My heart was warmed to hear that the first Hearts for Harmon event held Sunday, March 16, at Edmond Town Hall, was a resounding success. Event coordinator John Voket reports that more than $7,000 was raised for the Kim Harmon Family Fund at Newtown Savings Bank, and a donation of $500 was delivered to the American Heart Association in Kim’s name. Co-organizer Newtown Health Department Director Donna Culbert and John pulled together a really informative and fun afternoon in memory of Kim Harmon, the sports editor here at The Bee for 12 years before his death from a cardiovascular event last December at the too-young age of 45. As usual, Newtowners were more than willing to support a good cause. In all the excitement of the auction at the Hearts for Harmon fundraising event, though, Howard Lasher and his wife, Jeannette Hubley, temporarily forgot that they were on the same team. At one point in the spirited bidding for accommodations in their favorite vacation spot, St Bart’s, the two were actually bidding against each other. Fortunately, they recovered and were back in synch in time to come up with a simultaneous winning bid.

I’m rolling up the fur on my arm and heading over to Reed Intermediate School Saturday, March 29, sometime between 8 am to 1 pm, where Reed Interact Club is sponsoring a blood drive. According to the Red Cross, nearly 38,000 units of blood are needed by hospitals each day, with someone in America needing blood every two seconds. The need for blood for transfusions is outpacing the amount donated. As many as three lives can be saved by just one blood donation, so a little goes a long way. To give blood, you must be healthy, be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated blood in the last eight weeks (56 days) or a donation of double red cells in the last 16 weeks (112 days). Okay. I don’t weigh 110 pounds. But I’ll be there cheering everyone on.

Peg Ragaini at the Career Center at NHS tells me that high school students interested in pursuing a career in fire and emergency service might want to visit her at her school office. Naugatuck Valley Community College is offering four courses open to high school students next fall to provide advanced training and education on the college level in the Fire Technology and Administration Associate in Science Program. Introduction to Fire Technology, Building Construction, Fire Prevention and Inspection, and Terrorism-First Responder are courses that will earn college credit, beginning in the fall semester 2008. High school students will be integrated into classes with college students and it is possible that tuition for these classes will be covered by the High School Partnership Grant through Naugatuck Community College, Peg says. Community service-oriented students want to remember, too, that our local departments are always looking for volunteers to join their ranks, and that Sandy Hook and Botsford have junior fire corps.

I’m steering clear of the dress departments at the malls for the next several days. The Newtown High School Junior Prom is next Friday night, March 28, so all of the girls who have yet to make a decision as to what frock to wear will be descending on the shops in full force, I imagine. And if you think you are going to get near a nail or hair salon, or plan to relax on a tanning bed next Friday afternoon, I’d think again. But when the gorgeous young ladies turn out at The Pleasance on the arms of their handsome tuxedoed gents for pictures, it will be obvious what all the to-do was about. Have fun, juniors!

Newtowners Ted and Tina Welsh and son, Kevin Hoyt, and Tracy Van Buskirk and her son, Dana, spent more than two weeks in China the beginning of March as part of a program put together by Ted. Ted, a teacher in Norwalk, arranged to take 12 of his students to China for a sister school exchange and to participate in a “Model UN” in Beijing. Model UN is an international program where high school students from around the world come together to create a UN general assembly. They make resolutions and amendments, debate and vote. The students, though, do not represent their country of origin, but choose different countries and research their priorities.

The first stop was in Zibo in the Shandong province where Dana and Kevin, seniors at NHS, and the Norwalk students attended school and lived with host families. Next stop was Xian, west of Shandong, and the site of the Terracotta Warriors, then Beijing where the group visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall of China. Tracy and another adult traveler took a little side trip to Inner Mongolia to ride Mongolian ponies in a dust storm and feast on sheep’s heart. (Gulp.) Speaking of food, the report is that the kids (and grownups) did a fabulous job dealing with some very different cuisine: chicken feet, tofu, fungus, and squid among the delicacies. I think I have had some of those in my Fancy Feast, now that I think about it….

The students also had their eyes opened as to how the US is viewed by other parts of the world, and it wasn’t always pretty, according to the chaperones.

Meanwhile, the Newtown travelers are still trying to adjust to the time change. Welcome back!

Welcome back to another traveler, Holly Bells. Assistant Town Clerk Monica Duhancik’s six-month-old black and white kitten took it upon herself to leave home about a month ago. Monica is relieved and heartened that Holly Bells has amazingly returned home after being gone during some rough winter weather. She is weighing somewhat less than when she left, but Monica plans to fatten up Holly Bells with some good cat food, as well as bring her to the veterinarian to be checked. Holly Bells has proven her resourcefulness by surviving for a month in the winter in the wild, but has decided that living at home beats life out in the open, Monica said.

Here’s something to look forward to: Bee employee Kristen Angell is looking for support for her Relay for Life team Family Ties for a Cure. Join in the fun at Marlowe’s Lakefront Café, 439 Candlewood Road, Brookfield, Friday evening, April 4, at 7 pm, when Marlowe’s host “Let’s Make A Deal!” A $15 donation gets you in the door as a contestant and a chance to win great prizes. All of the proceeds support Kristen’s team — now there’s a real deal.

Can you spell Blaise Pasquarella? Donna and George Birch of Newtown are proud of their grandson, Blaise, a spelling bee star from Danbury. Although my spelling is cat-astrophic, I purr at the young man’s success at a regional Spelling Bee competition in Monroe on March 15, where he spelled his way to first place for the fourth grade. Blaise will be going to the state competition in Bloomfield in April. Dare I say he is “Blaising” a trail to success? While the fourth-grader is probably halfway through reading his dictionary, I am only concerned with a few words like canary, mouse, nap, eat, catnip…

Spring has sprung. March 20 heralded the first day of the new season, and I for one am looking forward to green grass, blue skies, and blooming flowers. May be next week you can take The Bee out to the sun porch and …. Read me again.