Main Street
Parakeet finds sanctuary and some sleep
By Mary Ann Cook
KID LIT: This town is rife with award-winning children's authors. To wit, this kidlit entry: Failure is Impossible, The History of American Women's Rights. This new book by Marty Kendall has been nominated for Best Book for Young Adults in 2001, by the American Library Association.
Published by Lerner, "It describes not only the leaders of the women's rights movement, but also the impact of women's expanding rights on the lives of everyday folks," as Kendall describes it. Another Kendall book out this spring is a collection of 12 short stories called Conflict Resolution.
The first few of these stories were tried out with Loma Prieta youngsters and "their enthusiasm encouraged me to continue with the project," Kendall relates. In each story, Lisa faces a problem typical for a child in elementary school, while older brother Nick grapples with a more serious version of the same issue.
Each story stops before the problems have been fully resolved. Readers may create their own satisfactory endings that they can then compare with those provided by the author, in which Nick and Lisa make positive choices. Kendall teaches English and women's studies at San Jose City College.
TEA BENEFIT: The American Association of University Women Committee on Homeless Women and Children held its annual tea recently and Nancy Anderson and JoAn Lambert were co-chairwomen. Anderson described some of the committee's success stories in retraining the homeless.
These included a woman who is now a nanny in England and bought a house there. Computer training is an emphasis at InnVision, including 30 workshops.
A lively set of 10-year old girl twins are living in the shelter and mentoring younger children. Preemies were recently born to another resident.
Anderson personalized her report by capsulizing the co-chairwomen's recent travels: "JoAn spent three months in Nepal--alone--while I went on a strenuous wine trip to Salinas," she quipped. Servers at the tea, members of Saratoga High's California Scholarship Federation, were asked what they wanted to be when grown.
One young woman said she intended to become the first woman president. Others ran the gamut from doctors to teachers to bartender.
Honored at the tea were Christine Burroughs, Maureen Denny and Judith Pelache of InnVision; Trish Crowder and Judy Vargas of San Jose Family Shelter and Janice Barron and Marie Sol of Sunday Friends, a group that plays games, entertains and reads to the children at the shelter--on Sundays, natch.
Aid Association for Lutherans matched the first $800 raised at the benefit.
VOLUNTEERS RECOGNIZED: Some 115 volunteers, plus town officeholders, turned out for the annual Volunteer Recognition Reception. Entertainment was by Steve Koehler, magician, and Ben Wilson at the piano. Catering was by Deliciously Yours, plus flowers and tasty contributions from dozens of Los Gatos purveyors.
The town volunteer program has grown from 354 in '93 to more than 600 in 2000. Last year 142 citizens volunteered for commissions and committees, and over 500 students and adults volunteered in the police department, library, parks and trails, DART, and town offices.
The 40,000 volunteer hours toted up equates to an estimated value of more than $1 million. The Meadows, too, recognized their volunteers--both high school students and residents--at a reception that same week.
LOST PARAKEET FOUND: A lost parakeet has been found and is now safe and thriving at Critters Corner, next to Kinko's on Los Gatos Boulevard. The beautiful bird was found by a man near Winchester, somewhere between Blossom Hill and Lark. After it was fed, it was so worn out that it slept for two days, reveal Critters' employees.
The bird will not be sold: it's waiting to be claimed by its owner. The contact to claim it is Joanne or Candice at Critters Corner at 408.402.9660.
CREEPY, CRAWLY THINGS: The youngster-pleasing Insect Fair is up the mountain at the Skyline Sanborn Center of YSI. A live display of arthropods, some 35 to 50 different varieties, on May 26, 1-4 p.m. at the center.
Speakers are Anne Dunham, executive director of YSI, and Dave Johnston, an authority on bats. Patricia Kucker is manager of the Sanborn Center, just beyond the Sanborn Hostel.
GREAT RACE STATS: There were 2,614 registered runners in the Rotary's Great Race; $68,000 from registration; $31,000 from donors. After expenses, some $10,000 more than last year's total.
MIS-STEP: Apologies to Jim Oggerino for misspelling his name in a recent column. Don't know how that capital E slipped in. It's Oggerino, not Eggerino, for heaven's sake. I'm tempted to say it made me look like I have egg on my face, but will refrain.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
