Announcements - All about San Ramon, California.

Send announcements of your special events, club or organizational meetings, grand openings, fund raisers, celebrity appearances, to contact@sanramonobserver.org. We shall provide free listings to all qualified announcements. No commercial listings please.

FREE E-Waste Recycling Event

Free e-waste recycling is available from 9 am to 1 pm on the first Saturday of the month (Holidays Excluded) at the Dougherty Valley campus of Diablo Valley College, at the corner of Watermill Road & Bollinger Canyon Road. The next event is scheduled for May 2, 2009 in the back parking lot. Drop off is free and no limit.

The following electronic items are accepted: Televisions, Monitors, Copy Machines, Computers & Components, Fax Machines, Printers, Toner Cartridges, Telephone Equipment, VCR’s & DVD’s, Cell Phones, Power Cables, Video Game Systems, Stereo Equip., Scrap Metal, Wires, Audio/Visual Equipment, Microwaves and more.

Not accepted: Household Appliances, Furniture, Fluorescent Bulbs, or Paint.

3^rd Annual Adventure Ride for the Arts

San Ramon Arts Foundation announces its 3rd annual bicycle “Adventure Ride for the Arts 2009” – Wine Country to the Pacific Coast featuring two Century Ride legs May 8 –11, 2009.

This is a charity fundraising ride (not a race) benefiting art education in our schools, and the local art community including civic art programs and facilities. Anyone over the age of 15 is welcome to participate by raising a minimum of $250.00.

Participants can ride all four days or just a single leg with ride leaders Mark Ballock and Terry Cunningham. Mark Ballock has ridden 1853 miles from Seattle to the Mexican Border, and multiday trips in Northern California. Terry Cunningham has ridden from San Ramon to the Mexican Border as well as multiday trips in Northern California. Both Mark and Terry have extensive experience in riding safely on public roadways and highways riding 5,000 miles per year.

Please visit our website www.sanramonarts.org for more information on the ride or contact Mark or Terry at info@sanramonarts.org.

Ongoing Announcements

Scroll down to see continuing events, needs, and opportunities.

Children’s Storytime Podcasts

Can’t make it to the library for a traditional storytime? Now children can enjoy listening to a children’s librarian share nursery rhymes and stories over the Internet through Contra Costa County Library’s newest service, storytime podcasts. The library is hosting two initial podcasts. For older kids there’s the Chapter a Week Podcast, featuring a new chapter every Monday. For younger kids there’s the Online Storytime Podcast, featuring a new story or nursery rhyme every Tuesday.

Podcasting is a simple means of distributing audio content over the Internet. The term 'podcast,' a combination of the words 'iPod' and 'broadcast,' is meant to imply that these are radio type programs that can be downloaded and listened to on an iPod or other MP3 player. Users can listen to the library’s podcasts online at ccclib.wordpress.com or they can download the podcasts to their home computer.

Support Music and Save Money

Save money and support the music programs at California High School in San Ramon all at the same time by purchasing a 2009 Entertainment Coupon Book for only $25 each, including free delivery. These are big thick coupon books with loads of 2-for-1 offers, 14 movie coupons to buy tickets for only $6.50 each at the cinema ticket window, bay cruise discounts, deli coupons, grocery store coupons, etc. We have the 2009 Greater East Bay Edition in stock now, ready for immediate use. This book covers Contra Costa County, Alameda County, AND Solano County, and is valid until 11-1-09, with a travel section valid until 12-31-09. To purchase a book, please call Cam Reed at (925) 829-0628 (home) or (925) 997-2047 (cell), or e-mail at camreed@comcast.net. Thank you for supporting music at California High!!

Simple Bike Safety Saves Lives

School is in! Whether your child rides a bike to and from school or just around your neighborhood, it is important to remember to ride safely, follow all rules of the road and to always wear a bike helmet.

Each year more than 130 children die from bicycle-related injuries and approximately 270,000 are treated in emergency rooms. Of these, nearly half have traumatic brain injuries and almost all involve a collision with a motor vehicle. Properly fitted bike helmets can reduce the risk of injuries by eighty-eight percent; a bike helmet is essential safety gear.

