Saratoga News
Columns
Volunteers help school in need through eScrip program
By Mary Ann Cook
FUNDING PARTNERS: Jill Van Hoesen, Margie Larrenaga and Michele van Zuiden founded the Fundraising Partners in 2006 as a way to reach out to the broader community to help local schools in need. Their fundraising benefits McKinley School in San Jose.
Volunteers frequent the Safeway stores in Campbell and Los Gatos to enroll eScrip supporters for McKinley. Safeway contributes between 1 percent and 4 percent of the eScrip shoppers' bill to the school. "It is amazing how willing shoppers are to support eScrip programs that benefit needy schools outside their local district," says Larrenaga, of Monte Sereno.
Since McKinley is in the top 2 percent of earning groups nationally in the program, Safeway has contributed an additional $1,000. The school will use the funds for science camp, digital cameras, computer software and staff development.
Last year, sixth-graders attended Walden West Science Camp for the first time in many years because of the eScrip contributions. Some 30 students took part in the week-long science camp this year. Aurora Garcia is the principal of McKinley. Van Hoesen lives in Saratoga, van Zuiden in Los Gatos.
87 B'DAYS: Alice Lorraine DeSmet celebrated her 87th birthday in style with 21 family members at an Italian restaurant in Saratoga. So festive was the gathering that others at the restaurant got into the spirit, singing "Happy Birthday" and wishing the octogenarian well.
DeSmet has four children, 10 grandchildren and four great- grandchildren. All four offspring were there with spouses and children--Ervin, Jr., Richard, Gary and Denise DeSmet Glasco. Alice's husband Erv DeSmet died in 2006. Alice has lived in Saratoga 40 years, has been active in Sacred Heart Church and the Saratoga Senior Center.
Her father, Albert Christopher, was president of the Santa Clara County Fair for 16 years. The Christophers and DeSmets are longtime farming families in the valley. The Christopher ranch was in south San Jose and produced prunes and other crops for Sunsweet.
Erv worked the ranch with his father-in-law. Gary and Denise were Saratoga High grads, in '70 and '81, respectively.
GROUNDHOG POP-UP: Jack and Sue Mallory met when they went to Penn State and continue to celebrate the Punxsutawney groundhog tradition and all things Pennsylvania with exuberance. This year they hosted 15 former Pennsylvanians, serving up Lebanon bologna, Rolling Rock beer, sauerkraut and pork, and importing soft pretzels from Philadelphia.
Jack started the Groundhog Club of Silicon Valley, which had a 16-year run, raising $30,000 for charity. Balls were held with attendees munching Pennsylvania Dutch food and singing and dancing to such tunes as "The Pennsylvania Polka" and "Allegheny Moon." So word of Jack's allegiance spread, even though the club has died out.
Its reputation, however, spread all the way to Russia: This year an English radio station in Moscow called, asking Jack about Groundhog Day doings. And the Harrisburg, Pa., newspaper checked in for a story about the Sunshine Chapter of the Groundhog Club of Silicon Valley.
In true Groundhog Day tradition, grandmothers keep the spirit alive by feeding their grandchildren snow--not actual snow, but vanilla ice cream. This goodie is topped with a groundhog-shaped cookie. (Cookie cutters can be had for $2 at www.groundhog
stuff.com.)
If the groundhog sees his shadow, chocolate syrup is added to the tradition-laden treat--Hershey's of Pennsylvania, natch.
WE'RE BLOWING HIS HORN: Monte Serenan Lee Actor's Concerto for Horn and Orchestra won first prize in the 2007 International Horn Society Composition Contest. The competition had a record number of entries from 16 countries.
Excerpts from that piece and all of his recorded works are on his website: www.leeactor.com. A CD from Albany Records of three of his compositions is coming out in late spring.
TWO IN ONE: Saratoga Senior Center traditionally combines Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day celebrations into a red-laced luncheon event. Chinese food is served, Chinese music played and third-graders from Argonaut School sing songs and present handmade valentines to each senior.
Hong Tai played a stringed Chinese instrument called a gu-zheng. It's laptop-sized, harp-like, and Tai plucks it with artificial fingernails.
Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to mac@impruve.com.
