Get Smart and Volunteer in the Square

We'll never forget  the images that stunned our nation and the rest of the world on the morning of September 11, 2001. Eleven years later, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh will muster a volunteer force of post-9/11 Navy vets and Pitt ROTC students in Market Square from 2 - 6 pm on Tuesday. The group plans to assemble 200 care packages that will volunteers like you will send to U.S. troops overseas with letters of appreciation to the City's very own first responders.

The event, one of four throughout the area, will honor the thousands of Americans who died on Sept. 11, 2001 and pay tribute to the tens of thousands of American soldiers, sailors and marines who volunteered to serve and protect their fellow citizens on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. Other activities throughout the City include painting homes of military families, sprucing up a transition shelter for homeless vets, and passing out backpacks loaded with school supplies for children with parents in the military. A fitting salute, indeed, to everyone who went above and beyond the call of duty during and after the attack of 9/11.

Speaking of volunteers, we're getting pumped up about another group of people looking to give something back to the place they call home. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership will partner with the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP) and PNC to sponsor a Volunteer Happy Hour this Tuesday after a  beautification project in Market Square. Interested volunteers are asked to meet in Market Square at 5:30pm to help clean up one of the City's most attractive parks. All of the participants are invited to head over to the Fairmont Pittsburgh immediately following the renovation for $2 drink specials and complementary appetizers at the hotel's hip lounge, Andys Wine Bar. Always a great networking source, PUMP brings together a diverse blend of young professionals looking to create an even more vibrant and attractive Downtown and City overall.

Market Square visitors can increase their IQs during the second annual fall  Continuing Education Association of Pennsylvania Education Fair on Wednesday from 10am - 2pm. CEA/PA counselors will be on hand to help everyone from current students to people already in the workforce get smart about which schools, programs, or degrees best suit them. Find out how to be the head of the class by getting educated grants, scholarships and other financial aid for continuing your education.

Finally, Steeler and Panther season is back so remember to head over to the Square for all of your favorite restaurants before or after heading over to Heinz Field to catch some football. Remember that you can park Downtown by using the ParkPGH mobile application, or hop on the T for FREE transit to the North Shore from any of Downtown's four stations. Now that's a guaranteed win-win!