Saratoga News
Columns
Saratoga Sampler
Bonasera heads up event to benefit Humane Society
By Mary Ann Cook
HUMANE: Michael "Mickey" Bonasera of Saratoga was recently elected to the Humane Society Silicon Valley board of directors. Last weekend he spearheaded an art event that benefited the society and showcased art featuring felines and canines. The Art of Dogs and Cats included more than 50 pieces.
The work of artist Ron Burns and sculptors J. Randall Smith and Jennifer Johnson were on display. Five of Burns' paintings were of Humane Society boarders. Peabody Gallery in Los Gatos shows Burns' artwork.
Cheri Lucas, of the Second Chance at Love Humane Society, gave a dog behavior seminar for those with problem dogs. Lucas is a protégé of Cesar Millan, nicknamed the Dog Whisperer. Sculptor Smith talked about presenting one of his sculptures, "Shh ... It's Another Episode of the Dog Whisperer," to the Millan.
The sculpture shows a dog eating Chinese takeout while watching Millan's TV show. The art benefit event was held at Morgan Stanley in San Jose, where Bonasera is an associate vice president. He has been managing investments for individuals and corporations for 30 years.
In addition, his community activities are legion. He was treasurer of Goodwill Industries of Santa Clara County and for the Southwest YMCA board. Bonasera was a member of the advisory board for Boy Scouts of America, Santa Clara County Council and is a past member of Saratoga Rotary. He holds a BS degree in commerce from University of Santa Clara. He and his wife, Rita, have been active volunteers and longtime donors to the shelter.
TURNING JAPANESE: Carol Greene is back from two weeks in Japan, where she performed--in Japanese, no less--at the Gala Show at Noboru Kawakami's 77th Birthday Ventriloquist Festival. Kawakami is the Edgar Bergen of Japan, and had invited her to perform at the gala.
The Los Gatos ventriloquist says she spent months preparing because she performed both songs and dialogue in Japanese, no small feat. Her Japanese friend Ryoko had translated her routines into Japanese and sent her tapes so she would have the pronunciation right.
"When the audiences laughed and actually understood what I was saying, all that preparation was worth it," she reports. At the celebration party after the gala, people even started to speak to her in Japanese, thinking she was fluent in the language. "What a compliment!"
She had performed for Kawakami's Kobe ventriloquism class when she was in Japan 21/2 years ago, and he wanted her to give a repeat, focusing on her techniques. Besides the gala, Greene also performed at two schools, for two senior groups and at a facility for the handicapped.
And playing tourist was not neglected: She toured Western Japan--Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, Ako, Kobe, Sannomiya--with her hostess Ryoko as guide.
LEAD ROLE: Ten-year-old Trent Brunngraber, a fifth-grader at Country Lane School, has the lead in Disney's Jungle Book, which is playing Nov. 16-19 at the Montgomery Theater in San Jose. Trent plays the role of Mowgli. The young thespian has been performing in shows for Children's Musical Theater since he was 6.
He was most recently Peter in CMT's production of Heidi in August and Gavoche in its production of Les Miserables in March. Last year, he played Tiny Tim in West Valley's production of the musical version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Trent has been taking tap dancing lessons for the past seven years. He is a native Saratogan, the son of Lee and Rod Brunngraber. His sister Kylie, 14, was also active in children's theater and is now at Cupertino High, the only freshman on the dance team. The box office number is 408.288.5437 and online it's cmtsj.org.
BOOK-GO-ROUND: More than 50 black and white photos of children that were taken in the Saratoga Library by local artist/photographer Anita Schiller Roundy are for sale at the Book-Go-Round. These photos are 11-by-14 and framed.
They would be charming on their own or would make a great grouping, says Mary Jeanne Fenn, store manager. Book-Go-Round is the fundraising arm of the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries.
JEWELRY SHOW: Nahid Ghafari will hold a jewelry show Nov. 18, 2-5 p.m., at 3640 Warbler Ave., Santa Clara. The phone is 408.244.2427. The pieces are made of silver, gold, semiprecious gems, Swarovski crystals and pearls. Customers can bring their own design for Ghafari to transform into jewelry.
EXERCISE FOR ST. JUDE: Back in Form, an exercise therapy operation in Los Gatos, will hold fundraising workouts for St. Jude Hospital during the month of November. Back in Form goes to homes, businesses, rehab centers--wherever needed to serve its clients.
For each visit, Back in Form will contribute $5 to St. Jude during this month and encourage clients to contribute as well, says Hartmut Broring, founder. Back in Form is at 408.354.2886. The email address is hartmut@backinform.com. St. Jude is a children's hospital in Los Angeles for the terminally ill.
Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to mac@impruve.com.
