If you turned the page of your calendar to October this morning, then you know what's coming: ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night.

And for scares in the South Hills, Hundred Acres Manor is one of the largest haunted attractions in the region.

For six years, the manor in South Park -- built, operated and maintained by volunteers -- has been sponsored by Funds for Charity. Proceeds benefit Animal Friends and the Homeless Children's Education Fund. Last year, the haunted house raised more than $45,000 for the nonprofit organizations.

Those who dare to visit the manor will see some new attractions and some returning from previous years, including: a hospital that closed in 1932 but where the tortured spirits of patients still reside; a circus that claims to be the "greatest show unearthed"; a maze inhabited by chainsaw-wielding mad men; and a penitentiary housing 136 trapped souls.

Hundred Acres Manor, off Corrigan Drive, opens today and will operate Wednesdays through Sundays until Nov. 1. The box office opens at dusk, about 7 p.m., until 10 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. On Fridays and Saturdays, it stays open until 11:30 p.m.

General admission is $15. For more information or tickets, go to www.hundredacresmanor.com.

If John and Barbara Latsko, of Castle Shannon, can't stop smiling these days, there's a reason.

"I'm proud of all my kids, but how many kids get to be on stage and introduced by a former president?" Mr. Latsko asked.

Last week, the couple's daughter, Linda Lockhart, 54, founder of the nonprofit Global Give Back Circle, was lauded on stage by former President Bill Clinton during the opening session of the fifth annual Clinton Global Initiative.

The meeting of world leaders to develop solutions to world problems was held Sept. 22-25 in New York City. Global Give Back Circle is dedicated to helping disadvantaged girls in Kenya get a college education.

Ms. Lockhart told the audience that it was at last year's Clinton Global Initiative meeting that she secured $350,000 in funding commitments to help pay for college for the 35 girls in the program's first high school graduating class. Shortly thereafter, Microsoft agreed to build computer labs at the girls' high school.

Three of the girls appeared on stage with Ms. Lockhart.

Ms. Lockhart's consulting in banking and business development brought her to Africa, where she saw the lack of educational opportunities. So, in 2006, she founded Global Give Back Circle, a global network of mentors who help guide girls in planning their futures. In return, the girls promise to help their communities once they are able.

But Ms. Lockhart, who lives in Paris, realized more needed to be done beyond a high school education.

"I assumed if they got to high school and then graduated, life would be great for them. But I saw that once they gave back the uniform and shoes, they went back barefoot to the slums."

Ms. Lockhart's on-stage appearance at the Clinton Global Initiative can be viewed at www.clintonglobalinitative.org.

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