There’s an increasing trend of animal rescue organizations encouraging people to donate their Christmas trees once they take them down. It turns out recycling those trees is very good because they can be used to feed animals such as goats and cows. Now, the trees need to be healthy and with green needles and they cannot be treated. Any left behind tinsel or metal hooks for ornaments can cause seriously problems to the animals. One example of a place taking donations is Hohkaeh farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It’s the second year that farm is taking donations. Of course check ahead before trying to donate but it is very cool to see a secondary use for the trees.
One of the most successful local athletes in Capital Region history is giving back to her community around the holidays. Golf legend Dottie Pepper, now retired from the LPGA Tour, has decided to pay the outstanding debt on all of the lunch bills accrued at one of her former schools. That’s Wilton’s Dorothy Nolan Elementary School. Pepper says she hopes it is part of a bigger movement
Dottie was inspired by San Francisco 49ers star Richard Sherman, has been donating to cover school lunches in California.
It was a cool atmosphere Sunday afternoon at the Times Union Center. Part of that is surely because it was presented as a “Sensory Awareness” game for autism awareness. That meant dimmer lights inside the arena, lower volume on the music playing over the sound system and fewer flashing advertisements on the video boards. The idea started last year and is spearheaded by Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara whose son Michael has autism.
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