It's the third annual Building Bridges Festival.

The event is the passion of the Saratoga Rotary Club, which has teamed up with organizations such as the West Valley-Mission Community College District, the city of Saratoga, the Saratoga Library and many local schools and service organizations.

Ruth Carlson, director of public affairs at West Valley College, says the event originated following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

"They felt that if people had better communication, there would be less violence if they understood each other better," she says.

Building Bridges began on Monday, and each day this week focuses on a different religion. This year, what the group considers to be the five major religions of the world are the focus--Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism/Sikhism. Representatives from each religion will give a presentation in the community room of the Saratoga Library on their day. In addition, on the weekend, 10 local houses of worship conducted sermons or homilies on Building Bridges and the subject of cultural diversity.

The weeklong event culminates in a festival on Oct. 9 from noon to 4 p.m. at West Valley College. This year, Carlson says the event has garnered so much support from local organizations and businesses, that it will be bigger and better than ever. A new educational area for children will be included for the first time, she says, and Whole Foods stores from Cupertino, Los Gatos and Campbell will be providing foods from such regions as the Americas, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Asia, as well as many international desserts for attendees to sample for free. Many community organizations will have information booths, and, of course, there's the live entertainment, such as traditional dances and other performances from several world cultures.

Maria Drake, Rotary Club member and chairwoman of the event, says she can't stress enough how much of a difference an event like this can make in a community.

"When we learn more about other traditions, we realize we have more in common than differences," she says. "As Rotarians, we are committed to a better community."

Carlson agrees.

"We thought it was such a positive event," she says of West Valley College's involvement. "People may not know it, but the college is quite diverse. It's important to talk to people who have different experiences than you and who have different things to offer."

Therefore, no need to spend tons of money traveling around the world to experience other cultures--the world is bringing its culture to Saratoga this week.

For more information, contact Maria Drake at 408.608.6812 or mdrake@scvymca.org, or visit www.saratogarotary.org/bridges. West Valley College is located at 14000 Fruitvale Ave. in Saratoga, near Saratoga Avenue and Highway 85.

Building Bridges events

World religion presentations will be held at the Saratoga Library Community Room at 7:30 p.m. each day:

Oct. 4: Islam: Religion, Culture and Politics, by Dr. Hisham Abdallah

Oct. 5: Christianity in a Changing Culture, by the Revs. Richard Spencer and Arvin Engelson

Oct. 6: Judaism: Living in Two Civilizations, by Rabbi Daniel Pressman

Oct. 7: Hinduism, by Ram Mohan and, Sikhism, by Mohinder Datta