In brief: Roundup of events in the Penn Hills area for the week of July 28 and beyond

Clinic to microchip dogs at no charge

The Steel Goat Marketplace, 200 Jefferson Road, is hosting a free microchip clinic for dogs from noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 17.

The clinic is coordinated by Lost and Found Pets of Penn Hills and Pawsitive Voice.

Dogs must weigh 10 pounds or more to be microchipped.

Participants will be assigned an appointment time and must be available at that time or they will forfeit their slot.

Only 50 microchips will be available so register early. To register, email pawsitivevoice@gmail.com for a timeslot.

While the microchipping is free, donations are welcome. All proceeds will benefit the TinyCause Rescue.

Free meditation workshops offered in August

Steel Goat Marketplace, 200 Jefferson Road, is hosting free Healing HU Meditation workshops at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 1, 8 and 15.

HU — rhymes with you — is an ancient name for God that has been sung for thousands of years for spiritual upliftment.

It aims to help people of any religion, culture or walk of life experience inner peace and calm, divine love, expanded awareness and healing of the heart. The meditation has been used at some veterans hospitals and clinics.

After a brief introduction during the workshop, participants will sing, or chant HU for 10 to 20 minutes followed by a group discussion on spiritual experiences and how one can incorporate HU into their current spiritual practices.

The workshops are offered as a community service by the Eckankar Center of Western Pennsylvania in Monroeville.

For details, visit meetup.com/eckankarofpa.

Community invited to district’s 4th PHamily Fun Fest

The Penn Hills School District is hosting its fourth PHamily Fun Fest from noon to 3 p.m. Aug. 16 at Penn Hills High School, 309 Collins Drive.

The back-to-school tradition aims to bring together students, families, staff and community members for an afternoon of fun, connection and celebration.

This year’s event will be bigger than ever, thanks to support from Sullivan Super Service: Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.

There will be inflatables, yard games, an open gym, arts and crafts, giveaways, live performances by the district’s marching band and cheer teams, as well as introductions of the fall sports teams.

Local businesses, community organizations and district booster groups are invited to host an informational table at the event. Tables will be located inside the high school cafeteria. To reserve a table, visit tinyurl.com/3fe7der4.

Volunteers are sought to help distribute food, manage craft areas and assist with other event activities. To sign up to volunteer, visit tinyurl.com/yc2zmfpb.

For questions about the event, email Stephanie Strauss at sstrau@phsd.org.

YBMKQ to host free Community Day

Young Black Motivated Kings and Queens will host its annual Community Day from 1 to 6 p.m. Aug. 17 at its De’Avry A. Thomas Community Center, 7300 Ridgeway Ave., in Penn Hills.

The event will cap off the summer with a DJ performance, food trucks, vendors, games, inflatables and community resource tables with free health screenings.

For details, visit ybmkq.org.

Volunteers sought for center’s food pantry

Volunteers are needed on distribution dates for the Cynthia Stotts Food Pantry at the Young Black Motivated Kings & Queens: De’Avry A. Thomas Community Center, 7300 Ridgeview Ave. in Penn Hills.

Food distribution is held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Upcoming dates are Aug. 9 and Sept. 13.

To help, sign up at ybmkq.org.

Anyone in need of food is invited to stop by the center during the distribution times.

Police department hiring officers

The Penn Hills Police Department is accepting applications through Aug. 1 for full-time police officer positions.

The department is looking for motivated individuals who are committed to public service and want to make a difference in one of the largest and most diverse communities in Allegheny County.

Act 120 certification is not required to apply, and there is no application fee.

Applicants must meet all minimum qualifications at the time of testing. The physical agility test will take place at 9 a.m. Aug. 19 at the Allegheny County Police Training Academy. The written test will be administered at 9 a.m. at the Penn Hills Municipal Building, 102 Duff Road.

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply, regardless of experience level.

The 2026 Act 120 certified police officer starting rate is $85,918.56, based on the annual 12-hour patrol schedule.

For details and to download the application package, visit pennhillspolice.com/police-officer-testing-2025.

‘Most unique’ trash cleanup find: sock full of ammo

The Community Cleanup Day across Penn Hills on July 12 yielded 167 bags of trash, about a dozen tires and other miscellaneous large debris.

Members of the Penn Hills girls softball team snagged the award for “most unique item found.” They found a sock full of ammunition near the creek.

The two-hour sweep included Verona, Poketa, Rockcliff and Jefferson roads, Old William Penn Highway, the Parkway East ramps and parts of Hulton and Universal roads.