Get the right helmet! Look for one that is U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission labeled. As long as it is certified and brand new, let your kid pick out their own helmet. If they think a helmet looks cool, they will be more likely to wear it, even if you are not around.

Safe Kids Worldwide provides these simple tips for bike safety:

· Make sure the helmet fits and your child knows how to put it on correctly. In a crash, the risk of head injury is doubled if the helmet is worn incorrectly. A helmet should sit on top of the head in a level position, and should not rock forward and back or side to side. The helmet straps must always be buckled, but not too tightly. Safe Kids recommends the "Eyes, Ears and Mouth" test: The rim of the helmet should be one to two finger-widths above the eyebrows. The straps should form a "V" just below the ear lobes and the buckle should be flat against the skin and the strap should feel snug when the rider's mouth is open.

· Make sure the bike itself is the right size for your child. There should be at least one inch of clearance between the bike frame and the child's crotch when the child's feet are flat on the ground. Also, make sure the bike is in good repair; reflectors are secure, brakes work properly, gears shift smoothly, and tires are secure and properly inflated.

· Remember bike helmets are for biking. Kids should not wear bike helmets on the playground (where the straps can get caught on equipment and cause injury) or for activities that require specialized helmets, such as skiing, football, skateboarding or inline skating.

· When in doubt, get help. The sales staff at any bicycle shop or outdoor recreation store should be able to provide expert advice on fitting and adjusting bikes and helmets, just ask.

Remember bike helmets are not just for kids! The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District encourages all riders to protect themselves by wearing safety gear.

For more information on bicycle safety and other preventable childhood injury, check out theses helpful websites: Safe Kids Worldwide at www.usa.safekids.org; and the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute at www.bhsi.org.

For more information on bike safety, please contact the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, Fire Prevention Division at (925) 838-6600.

Museum of the San Ramon Valley

Beverly Lane, Curator of the Museum of SRV, invites San Ramoners to visit the Museum of the San Ramon Valley at 205 Railroad Ave., Danville for the current exhibit, We the People, A Century of Political History in the Valley, 1900-2000.

According to Lane, "This should be very interesting in this general election year! One section features the SRV Unified School District unification in 1964-5 which was a really big deal for the whole valley. Another features incorporation efforts, ending with the Danville (1982) and San Ramon (1983) successes; there are photographs, newspaper articles, brochures, buttons etc." Exhibit closes Sat. Sept. 27, 2008. Special tours during and outside open hours for groups are available by calling 837-3750.

Lane also recommends visiting the museum's web site to read a variety of short histories, many originally published in the Danville Weekly. These columns have info about the entire valley. There are a series of articles on incorporation attempts in the SRV beginning in the sixties. The final two articles feature San Ramon's successful incorporation in 1982-3.

Diablo View Toastmasters

Afraid of Public Speaking? Lose your fears of public speaking and develop communication and leadership skills that will help you be more successful in whatever path you've chosen in life. Be our guest at Toastmasters. Meetings are held Tuesday mornings 7:55-9:00 am at 111 Deerwood Road San Ramon, CA 94583. We welcome you to drop by and see what Toastmasters training can do for you! Mary Man, VP of Membership 925-736-8808.

Gift Shoppe at Forest Home Farms Opens

The San Ramon Historic Foundation will be opening The Gift Shoppe at Forest Home Farms on Sheep Shearing Day, April 26, 2008. The Gift Shoppe will provide a means for the Foundation to generate funds that will benefit Forest Home Farms. There will be something for everyone, such as items related to tractors, bugs, gardening and farm life. There will also be old-fashioned toys, tea things and Victorian hats.

Just for the kids: we will have edible “worms in dirt” and old fashioned rock candy! We hope everyone who visits the farm will come in and buy something to take home as a memory of Forest Home Farms.

Forest Home Farms is located at 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd. Parking at the farm is limited, but parking will also be available on Pine Valley Road, west of San Ramon Valley Blvd.

