Mansfield Youth Soccer's first soccer marathon

Mark your calendars: Saturday, May 31 is the date of Mansfield Youth Soccer's first soccer marathon.

The 15-hour game will be played on the high school athletic field, and will include soccer players of all ages - from 6 years old to adults. The Playing for Green Marathon is a fundraiser for MYS's Fields of Green effort, which is trying to raise more than $1 million to renovate the Plymouth Street fields.

For more information on participating, volunteering or sponsoring a team for the marathon, visit www.mansfieldyouthsoccer.com and click on Playing for Green.

Girl Scouts to be honored Save the date: The Mansfield Girl Scouts will hold a community-wide bridging event on Friday, May 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the St. Mary's Parish Center.

During bridging ceremonies, girls are honored for their progression and growth over the years.

They're in the pink

When Mansfield Elm Tree Academy preschool teachers Kathy Haapaoja and Cindy LeBlanc decided they were tired of peddling candy bars and other typical fundraiser products, they came up with a novel new idea - flamingos.

Just $10 buys the opportunity to blanket an unsuspecting Mansfield family with a lawn full of pink flamingos, which come with a "You've Been Flamingoed" sign, and the right to host the pink birds for 48 hours before they move on to other victims.

"We're hearing some really funny stories," said Haapaoja. "One family got flamingoed and didn't realize it until a neighbor called and asked if they were going to Hawaii, and we heard about another little boy that kept pushing the chair up to the window and waved at them."

The fundraiser is an effort to raise money to upgrade the preschool's playground with a new garden and sandbox for the children. "We're a small preschool with a tight budget, and this was just a way not to burden the parents by requiring them to sell cookies or something, while still having fun with it," Haapaoja said.

Haapaoja says they have four rotating flocks of the kitschy pink birds, but one set of 12 were stolen recently. They hope to replace it or have the birds returned. For more information, contact Haapaoja at 508-339-2030 or kathyhaap@comcast.net.

Students to bowl to fight cystic fibrosisThe Mansfield chapter of the National Honor Society will host a Bowl-a-thon on Saturday, May 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. at North Bowl in North Attleboro to benefit research for cystic fibrosis. The honor society is encouraging participation from the entire student body, faculty, and any community members who would like to join in.

The cost to participate is $5 per bowler, according to NHS adviser Linda Chadwick, and the bowlers can raise pledges either on a per-pin basis or with a flat-rate donation. "We have some prizes for the top fund raisers, including two pairs of Red Sox tickets," she said. Participants can put together teams of up to five bowlers, or come individually and be placed on a team.

Anyone interested in participating or making a donation should contact Linda Chadwick at 508-261-7540 x 1030 for a pledge sheet or information on how to donate.

The organizers are requesting registrations by Friday, if possible.

Buy books for schoolsFrom now through this Saturday, Borders and Waldenbooks will be doing a book drive to benefit the Mansfield elementary schools. Purchase a book at the local Borders and then donate it to help out the schools.

TED NESI covers Mansfield for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at tnesi@thesunchronicle.com or 508-236-0434.