• BACK TO SCHOOL — The school calendar for the 2010-11 academic year arrived in the mail Saturday, and reality hit me. I would no longer have to combine my sons’ different schedules of half days and holidays into my date book because I now only have one child in the district.

Then on Monday it really struck me — my baby is off to college.

I dropped A.J. off at Erie County College’s North Campus, and as I drove away, the emotions that come with the sense of pride and the realization of aging mixed to create a blurry ride to work. Between kindergarten and senior year — even between graduation two months ago and now — I sit here wondering about where the time went. It’s moments such as these that encourage me to reflect and look ahead but also remind me to embrace all that is occurring now.

I wish your children well as they head back to school, whether they are starting at a new school or college or returning to familiar surroundings. Remember to savor this time even as the daily routines take over because it goes way too quickly.

• RUN TO REMEMBER — The third annual 9/11 First Responders Memorial 5K Race will be held Saturday, Sept. 11, at Como Lake Park, Lancaster.

The event has been organized by Centerpointe Community Church of Lancaster to honor the victims of the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Proceeds will be donated to the Lancaster Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Lancaster Police Benevolent Association and area firefighters as a show of appreciation for area first responders.

Registration is $20 beforehand, $25 day of the race and $15 for those 14 and younger. Racers may register at www.9115krace.com or beginning at 9 a.m. at Como Park. The run will begin at 10 a.m., lunch with music will follow under the gazebo, and the event will be held rain or shine. Organizers also will give away a round-trip ticket on Airtran Airways, and those who preregister are eligible for the drawing.

For more information, call 310-3873 or visit www.9115krace.com.

• ROAD TRIPS — The Cheektowaga Seniors Club has three upcoming overnight trips planned that still have openings for travelers.

Club members had first preference on registration, and now they are open to any seniors and their guests from the area. Trips include the Pocono Mountains from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, Nashville from Nov. 17 to 22 and southern states from March 14 to 22.

For more information, call the Cheektowaga Senior Center at 686-3930.

• COIN DRIVE — The Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service is collecting coins throughout the summer to fund its operations.

The Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service is a station that offers readings of printed materials for those who cannot read. Volunteers broadcast 24 hours per day, reading from newspapers, magazines, books and more, from the service’s headquarters at 1199 Harlem Road, Cheektowaga.

To donate to the “Radio Reading Makes Cents” Coin Drive, residents may drop off money at the service’s headquarters. For more information, call 821-5555.