Online Encyclopedia Now Available

The Contra Costa County Library is pleased to announce the addition of the World Book Online Reference Center to our growing collection of electronic resources available 24/7. This comprehensive site includes all the articles from the 22-volume print set, plus thousands of more, with state-of-the-art multimedia, maps, editor-reviewed Web sites, and more. Also included are World Book Kids, and the Spanish-Language Encyclopedia (Estudiantil Hallazhgos en Linea).

Highlights of World Book Online include:

· Accurate, authoritative, easy to read articles from The World Book Encyclopedia, plus related articles from major newspapers and magazines (over 40,000 encyclopedia and reference articles).

· Extensive graphic and multimedia enhancements, including photographs, maps, illustrations, tables, animations, and audio/video clips.

· Special Reports that broaden and deepen coverage for selected topics.

· Back in Time, a captivating, you-are-there chronicle of events from the World Book Year Book that begins in 1922 and unfolds in the distinctive voice and perspective of each successive year.

· Extensive dictionary and atlas.

· Correlations to state and provincial curriculum and achievement standards, plus educator tools, student activities, and interactive games and activities.

All that is required for access is a Contra Costa County library card or e-card.

For more information about online services, contact your local community library, or go online at http://ccclib.org.

Marlins Swim Team Looking for New Swimmers

The ClubSport San Ramon Marlins Swim Team is looking for new swimmers for the 2008 swim season. Space is available for almost all age groups, 6 - 18 years of age. Have fun, make friends and swim, all while learning the values of sportsmanship and being a great teammate. Also take part in our numerous social activities such as going to A's games, team picnics, and the waterslides. For more information check out our website www.cssrmarlins.org or call (925)735-8500.

San Ramon Regional Medical Center Receives Four Awards

San Ramon Regional Medical Center recently received four awards for its cardiac program. The hospital received the Get with the Guidelines Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Annual Performance Achievement Award and the Get with the Guidelines Heart Failure Annual Achievement Award, both from the American Heart Association (AHA).

The American Heart Association recognizes San Ramon Regional Medical Center’s commitment and success for 12 consecutive months in implementing a higher standard of cardiac care that effectively improves treatment of patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease and heart failure.

The UnitedHealth Premium® designated San Ramon Regional Medical Center as Three Stars and Specialty Centers for both Cardiac Surgery and Interventional Cardiac, based on the current review of the hospital’s quality data provided by the American College of Cardiology and/or Society for Thoracic Surgery.

“Our hospital and staff are committed to delivering care that exceeds nationally recognized standards and ensuring that our patients can be confident they are getting high quality treatment,” said San Ramon Regional Medical Center CEO, Gary Sloan.

Projections have shown that implementation of cardiovascular disease secondary prevention guidelines nationwide, as promoted by Get with the Guidelines-CAD, could result in saving more than 80,000 lives nationally each year. According to the AHA, more than 450,000 people suffer recurrent heart attacks each year. Statistics also show that within one year of an attack, 25 percent of men and 38 percent of women will die. Within six years after a heart attack, about 22 percent of men and 46 percent of women will be disabled with heart failure.

Diablo View Toastmasters

Afraid of Public Speaking? Loose your fears of public speaking and develop communication and leadership skills that will help you be more successful in whatever path you've chosen in life. Be our guest at Toastmasters.

Meetings are held Tuesday mornings from 7:55-9:00 am at 2333 San Ramon Valley Boulevard , San Ramon, CA 94583. We welcome you to drop by and see what Toastmasters training can do for you! Contact Sahar Kordahi, VP of Membership (925)315-8730.

San Ramon is Named One of

100 Best Communities for Young People

(City Press Release, dated 1/25/07)

The Alliance for Youth is pleased to announce that the City of San Ramon is a winner of a national competition to identify the 100 Best Communities for Young People. In partnership with Capital One, the 100 Best competition honors communities – ranging from small towns to urban neighborhoods across America – for their commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people. Hundreds of communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands took part in the competition.

San Ramon is one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, in part, because of its “Community and Youth Resource” program, which works with at-risk youth as a crime prevention program. Because many of the identified traits that bring youth to the program involve poor school performance (GPA under 2.0, truancy, poor attendance), the program focuses on changing those behaviors and works to assure that needed resources are available for identified young people.

