Community members team up to show off their smarts

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Mary Lo Follett, left, and Barbara Mastro from the Assistance League, work on the questions passed out to all participants at the 29th annual Smart-A-Thon.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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YMCA of the Foothills’ Carrie Hester confers with team members about answers for the questions passed out to all participants at the 29th annual Smart-A-Thon.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Glendale Unified School District board member Jennifer Freemon works with other board members on the questions passed out to all participants at the 29th annual Smart-A-Thon.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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USC Verdugo Hills Hospital CEO Keith Hobbs thanks all participants at the 29th annual Smart-A-Thon.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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It was a full house at the 29th annual Smart-A-Thon at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale on Wednesday, March 15, 2017.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Some participants played games before the 29th annual Smart-A-Thon.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

By Jeff Landa

March 18, 2017 1:13 PM PT

About 132 community members participated in the 29th annual Smart-A-Thon fundraiser Wednesday to benefit the Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber educational fund dedicated to supporting programs in the Crescenta-Cañada valley.

Participants gathered for the event at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, where they were split into 33 teams of four for a friendly trivia competition. They were asked questions such as “Which is the most popular fruit in the world?” and “Which state is the Constitution State?”

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Among the number of organizations represented were the Glendale Unified School District, Crescenta-Cañada Family YMCA and the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. The winning team, however, was comprised of members from Rep. Adam Schiff’s office. Other activities included singing and dancing as well as St. Patrick’s Day-themed skits.

Named for La Cañada Flintridge resident Mary Pinola, the fund is sponsored by the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Community Foundation of the Verdugos. It has given out roughly $215,000 in grants to educational programs.

Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda