A listing of events, programs and services for our readers in the northwest Bronx.

On World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela spent the day in the northwest Bronx bringing good cheer. First, she visited Montefiore Medical Center’s Adolescent AIDS Program and then spent time with sick kids at Montefiore’s Children’s Hospital. Here, she’s switching roles with Marielys Ruiz, 20, who suffers from sickle cell anemia.

During a Monday afternoon game, Mt. St. Ursula Academy sophomore basketball player Samira Ahmed (pictured, fourth from left) collapsed on the court and later died after being rushed to the hospital.

Local students who hoped the city’s new school construction plan would alleviate their overcrowding problems may not see any relief until after they graduate.

The Department of Education’s (DOE) latest Five-Year Capital Plan for the years 2010 to 2014, released three weeks ago, calls for the creation of only two new schools in District 10, the third most crowded school district in New York City.

It’s lunchtime on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and a 100-plus-pound bird sits in the oven. Outside, the dining hall is packed with more than just the usual faces. “We have so much here to be thankful for,” says Lillian Flachofsky, a regular at the Sister Annunciata Bethel Senior Center in Bedford Park. “I’d really miss the center if they closed it. It’s like a family to me.”

On a cold Thursday morning last week, Christina Taylor, the executive director of the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, spread her arms wide as if to encompass one of the biggest parks in New York City, and told the gathered crowd, "This is my office."

Taylor went on to explain that, with the help of a $57,500 grant from the Booth Ferris Foundation, her "office" would be getting a much needed makeover.

A State Supreme Court Judge ruled Tuesday in favor of the elected officials challenging Assemblyman Jose Rivera for control of the Bronx Democratic Party.

The City Council recently released a report highlighting the success of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card scanners at Greenmarkets throughout the city. Council leaders held up the system’s success at Poe Park as a prime example of how well it’s working.

Borough President Adolfo Carrion encourages Bronx residents to join their local community board. The office of the Bronx borough president will be accepting applications from residents of all 12 community boards in the bronx. To receive an application or for more information, contact the borough president’s community board office at (718) 590-3914 or visit bronxboropres.nyc.gov. You can also call Community Board 7 at (718) 933-5650.