The cleanup was coordinated by the Penn Hills Rotary and Penn Hills Community Development Corporation.

Organizers would like to thank the Rosedale Volunteer Fire Department Station 222 for allowing the use of their park for a post-cleanup cookout and the Penn Hills Police Department for conducting speed and aggressive driving enforcement near the volunteers.

Church plans special J.A.M. session for kids

Mt. Hope Community Church, 12106 Frankstown Road in Penn Hills, is hosting Summer J.A.M. — Jesus and ME — for children from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 9.

Children ages 4 to 12, accompanied by a parent or guardian, are invited to enjoy lunch and pick up free school supplies.

There will be fun games, crafts and worship.

To reserve your spot, call the church office at 412-793-0227.

Hard-to-recycle event set at Boyce Park

The Pennsylvania Resources Council is set to hold a hard-to-recycle event at the Boyce Park Four Seasons Ski Lodge parking lot on Aug. 23.

The event will allow residents to recycle larger electronic items, tires and fluorescent tubes, among many other materials.

Participants must register in advance online. Disposal fees also will be charged to participants depending on the item.

A full list of items and fees can be found at prc.org under “workshops and collection events.”

The event is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Register round-up at Macy’s benefits children

Through Sept. 14, Macy’s shoppers can round up at the register to support National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Reading Is Fundamental, two organizations focused on supporting young people.

The round-up campaign is running a month longer than previous years in an effort to help more children prepare for their best school year ever.

• NAMI, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, has a Keystone PA branch at 105 Braunlich Drive, Suite 200, in Ross.

To reach the branch, call 412-366-3788 or email info@namikeystonepa.org. For questions about mental health resources, call its HelpLine at 1-888-264-7972. If you or someone you know is in immediate distress or thinking about hurting themselves, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

• Reading Is Fundamental, the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit children’s literacy organization, aims to close equity gaps by reaching children in historically underserved communities.

Since its start in 1966, it has distributed more than 430 million books and reading resources in person and online.

According to the organization, 61% of children living at or below the poverty line in America have no books at home. And in some of the lowest-income neighborhoods, there is just one book for every 833 children.

For details about its programs, visit rif.org/our-solutions/our-programs.

Park offers free activities for adults, children

The Crescent Hills Civic Association hosts free weekly events during the summer months at Crescent Hills Community Park, 141 Sycamore Drive. Everyone in the community is invited to participate.

• Adult Volleyball: 6 p.m. Mondays through August. All skill levels are welcome.

• Yoga in the Park: 6:30 p.m. Thursdays through July 31

Movies scheduled for local parks

The Penn Hills Parks and Recreation Department is showing family-friendly movies during the summer with free admission and snacks.

Next up in the lineup are:

• “Mufasa”: Aug. 22, Penn Hills Park, 120 Colorado St.

• “The Minecraft Movie”: Sept. 19, Turner Friendship Park, 1340 Hunter Road

All of the movies are rated PG and will start at dusk.

Free summer meals available for children

The Penn Hills School District serves free breakfast and lunch during the summer for children 18 and younger in the community.

The meals, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are served Mondays through Fridays, except July 4.

• Penn Hills High School, 309 Collins Drive: Breakfast is served from 8 to 9 a.m., and lunch is served from 11 to 11:45 a.m. through Aug. 15.

• Penn Hills Elementary School, 1079 Jefferson Road: Breakfast is served from 8:25 to 9:30 a.m., and lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through Aug. 8.

Families can use the USDA Summer Meals Site Finder to find free meal sites near them. The tool provides directions, hours of operation and contact information for each location.

If you need help finding food for your child, you also can call the USDA National Hunger Hotline:

• English: 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479)

• Spanish: 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273)

The hotline operates from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Community center plans golf fundraiser

The Riverview Action Community Center is planning an 18-hole, four-person golf scramble fundraiser on Aug. 22 at Hill Crest Country Club in Lower Burrell.

Registration is now open, and eight packages are available. The price is $550 per foursome or $150 for an individual.

Check in starts at 7:30 a.m., with a shotgun start following at 9.

Sponsors also are being sought for the event. Pricing ranges from $150 for hole sponsors to $1,500 for an event sponsor. For information about sponsorships, visit tinyurl.com/p4rsb3mr.

Proceeds benefit the programs and services that Oakmont-based RCAC offers to men and women in the surrounding communities.

Donations are always welcome.

For details about the community center, visit rcacorp.org.