No relief reached that village. Lamborn learned of the plight firsthand from Margarita Salpor, indigenous nurse among the Cakchiquel, whom she worked with when she served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala from '66 to '68. The two formed an enduring friendship and Salpor emailed Lamborn about conditions there.

"It is a great problem that relief does not truly get to the villages," Lamborn says. "I was there to see that the seeds were weighed and measured and that they got to the true people who were supposed to receive them." Goods often get to the political ruling party, end up in storage somewhere, or are stolen.

Seeds were the perfect option, since they were available and cost less there. The villagers knew they could immediately plant snow pea seeds and that they would have a cash crop in 90 days. This was perhaps Lamborn's 20th trip to Guatemala.

INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT: Saratogan Pat LeVezu, former director of the San Jose Showcase Chorus, will assume the highest position within the Sweet Adelines organization, that of international president, come 2006. The Saratogan plans to focus on increasing membership and educating directors.

She will be reaching out to younger women, especially, to enhance the harmonies and share the joys of singing. LeVezu served as director of the Showcase Chorus from '72 until her retirement in '02. When she went to her first Sweet Adeline rehearsal in 1962 she intended it to be a one-time shot, strictly to satisfy her piano teacher.

But she got hooked immediately on the sounds and spirit of barbershop and has been there ever since. When LeVezu joined there were 30 members; today there are 130 and the group is winning awards. This year the San Jose Showcase Chorus placed 11th in Sweet Adelines' international competition.

LeVezu credits the chorus for helping her develop the leadership, public speaking, and teamwork skills that stood her in good stead in management posts she later held at Amdahl. The chorus celebrated its 50th anniversary last month as one of its own was named to the top leadership position. Its website is www.singharmony.org.

PET HELP: The seventh-grade class at Redwood Middle School sent a check for $450 to the Humane Society of Silicon Valley recently to help pay for medical and shelter costs incurred by the 28 dogs housed there that are Katrina victims. The students raised the money by selling raffle tickets.

The raffle prize was a large stuffed dog. "We all love animals and this was a way to contribute," said student Laura Mighdoll. She herself has a dog named Keisha and she said she felt bad for all the animals that were separated from their owners. Their teacher is Pat Burnham.

MORTGAGE BURNING: Retired elementary school teacher Mario Chisessi extended an open invitation to a mortgage burning that he hosted recently at the Saratoga Odd Fellows Lodge on Oak Street. The fire department, the mayor and the police were all extended an invitation.

LET THERE BE SIGHT: The Saratoga Lions Club and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce are requesting that folks drop off their used eyeglasses to the chamber office or the West Valley College Bookstore to be used for the Lions Recycle Sight Project.

Donated glasses are examined for their prescriptions and then mailed off to Third World countries. There they are distributed by doctors who have examined a patient's eye stigmatism at clinics set up by Lions Clubs throughout the world.

BACKPACK DRIVE: The Rotary Club of Saratoga donated backpacks filled with school supplies to students in the Franklin-McKinley School District in San Jose recently. Bryan Knysh was chairman of the backpack drive. When he heard about the need for supplies he enlisted fellow Rotarians in the project.

Representatives from Franklin McKinley--Christina Moses and Ashley Friedrich--picked up the bags at a recent Rotary meeting and expressed their thanks. Saratoga Rotary marks its 50th anniversary this year with projects like the foregoing.

HOLIDAY FOOD BASKETS: Saratoga Foothill Club will again distribute holiday food baskets, mostly to seniors in the community. This has been a difficult year for many and there is an increased need for these food baskets. To contribute, contact Virginia King or Ellen Prandi at 408.867.5008.

STAMPING OUT CANCER: Sue Boyd of Monte Sereno, who headed the Great Books program and is active in the League of Women Voters and AAUW, reminds that buying postal stamps can contribute to breast cancer research. Instead of 37 cents, this one costs 45 cents, $45 for 100.

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