The fundraising efforts of 16-year-old Jan-Willem Knapen to build a JW House at Kaiser Permanente's new medical center under construction in Santa Clara are being recognized by the city of Santa Clara. Mayor Patricia M. Mahan presented JW with the proclamation at the Jan. 11 city council meeting. Dr. Alan Wong of Almaden, JW's oncologist, inspired JW to begin an effort to build a house where the families of cancer patients at Kaiser's Santa Clara medical center could stay without cost while their children are undergoing treatment or hospitalizations. More than $200,000 has been raised thus far, and the next scheduled fundraiser will present a cast of performers from Santa Clara University who will 'celebrate spirituality through music, dance and the spoken word' at 3 p.m. on Jan. 25 at St. Martin of Tours Church, 200 O'Connor Drive. A suggested donation of $5 will be requested at the door with all monies going to JW House. For additional information, visit http://www.jwhouse.org.

Training offered to
be Stephen Ministers

St. Timothy's Lutheran Church is putting out the call to caring people. The church is holding a workshop on Jan. 29 that will begin the training for people to become a Stephen Minister.

"We've had Stephen Ministries in our church for about 11Ž2 years," said the Rev. Derek Engfelt.

Stephen Ministries, a Christian-based organization in St. Louis, will be sponsoring the workshop that will turn compassionate people into caregivers, Engfelt said.

The people who they will service are those who may be going through difficult times such as grief from the loss of a loved one either through death or divorce, personal illness or illness of a family member, and other "life challenges," he said.

St. Tim's has 21 congregation members who are trained as Stephen Ministers and 19 more are in training. Caregivers receive 50 hours of initial training on how to be compassionate listeners and caring friends.

They are not licensed therapists or trained counselors, and they learn to recognize and identify those people who need the help of professionals and help them get to the places that can provide appropriate care, Engfelt said.

The cost of the workshop is $15 per person or $50 for a group of four or more from the same congregation. For more information, or to register to attend the Stephen Series Caring Ministry Workshop, contact Pastor Derek Engfelt at 408.264.3858 or register online at www.caringministry.org.

Lawmakers seeking
more federal money

Almaden Valley's Congresswoman, Zoe Lofgren, and other California lawmakers are hoping Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will help them bring more federal funds to California to help balance the state budget.

Lofgren, State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata on Jan. 16 urged Schwarzenegger to try to secure more federal funds for California by pressuring President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress, according to Steve Maviglio, spokesman for Nunez.

The California Institute for Federal Policy Research reports that California receives only 77 cents in federal spending, programs and employment for every $1 residents pay in federal taxes. That amount equaled $50 billion in 2004, Maviglio said.

Volunteers sought
to help teach reading

The San José Public Library seeks volunteers to help adults improve their reading & writing skills. Volunteers will be offering one-to-one tutoring of English-speaking adults who read or write below the ninth-grade level. Orientation is scheduled for Jan. 26 orientation and training will be on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5.

Volunteers will receive 14 hours of training, instructional materials and ongoing support. No experience is necessary, but a commitment of two hours per week for six months is required. Call the San José Public Library at 408.808.2361.