Maria Gerardi lives in Shaler and calls it a nice, quiet town.

"A Caring Community" was the winning welcome-sign slogan recently submitted by township residents.

	Night Out events Several Pittsburgh neighborhoods will be hosting National Night Out events, including: West Oakland/Lower Hill, Dunbar Way off Robinson St., 3-7 p.m.; Fineview, Fineview Playground, 5-9 p.m.; California/Kirkbride, playground at Success and Winifred streets, 6:30 p.m.; Central North Side, Arch Court on Arch Street, 6: 30 p.m.; Dinwiddie Alliance, Hill House, 1835 Centre Ave., 5:30-9 p.m.; Beechview, 1915 Broadway Ave., 7-9 p.m.; Carrick, shopping plaza at Brownsville Road and Parkfield Street, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Park Place, Abbott Street, 7 p.m.; 31st Ward & Lincoln Place, Holy Angles Church, 408 Baldwin Road, 7 p.m. There are 8 separate National Night Out events in Squirrel Hill: 5846 Ferree St., 6 p.m.; 5800 block of Hobart Street, 6-9 p.m.; 6567 Bartlett St., 7 p.m.; 6470 Monitor St., 7 p.m.; 535 Aylesboro St., 7 p.m.; 5643 Northumberland St., 7 p.m.; 6316 Douglas St., 7 p.m.; and the Murray Avenue Courtyard, 7-8 p.m.

Although a few neighborhood-watch programs have formed over the years, Shaler's biggest crime problem of late has been petty thefts from cars and homes, their doors left unlocked by a too-trusting citizenry.

"For the most part it's a quiet community; everyone's really friendly," said Ms. Gerardi, 17, a Shaler Area High School senior who is also majorette captain and featured baton twirler with the Sensations Marching Unit. "I try not to look for problems."

It was while marching in Cranberry's National Night Out event a couple of years ago that Ms. Gerardi got the idea to celebrate in a similar way in Shaler where the only major community events are the 4th of July and high school homecomings, she said.

So Ms. Gerardi set about the task of organizing Shaler's Night Out as part of her senior project, which turned out to be much more involved than she had anticipated.

While her classmates are out walking dogs for Animal Friends or working at summer recreation camps, Ms. Gerardi has spent exactly 160 hours and 15 minutes of her summer vacation typing letters, making posters and recruiting participants for Shaler's first community-wide Night Out, a crime- and drug-prevention event where people turn their porch lights on and gather for block parties, cookouts and parades.

"This is more celebrating how great your community is, and what you can do when the community works together," she said.

Most people consider Shaler a bedroom community, said Lt. Bryan Kelly of the Shaler Police Department, and as a result some residents are a bit too trusting.

"They think it's the same type of neighborhood as it was 30 years ago, when they could leave their cars unlocked and their doors open," said Lt. Kelly.

Shaler's older, more stable population has begun to change with the creation of new housing developments and an influx of younger families, said Lt. Kelly. With an event like Night Out, people become more aware of their surroundings and get to know their neighbors.

Shaler's event will be held tomorrow at Kiwanis Park from 6 to 10 p.m., off of Wetzel Road.