Mayor H. Abram Wilson said that San Ramon is one of the best communities for young people because it “… adapts to changing demographics and challenges as the city grows and develops, while maintaining quality services and high expectations for good results. We assure that everyone feels welcome and included, that every resident, particularly the young people, feels equal ownership.”

“Nothing is more important than seeing that our children and youth have the resources and support systems they need to thrive and succeed,” said America’s Promise Founding Chairman General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.). “When a community provides all that its young people need to be healthy and secure, they deserve to be honored and showcased as an outstanding example of what it takes to successfully nurture this nation’s young people.”

A complete list of winners can be found at www.americaspromise.org.

Cal High & Iron Horse Win Blue Ribbon

Congratulations to California High School, Iron Horse Middle School and Stone Valley Middle School in Danville. These three schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District were selected as 2006 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools. This elite recognition by the U.S. Department of Education is given to K-12 schools that are either academically superior or demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.

Schools apply for the program and must be nominated by their respective state. Cal High, Iron Horse and Stone Valley are three of only 31 public schools in California and only four in Contra Costa County to receive the recognition. Representatives from each school will travel to Washington DC in November to participate in the Blue Ribbon ceremonies.

Bishop Ranch Wins EPA Award

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) presented Marci McGuire, Manager of the Bishop Ranch Transportation Center, with their highest honor—a “Best of the Best” Award — at the Association for Commuter Transportation International Conference in Boston, Massachusetts last week. This is the first time US EPA, which sets the bar for outstanding programs with their National Standard of Excellence, has ever presented “Best of the Best” awards. Marci also accepted a Gold Award of Excellence for the second year in a row.

Bishop Ranch was selected as a result of the Best Workplaces Race to Excellence, a 10-month competitive national challenge developed by US EPA to encourage, recognize, and highlight commuter benefit programs. All participants submitted an application and supporting materials describing activities and accomplishments from August 1, 2005 to June 1, 2006. McGuire and her assistant met the challenge by reducing the number of employees that drive alone to work from 69% to 67%, increasing rail and transit use, and creatively and consistently promoting carpooling, vanpooling, transit and biking to a workforce of 30,000. A new Earth Day E-Waste Recycling & Commuter Fair event launched during the competition was so popular it will be repeated in mid-October.

“This recognition couldn’t come at a better time,” said McGuire. “Employees are tired of high gas prices and facing increases for rent, food, many other basic necessities, and are eagerly taking advantage of our 56 free express buses to nearby rail and train stations, free taxi rides home, and other amenities and incentives. Employees need to know their consistent efforts to conserve fuel, reduce congestion, improve air quality and perhaps stave off global warming are recognized and appreciated by the EPA, their employers and the local community. Individual efforts really add up when thousands of people are doing it.” McGuire concluded. For more information contact Marci McGuire at the Bishop Ranch Transportation Center at (925) 830-0101.

Chevron Gives $50,000 Grant to CBO

The Center for Community Benefit Organizations, (CBO Center), a 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation headquartered in Concord, CA and serving the East Bay, announced receipt of a $50,000 grant from Chevron Corporation for one of its key nonprofit capacity building strategies. The grant will be used to support and strengthen nonprofit leaders by creating opportunities for peer learning and support, by leveraging the considerable knowledge and wisdom of experienced executive directors through a mentoring program for younger, newer executive directors, and by expanding efforts to bring executive coaching to the nonprofit sector.

“We believe that this strategy, and particularly executive coaching and mentoring, will make a significant difference in the quality of nonprofit leadership in the East Bay," said Liz Callahan, executive director of the CBO Center. "These programs draw on and leverage the considerable expertise, experience and institutional knowledge of those who have been serving the sector for years. In that way, they align closely with Chevron's core value of promoting self-sufficiency and sustainability through the creation of community-based networks of learning and support."

Chevron believes that the development of nonprofit leaders strengthens their organizations, thereby enriching the communities they serve," said Matt Lonner, Chevron's Manager of Public Affairs. "The East Bay is fortunate to have a resource like the CBO Center to offer peer support and mentoring, which are essential elements of professional development."

