Cox Providence Rhode Races are taking place this Sunday, May 2, with the starting line forming at at Kennedy Plaza. The Cox Sports Marathon and the Shape Up RI Half-Marathon start at 8am and the Harpoon 5k starts at 11:15am. Online and Mail-In Registration sites are now closed, but on-site registration is available at varying times at the Westin Providence Hotel and at the Cox Providence Rhode Races Health and Wellness Expo, going on today and tomorrow. This weekend will be a great opportunity to get out in the city and support family and friends running in the races with weather predicted to be in the mid-70s. That is great for the spectators, but maybe not for the runners.

The full marathon route will follow a path down through Riverside and past the Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, before returning to Providence. The Shape Up RI Half-Marathon will wind its way through Providence’s East Side and up Blackstone Boulevard into the Oak Hill section of Pawtucket and back to the plaza. The Harpoon 5K participants will run around the “Knowledge” District and back into downtown.

Course maps are available for the Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5k online and they are marked with “Spectator Viewing Areas” for the best spots to watch the races. For runners, there are “Water Stations” and “Aid Stations” marked on the maps as well. A celebration will be held at the conclusion of the races with awards given for first place winners in a number of categories based on age and gender.

Several of the runners in our offices will be in the races – Libby Isaacson (2601), Leslie Kellogg (2681), and Joe Luca (2872) will be participating in the Shape Up RI Half-Marathon; and Bethany Calitri (5134) is signed up for the Harpoon 5K. So, find a convenient location and cheer the runners as they pass by you.

As I posted in the past, we hold a seasonal photo contest. It’s a great opportunity for our agents and staff to grab their cameras and unleash some creativity! The winning photos are added to the slide show on our home page. It’s always a difficult decision choosing the winning photographs and this spring was no exception.

I am excited to say that first time participant and sales manager of our Providence Office, Ed Hardie submitted this years winning photo. Ed snapped a terrific photo of the Rose Island Lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island. Congratulations Ed!

An honorable mention to Nancy Weaver, sales manager of our Barrington Office and a terrific photographer. Nancy captured a fabulous shot of a dock on South Meadow in Barrington. Also, thanks to our corporate office for submitting a few as well.

Check out the slide show below!

I had the opportunity to participate in the annual Earth Day cleanup at Laurel Park in Warren this past weekend. Laurel Park is situated on the Kickemuit River in Warren, RI. The Laurel Park Improvement Association sponsored the event. Visit their site for more information.

T-Shirts and clean-up bags were supplied as well breakfast and lunch. It was a beautiful day and helping to clean one of Rhode Island’s most picturesque locations was truly a pleasure.

See a highlight video below:

It’s Earth Day 2010. We are all becoming more aware of our environment and the impact we have on its condition. This weekend there will be many opportunities to clean our neighborhoods and shorelines or recycle old electronics that are hazardous to the environment. Many local fundraisers are taking place, but you can also do your part in celebrating Earth Day by simply turning off electronics and lights that are not needed, not allowing the water to run in your sink, or picking up trash around your yard, sidewalks and neighborhood.

In Providence, Waterfire is hosting “Earth Day Waterfire Clean Up” on Saturday. This event starts at 10am and will run until 4pm. Along with the clean up there will be an E-Waste Collection Fundraiser sponsored by Waterfire and Office Recycling Solutions (ORS). Old electronics can be hazardous if not disposed of properly; this event is an opportunity to hand over old broken or unused electronics at the parking lot behind Café Nuovo and Citizens Plaza. For just $1 per item, ORS will properly recycle your old electronics and keep them away from landfills, all proceeds will go straight to Waterfire Providence.

Further south,  Save the Bay will celebrate its 40th Anniversary through the Earth Day Shoreline Cleanups from 9am-11am. Opportunities to volunteer can be found at Easton’s Beach in Newport, Bristol Harbor Shoreline, Misquamicut Beach in Westerly and at the Save the Bay Center, Providence. Volunteers are asked to sign up by contacting Save the Bay.

At the East Bay, you can join Tom Flanagan , Residential Properties’ Director of IT, at Laurel Park in Warren. Laurel Park Improvement Association is sponsoring a clean up that starts at 9am on Saturday, volunteers are asked to meet at the Luther Memorial Playground.

There are many events taking place over the course of the weekend in celebration of Earth Day, which is officially today. What Grows On in Rhode Island has a comprehensive list of many events taking place this weekend. Many opportunities exist to get involved and spend some time outdoors taking care of our environment.

Today was Career Day at Residential Properties. We hosted two career-oriented high school students, Pamela Gonzalez and Paola Peña. Through the Volunteer in Providence Schools (VIPS) organization, the Classical High School students gave us the opportunity to show them what they could expect to do in the real estate industry. We spent the morning with them, and, hopefully, they departed with a well rounded perspective of what to anticipate working in real estate and relocation.

Personally, I look forward to this event every year, it’s a great opportunity to introduce students to our industry and provide them with first-hand knowledge of what they would expect by choosing a career in real estate. Liz Messier, Director of Relocation Services, joined me in guiding the students through a typical day in real estate. We were introduced to this program through the Rotary of Providence.

Liz was shadowed by Paola Peña, and immersed her in the Relocation Division of the company. Paola learned how Liz communicates and delivers our relocation services message to corporate relocation clients.

Pamela Gonzalez followed me for the morning. I showed her how we would present a few of the homes listed by Residential Properties and taught her how to handle showing a house to prospective buyers. We also went to the Cumberland Office to meet my sales team and see how a typical real estate office operates.

VIPS is an award winning non-profit educational organization dedicated to enabling our city’s public school students to succeed in school and build a good foundation for their future. We were fortunate to have been given this opportunity by VIPS to provide these exceptional students with knowledge of a career path our agents have chosen, allowing them to begin deciding what they want in a career.