1. Give blood. Memorial Day weekend is traditionally one of the three worst weekends of the year for blood usage, due to all the travel and activities, and it kicks off the unofficial blood shortage season. Help the Community Blood Bank go into the weekend with the blood supply at a high level by donating. The blood bank, at 2646 Peach St., is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  A photo ID is required.

2. Bike Around the Bay. The 11th annual Bike Around the Bay benefiting Environment Erie’s education programs will take place Saturday. Riders can choose among 10-, 30- and 50-mile rides. The rides will begin at 8 and 9 a.m., starting and ending at the Pilot House, 1 Holland St., behind the Intermodal Transportation Center. Day-of-ride registration is $25 for an individual and $45 for families. Call 835-8069 or visit www.environmenterie.org to learn more.

3. Erie Animal Network’s Art for Animals. Have fun and purchase an original piece of art by local professional and amateur artists, Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m., at Performing Artists Collective Alliance, 1505 Peach St. Admission is free; proceeds from the sale help support the Erie Animal Network’s pet food bank and its mission of reuniting lost and found pets with their owners.

4. Rummage sale at Orphan Angels Cat Sanctuary. Find some great stuff — clothing, books, DVDs, knick-knacks, pet items, household goods and more — and help the cats at Orphan Angels. The sale will be held Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 3 p.m., in the shelter’s parking lot, 5439 West Lake Road.

On-site registration and check-in will begin at 7:45 a.m. on June 8, and the walk, which is 5K (3.1 miles), will start at 9 a.m. There’s also a 1-mile fun walk, which starts at 9:15 a.m. The walk will be held rain or shine. Strollers and wheelchairs are permitted.

After the walk, participants can enjoy food, beverages, music, activities and prize drawings. For every $50 a walker donates or raises in support of a participating organization, they will receive one raffle ticket. Prizes worth a total of more than $1,000 will be raffled off.

Walkers who donate or raise $25 or more will receive a Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community T-shirt (while supplies last).

Parking is available at Beach 1, but get there early because it fills up fast.

Interested volunteers should e-mail walkbyc@gmail.com.

Proceeds from the walk go to the Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania. The money will be used to fund services, support, and education for those afflicted with Parkinson’s disease and their families and support medical research to discover the cause and cure.

An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people in western Pennsylvania suffer from Parkinson disease. That number soars to 1.5 million in North America and 6 million worldwide.

The Dave Cooney Parkinson Awareness Walk has raised $15,500 for Parkinson research since 2008.

This year’s 3-mile walk starts and ends at the Rotary Pavilion. The event will go off rain or shine.

Day of registration is $20. Fill out this registration form beforehand.

To donate, visit this website.

I, for one, signed up for Erie Times-News’ team in the Erie Walks competition. Employees around downtown Erie will form teams, exercise (walking, cycling, running, etc.) for 30 minutes a day and tally how many days they reach that goal during the 8-week competition.

Erie Walks encourages team-building, camaradie and hopefully, the loss of some of that winter weight. Because let’s face it, we could all use that.

Another great way to get outside and get involved is to volunteer for the Erie Sports Commission.

Here’s what they are looking for:

Volunteers are being sought to assist in the process of researching available sporting events, providing assistance to analyze and grow local sports events, or to assist in the administration of area sports activities.

To get involved, download the application online at eriesportscommission.com, call 814-454-1000 or stop at the offices of VisitErie, 208 East Bayfront Parkway.

Best Fitness, located at 2147 W. 12th St., is hosting the United We Dance to Cure ALS Zumbathon on March 31.

Proceeds will go to MDA’s Augie’s Quest, a non-profit research initiative dedicated to finding treatments and cures for ALS.

The event will kick off at 8 a.m. with an open house and breakfast. Then, participants will hit the dance floor from 9 a.m. to noon.

Throughout the zumbathon, families affected by ALS will share their stories to raise awareness for the cause.

The fundraiser is open to the public, and there will be free refreshments.

So raise some money, put on your dancing shoes and head to Best Fitness to move that body for ALS. It’ll add some spice–and altruism–to your normal workout routine.

The event will be held on April 29 at Presque Isle State Park.

Proceeds from the march will be used to fund research and community services that help pregnant women and premature babies.

The March of Dimes reported that in the United States, one in eight babies is born too early or too small. That’s over 500,000 babies each year.

If you are interested in volunteering at the march, contact Barb Kulisek at 833-4941.

For those interested in forming a team and raising money, contact Christine Bowen at 240-2872.

Registration for the 2012 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community begins on Feb. 1.

The 5K walk will take place at Erie’s Presque Isle State Park on June 9.

As an incentive to put an early foot forward, Highmark is entering registered participants who raise $25 by Feb. 29 in a raffle.

Every participant who raises $25 by the day of the event will be given a T-shirt. For every $50 raised for a participating organization, walkers will be entered in a raffle for prizes worth $300.

Want to get involved but fear your family will not make the 5K trek? Not to worry. A family-friendly 1-mile jaunt will also take place.

With the walk still months away, this might be an opportune time to fulfill one of those New Year’s resolutions.

Raise money for a good cause and get outdoors (or on the treadmill) and start walking daily.

Highmark recommends starting with 10 minutes of walking a day and adding five minutes to the routine each week until you get to 30 minutes a day. Make sure to get some longer walks (45 to 60 minutes) in there before the 5K so your body builds stamina. Highmark encourages walkers to stretch thoroughly and drink water while exercising.

For more information about the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community, visit its website or check out its Facebook page.

Graphic courtesy of Highmark