Over the next year, It Takes a Village activities will include monthly roundtables for executive directors, board members, development directors and consultants serving the sector, one-on-one mentoring, monthly facilitated peer learning dinners, a resource and support group for founders transitioning into retirement or new endeavors, and a pilot coaching program for seasoned executive directors that will assess the impact of executive coaching on areas such as job satisfaction, leadership, tenure and turnover, and effectiveness. In addition to the It Takes a Village strategy, the CBO Center provides training and technical assistance through workshops, consulting and an information and resource center located in downtown Oakland.

For further information about the Center for Community Benefit Organizations and its various programs and services, please contact our offices at 925-602-6760.

Aurora Creative Studios Offering Ceramic Classes

When the former Art 'N Play shut down in San Ramon, they forwarded their email list to us, Aurora Studios, where we're continuing to do the same thing that they did! We have all the things you need to make a beautiful ceramic piece, to learn art, or to have a birthday party! We specialize in painting your own ceramics as well as teaching classes to both children and adults. Aurora takes people of all levels...we will teach you everything! We'd love to see you come in and visit our new location, 1021 Marketplace in San Ramon. Come on in! We have:

· Ceramic studio

· Framing studio

· Fine art gallery

· Kids' play area

· Custom window treatments

· Birthday or adult parties

· Summer camp

· Art classes

Parents without Partners

Parents without Partners is a non-profit club for single parents and their children. Monthly club activities for members and their children include discussions, dances, dining out, tours, concerts, game nights, picnics, camping, bowling, holiday events, and hiking. Local chapter services the Tri-Valley/Concord area. For further details about the organization, contact the chapter President, Bill, at 925-447-9676.

Monthly fund-raiser dances for adult members and non-members, open to the public, the second Saturday of every month in Dublin. Dance is at the Rhythm Street Dance Studio, from 8:00-12:00pm, cost of $12.00 for non-members. Contact Mary Anne at 925-227-1792 for further details.

Orientation meetings for prospective members are the second Saturday of every month, in Dublin, prior to the dance, from 7:15-7:45. They are also held the fourth Tuesday of every month at Round Table pizza in Pleasanton, from 7:00-7:30pm. Contact Maralynn at 925-556-1834 for further details.

Special open to the public, family fund-raiser dance will be at the Rhythm Street Dance Studio in Dublin on Saturday, September 23, 2006 from 7:00-10:00pm. Orientation meeting will be held prior to the dance from 6:15-6:45pm. Contact Rick at 925-803-1786 for further details.

Sons in Retirement

Sons In Retirement is a nonprofit public benefit corporation for retired men, devoted to the promotion of independence and dignity of retirement. Here is the URL to the Web Page: http://sirinc.org/index.html. There is a monthly Web publication providing inter-chapter information at http://sirinc.org/sirformspro/Happenings-Apr-06.pdf.

There are 5 chapters in the San Ramon/Dublin/Pleasanton/Livermore area. Our chapter, #128, meets every 3rd Wednesday for lunch at the San Ramon Golf Course, starting at 11:30 AM, no-host cocktails. It is open to any retired male.

Medical Center Recognized as Outstanding

San Ramon Regional Medical Center is one of 22 hospitals in California recognized for its outstanding commitment to health care quality and patient safety with a new award presented by four of the state’s leading health plans—Aetna, Blue Shield of California, CIGNA HealthCare, and United Healthcare. The award, “Excellence in Patient Safety & Health Care Quality Award,” is based on results from The Leapfrog Group Hospital Quality and Safety Survey.

San Ramon Regional Medical Center is among the top 10 percent of the 216 hospitals statewide responding to the Leapfrog survey. Each of the winning hospitals holds a contract with three or more of the four health plans.

“We take patient safety and health care quality very seriously,” said Gary Sloan, CEO, San Ramon Regional Medical Center. “This award is a reflection of the commitment of our doctors, nurses, and staff to put patient safety and quality care first.”

