Great expectations

JACOB CROWLEY

Four years ago, Matt Vieira of Lowell began participating in the TeamWalk for CancerCare to benefit Lowell General Hospital. Driven to make an even bigger difference, he founded an organization he named Friends Who Care in 2006, in memory of his uncle who had died of cancer.

Despite a series of complications in putting on an annual dinner dance - including the last-minute withdrawal of his caterer in 2007 and a death in his family less than a month before this year's event in March - Vieira has raised more than $23,000 for cancer patients. He also plans to participate in his fifth TeamWalk for CancerCare with his team of more than 50 walkers on May 18.

At age 18, Vieira is being honored on Tuesday with the Young Philanthropist Award from Women in Development of Greater Boston for his leadership, commitment, and passion in advancing the spirit of philanthropy. Vieira, a senior at Lowell Catholic High School, will also receive a $1,000 contribution to Friends Who Care from Women in Development of Greater Boston.

"People look down on our generation. They call us self-centered and materialistic," said Vieira, who plans to study political science at Rivier College in Nashua next fall while considering a run for a seat on the Lowell City Council in 2009. "What we've done here with Friends Who Care is show that there are caring young people who want to make a difference in the community and in the world."

The public is invited to the awards ceremony at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge. For more information, visit widgb.org.

RUN FOR EDUCATION: Heidi Crowley of Ayer said her son, 10-year-old Jacob, is always trying to keep up with his big brothers. So when 13-year-old Matt began volunteering for the Janis Bresnahan Run for Education in Ayer and 14-year-old David ran in the event two years ago, she knew Jacob would follow in their footsteps.

Jacob got his wish last year, running the entire 5-mile course after training with a student running club led by Shannon McNulty, a teacher at Page Hilltop School, where he is in fourth grade. In fact, Jacob said, the fourth annual event next weekend will be far easier because it has been reduced to a 5-kilometer run with a 2-mile fun walk and tot trot for children 6 and younger.

"They cut off the uphill part, which is hard, but they also cut off the part that goes near the pond, which is my favorite. But it still feels good to raise money for our schools," said Jacob.

All proceeds from the event, named in memory of 1989 Ayer High School graduate Janis Bresnahan, will benefit the Ayer Education Foundation. In its first three years, the race has raised more than $100,000 for the foundation's mission of providing educational enrichment programs in the Ayer public schools.

Registration for the Janis Bresnahan Run for Education begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Ayer High School, 141 Washington St. For more information, visit janisbresnahanforeducation.com.

STICK IT: Belmont resident Margaret Gargarian respects the fact that her son's high school has a community service requirement. "I think it should be part of life," she said.

To do her part, Gargarian - an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who has training in acupuncture - recently joined an offshoot of Acupuncturists Without Borders. Gargarian and licensed acupuncturists Margaret Ryding, Bill Kellar, and Patricia Burkhart, all of Arlington, offer free weekly acupuncture treatments for US military personnel who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gargarian said she believes alternative therapies are valuable because they offer another tool with which to cure or manage physical and mental problems. Benefits of acupuncture, she said, may include reduced anxiety and irritability; improved sleep, energy, and mental clarity; and the alleviation of flashbacks and nightmares. Although a client may feel a "quick pinch" as the thin acupuncture needles are inserted, Gargarian said, the treatment is relaxing. Sessions typically last a half-hour. "Every time we treat someone," she said, "it makes us feel good, too."

The free acupuncture clinics are offered on Mondays, 6:30 to 8 p.m., in two Arlington locations. On May 12 and June 9, sessions take place at the American Legion Hall, 370 Massachusetts Ave. On all other Mondays, sessions are provided in the Jefferson Cutter House (rear entrance at ground level) at the corner of Mystic Street and Massachusetts Avenue. For more information, call 617-849-4928.

People items may be submitted to Cindy Cantrell at cantrell@globe.com.