Saratoga News

The National Charity League's ball honored (front row) Kelly Helmuth, Colleen O'Gara, Stephanie Hall (middle) Kristin Robinson, Christine Boyle, Stacey Hall, Erica Miyamoto, Lisa Brickley, Shelby Brewer and (back) Caroline Polhemus, Lora Elder and Rory McCloskey.

Charity League presents twelve high-school seniors

The Saratoga-Los Gatos Chapter of the National Charity League honored 12 young women, all high school seniors, on March 16 by presenting them at a ball at the Hyatt Hotel in San Jose. The event was attended by some 250 friends and family members; the young women were given gold medallions marking their six years of service in the league.

National Charity League members work with a variety of community organizations, with mothers and daughters volunteering together. Locally, the organizations include Our Lady of Fatima, Our City Forest, Sacred Heart Community Services, the Crippled Children's Society's Camp Costanoan, Special Olympics and the Family Living Center of San Jose. In addition, volunteer efforts have included beach and park cleanups, working at the Ming Quong Strawberry Festival and the Saratoga Fun Run.

Here are the young women presented at the ball:

Kelly Lynn Helmuth, daughter of Michele and Doug Helmuth, is a senior at Saratoga High School. She has been involved in cheerleading, swimming, lifeguarding and has participated in a summer leadership program at Stanford University. She has volunteered at Our Lady of Fatima in Saratoga and with the Special Olympics. She plans to attend Oregon State University in the fall.

Christine Victoria Boyle, daughter of Dale and Don Boyle, is a senior at Archbishop Mitty High School. She volunteered weekly at the Family Living Center's Transitional Housing Project, where she babysat and held holiday parties. She has also been involved in Special Olympics track meets and dances. She is a member of her school's varsity track and tennis teams and was awarded Most Valuable Player honors her junior and senior years.

Kristin Nicole Robinson, daughter of Lee and Ken Robinson, is a senior at St. Francis High School in Mountain View. She has been named a National Merit Finalist and has been on the tennis team for four years, receiving Outstanding Player, Most Improved and Scholar-Athlete awards. She volunteers to help children at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford.

Shelby Brewer, daughter of Cheryl and Martin Brewer, is a senior at Archbishop Mitty, where she is an All-League field hockey player. She played on the under-19 national team at this year's National Field Hockey Festival. She has performed community-service work at the Palo Alto Police Department, the YMCA Science Camp and other places.

Colleen Mary O'Gara, daughter of Hester and Jim O'Gara, is a senior at Saratoga High School, where she has been active in student leadership and sports. She played on the tennis team for the past four years and attends an annual outreach trip to Mexico with her church. She has been a Special Olympics coach and chaperone.

Lisa Erin Brickley, daughter of Cathy and Michael Brickley, is a senior at St. Francis. Her school activities include gymnastics, swimming and diving. She has served as president, secretary and treasurer of the National Charity League.

Erica Mayumi Miyamoto is a senior at Saratoga High and the daughter of Karen and Robert Miyamoto. She has been active on the basketball, field hockey and softball teams and has received Scholar-Athlete awards for each sport. She has also been named Most Valuable JV basketball player. In addition, Erica was selected to represent the city of Saratoga in a sister-city exchange program in Japan. Her favorite volunteer project has been visiting hospitalized children and giving them stuffed animals.

Lora Kathleen Elder, daughter of Jan and Michael Elder, is a senior at Saratoga High, where she has been active in swimming, soccer and softball. She takes an annual trip to Mexico to help the children of San Luis and enjoys tutoring children.

Stacey Louise Hall, daughter of Louise and Steve Hall, is a senior at Saratoga High, where she has played on the varsity soccer and softball teams. She was on the first girls' cross-country team to qualify for the state finals and has been awarded a Scholar-Athlete honor for each of her four years at school. She has visited Mexico on a missionary trip with her church youth group, helping to build a foundation for a church.

Rory Amanda McCloskey, daughter of Ginny and Alex McCloskey, is a senior at Los Gatos High School, where she has been on the varsity swim team and received the Most Valuable Swimmer Award. She has competed in the U.S. nationals in her age group 16 times and has competed internationally in Europe and South America. She has been awarded a National Merit Scholarship from Lockheed Martin and has been a Principal's Scholar for the past five semesters. She will attend Princeton University in the fall. She has been president of her school's chapter of the California Scholarship Federation and has received a Rotary Club Leadership Award. She has volunteered with Hospice of the Valley and Special Olympics.

Caroline Mae Polhemus, daughter of Barbara and Rick Polhemus, is a senior at Saratoga High, where she maintains a 4.0 average. She played varsity tennis and is a senior class representative. She has been a counselor at a camp for inner-city children and took part in a mission trip to Mexico last March. She has been a Special Olympics volunteer.

Stephanie Julia Hall, a senior at Saratoga High, is the daughter of Louise and Steve Hall. She played high school soccer and was voted Most Valuable Player in her freshman year and varsity captain in her senior year. She has also been on the varsity softball, swimming and cross-country teams. She won a national essay contest sponsored by the Colonial Dames which entitled her to a trip.

For more information about the National Charity League, contact Chapter President Maureen Lightbody, 354-3639.