San Ramon Regional Medical Center received this recognition based on outstanding scores for instituting or making great strides in achieving The Leapfrog Group’s four hospital quality and safety practices.

VCM Announces Building Plans

The Valley Children's Museum held a media event on April 27, 2006 to announce that the Museum would be located in Dublin in the new Camp Parks development. Featured speakers included Janet Lockhart, Mayor of Dublin, Marshall Kamena, Mayor of Livermore, Jennifer Hosterman, Mayor of Pleasanton, Karen Stepper, Mayor of Danville, H. Abram Wilson, Mayor of San Ramon, and John Chen, President and CEO of Sybase, Inc. Chen presented the VCM with a check for $25,000, and the VCM presented Chen with its first Founding Sponsor Award.

Pictorial History of San Ramon Valley

(12/4/05)

Beverly Lane, former Mayor of Danville and current Director of East Bay Regional Parks, co-authored a pictorial history of the San Ramon Valley. The earliest settlers in the valley were Indians. In the 1770's the Spanish built missions and later awarded rancheros cut from the land. One of the most famous went to Jose Maria Amador, which now takes the name Amador Valley. The book covers the history of settlers from what eventually became the Alameda-Contra Costa County line to Danville and Alamo. An ad for an early Danville housing development lists home prices under $10,000.

Danville, Dublin, and San Ramon were incorporated as cities in the early 1980's. An early photo of the Brass Door Restaurant, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, shows the original size. The building had the back half cut off when the I-680 was built. It's especially fun to look at the photos of the first City Councils of Danville and San Ramon, with the venerable old guard (including Lane herself) looking like spring chickens. The book is available for $20 + tax at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley.

You can also find Lane’s book at Bay Books San Ramon, 2415 San Ramon Valley Blvd, San Ramon (in the Safeway/Longs center). Bay Books President, Rich Van Tassel, informed the Observer that the store “has carried this book ever since it was published last year. In fact, Beverly Lane and her co-author have had two signing sessions at the store. I am hoping you can add the fact that we carry this book (along with many other local history titles), to your very interesting online newspaper.” For more information about local history books at Bay Books, call 925-855-1524.

Glass for Sale at Glass House

The San Ramon Historic Foundation is pleased to announce the continuing fundraising campaign, “Buy a Piece of the Glass House.” The David Glass House is the Italianate Victorian built in 1877 that is located on San Ramon Valley Boulevard at Forest Home Farms, the City’s 16-acre historic park. The Historic Foundation is raising funds to help complete the restoration and pay for the furnishings plan for this much awaited historic house museum.

When completed, the David Glass House will be the only historic house museum in the San Ramon Valley. For $10, individuals can buy a small piece of colored glass that entitles them to receive an invitation to an Empty House Party when the first phase of the interior restoration is completed. The glass pieces will become decorations in stepping stones that will be placed in the Victorian rose garden behind the house. For more information, call Pat Boom, 925-837-1048.

Library Needs Donors

The San Ramon Library Foundation is seeking bucks for books for the new Dougherty Station Library. The Foundation has already raised approximately $50,000 from businesses and individual supporters, but now needs you to help bring that total to $200K.

The new library is a victim of its own success. So many residents are checking out books, CDs and DVDs, that like Mother Hubbard's cupboard, the shelves are looking bare. Librarian Joyce Gunn doesn't want to disappoint people looking for something and not finding it.

Contact Pauline Nolte at (925) 830-8362 for more information.

HGTV is looking for you!

HGTV (Home and Garden Television) and Weller/Grossman Productions are looking for unique, cool and creative projects designed and done by real people without the help of contractors or experts. We're searching for individuals across the country that would like to share their fun stories and incredible results.

This fun and inspirational new program chronicles everyday people and their amazing “did it myself” design endeavors. From unbelievable room reinventions, to cool outdoor creations, innovative kids rooms, wild wall treatments, playful pet projects, and more … we’re looking for ideas that break the design mold and make people say “wow!”

So, if you've transformed your garage into a wine room, built Fido his own futuristic pad, designed a pool hall in your basement, built a fantasy playroom for your kids -- or done something else spectacular and uniquely special to your home, HGTV is looking for you!

