for approximately 30 minutes. A Tuesday morning class will also be offered at 10 a.m. To pre-register or to obtain additional information, call Charlene at 886-7622. Mae Day Scholarship In 2004, Maegan Harpool, formerly of Cranston, was killed in an automobile accident at the age of 17. Her parents, Kim and Harry Harpool, are reaching out to friends and family in Cranston to help raise donations for the Mae Day Foundation, which has been established in their daughter’s memory through the Rhode Island Foundation. The vision of The Mae Day Foundation is to increase awareness of the positive impact on the community and one’s self that results from community service, a simple good deed or a random act of kindness. The foundation’s mission is dedicated to providing financial support to students entering college and to worthy community projects. The Harpools have a goal of raising $30,000 by May 28, which will contribute enough funds to provide annual college scholarships and funds for worthy community projects. In addition to online donations, several events will also be held in Maegen’s honor and include The Mae Day Silent Auction, which will be held at Trattoria Simpatico in Jamestown on May 28 from 5:30 through 9:30 p.m. Entertainment, appetizers and dining stations will be provided, with a ticket price of $50 per person. Additionally, a Calendar Raffle will be held throughout the month of May. Beginning May 1, daily winners will be drawn for the corresponding calendar prize of products, services and cash. Two grand prize drawings will be announced at the silent auction on May 28. One will be a $1,000 scholarship and the other a $500 cash prize. All ticket holders, including previous winners, will be eligible for the grand prize drawings. The winner of the scholarship, if not a college student, may designate any college student to receive the gift. Raffle tickets are $25 each and will be available until May 28. Please note that donations are tax-deductible and can be mailed to The Mae Day Foundation, PO Box 62, Jamestown, RI 02835. For more information, contact Kim Harpool at 996-3903 or e-mail the foundation at maedayfoundation@gmail.com. Free seminar Bank of America, located at 201 Hillside Rd., will host a seminar on reverse mortgages on May 7 from 10 a.m. through noon. Reverse mortgages can help to eliminate existing mortgage debt, supplement existing income and help pay for health care, make home repairs or cover unexpected expenses. To register or learn more about the seminar, call 464-6762. Body Complete To Hold Open House Body Complete, located at 1375 Park Ave., will be holding an open house on Saturday, May 8 from 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Fung at 10 a.m. A fitness center for women, Body Complete has been in business for 10 years under the ownership of Donna Spinelli. Its new and expanded personal training facility offers a wide variety of exercise classes, gym memberships and nutrition counseling through Nutrition Works, which is owned by one of the trainers, Camille Durante. For more information on Body Complete, visit www.bodycompletefitness.com. Did You Know? Responding to widespread environmental degradation, Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, called for an environmental teach-in, or Earth Day, to be held on April 22, 1970. Over 20 million people participated that year and Earth Day is now observed each year on April 22 by more than 500 million people and national governments in 175 countries. The story goes that Earth Day was conceived by the senator after a trip he took to Santa Barbara in 1969, right after a horrific oil spill. He was so outraged by what he saw that he went back to Washington and passed a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. (Source: Wikipedia.com)

If you would like to submit any items of interest, please e-mail Meri R. Kennedy directly at CranstonChatter@aol.com. You may also address your items to Cranston Chatter, c/o Cranston Herald/Beacon Communications, 1944 Warwick Ave., Warwick, RI 02889. Photos are also welcome.