By LESTER CHANG
With hopes of finding more volunteers to bolster their services, 70 community groups from throughout the county plan to participate in the Sunnyvale State of the City and Community Care Fair scheduled for May 31 at City Hall.
The groups hope to recruit people to help them better serve Sunnyvale residents.
Among a score of volunteer jobs, residents can sign up to paint homes that temporarily house the homeless, teach blind people ways to become self-sufficient, clean up back yards or sell books to help raise funds for the Sunnyvale Library, said David Vossbrink, the city's community relations officer.
Residents can sign up for projects scheduled for that day or for projects that will be carried out in the future, he said.
"It is a positive way to promote a stronger sense of community here," Vossbrink said.
The fair will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Mayor Stan Kawczysnki will give the annual state of the city address at 11 a.m.
Following his speech, awards for outstanding service to the community will be given to five residents.
Entertainment and food booths will also be on hand at the fair.
The fair offers residents a chance to find out about the community and how they can make it better, Vossbrink said.
With more volunteers, Greater Opportunities, a San Jose-based community group that teaches disabled adults how to become independent, could provide better services, said group spokeswoman Michele Novello. Greater Opportunities has operated for 10 years.
"We don't have any volunteers, but if we had them, they would definitely be useful," she said.
The group has 40 employees and 100 clients who are taught budgeting, cooking and hygiene skills.
Representatives from the Lion's Blind Center, a San Jose group that also serves Sunnyvale residents, will aggressively look for more volunteers at the fair, said group spokeswoman Robin Iveson.
The new volunteers would strengthen the services now provided by about 20 volunteers and five employees, she said.
"More volunteers will allow us to expand out services significantly, but it depends on how many more volunteers we get," she said.
The center, which has been in operation for 35 years, provides social interaction, recreational and educational services for the blind.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, April 23, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.