To apply, e-mail a description of the project (with pictures) of the area you've improved, and your contact info to Brian Heller at bheller@wellergrossman.com.

Laugh Club for Seniors

Medical research has proven what people have known for ages, laughter is good for you. The problem is that as we get older, it gets harder to have a good laugh.

Fortunately, we have a solution; laugh for no reason. Join us for a half-hour laugh session. We’ll share a few jokes to get in the mood. Then we just laugh. Laugher is contagious. Soon you’ll be laughing just because everyone else is laughing. So please come laugh with us, the more the merrier. The health benefits are remarkable!

San Ramon Senior Center, 9300 Alcosta Blvd., Tuesdays, 10:00am. Admission is FREE. To RSVP, call Fred Turner, 925-216-4590.

We C.A.R.E. Program Helping Homebound Seniors The City of San Ramon is pleased to announce a new program designed to help homebound senior citizens reach out in their community. We C.A.R.E, Caring About Resident Elders, will match a homebound person with a pre-screened volunteer who will provide a friendly visit and run brief errands. The service is free for seniors; just a brief questionnaire is required. Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age and have reliable transportation, a valid California driver’s license and insurance. For more information, call the City of San Ramon Volunteer Coordinator at (925) 973-2869.

Vial of Life Cassettes

The San Ramon Senior Center has partnered with the San Ramon Medical Center to produce a Vial of Life Cassette for emergency purposes. In the event of an emergency or disaster, this cassette will provide Police and Fire Department and any other emergency personnel with an individual's emergency information and health history. These cassettes are free and will be available at the front desk. Assistance in filling in these forms will be available on Thursdays from 8:30am until 3:00pm. The cassettes are free, but donations of $1.00 or more will be appreciated. Thanks to Pat York for coordinating this very important project.

Agape Villages Fosters Families

"Agape" is a Greek word meaning unconditional love. Agape Villages is a private, non-profit agency that places children in foster homes. Some of these children have been abused or abandoned, and some are "medically fragile" or disabled. Agape conducts training in how to be a foster parent before placing children, and their success rate is very high. Many foster parents wind up adopting their foster child and making them part of their real family.

Janet Kleyn, Vice President of Agape Villages, gave a presentation at the February 18, 2004 lunch-time meeting of the San Ramon Soroptimists. Kleyn introduced Terry Bruce, who has been a foster parent to three "medically fragile" children from Agape. The Bruce family has adopted two of their three foster children so far.

The Soroptimists are working on a new program, called Shining Stars, to help foster families with disabled or challenged children. This will probably be expand to adopted and even birth children with special needs. For more information on Soroptimists in San Ramon, see their website, www.soroptimist-sr.org. For more information on Agape Villages, or to become a foster family or make a donation, visit their website at www.agapevillages.org.

Stay-at-Home MOMS Club

The MOMS Club of San Ramon, Danville, Dublin, CA is for stay-at-home moms in this area. We meet on the 1st Wednesday of every month.

A number of activity groups are included in the membership -- a MOMS Night Out once a month, parties, playgroups, and much more. All MOMS Club activities, except MOMS Night Out, are during the day when we need the support most. Dues are only $28 a year.

For more information contact Michelle Borrero at 925-639-9556 or minxy7399@yahoo.com.

Swimmers Wanted

Join the San Ramon Aqua Bears Swim Team! The Aqua Bears is family oriented, focused on fun and swimming our best. We have openings in most age groups, 6 and under through 18 years. Visit our website at http://www.aquabears.net or call (925) 355-8855.

Fund for Children of Crash Victim
(January 15, 2003)

Tow truck driver, Justen Purcell, was killed by a drunk driver early Saturday morning, January 12, 2003. San Ramon Tow, the company Purcell worked for, set up a fund at US Bank, for Purcell's three small children. The company will make monthly deposits into the account until Cynthia, 7, Justen Jr., 6, and Gavin, 8 months, reach 18 years of age. Purcell's sister, Jessica, will manage the account. Those interested in donating to the Justen C. Purcell Memorial Fund can call Walt Trembley at (925) 328-1825.