The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Culinary Conscience: White Dove Cafe co-owners Jeff Michel (right) and David Laing are hosting a dinner Aug. 26 to benefit the Vanished Children's Alliance.

Lincoln Avenue eateries to host Aug. 26 benefits

Two fundraisers on the same evening put causes for women and children first

By Christine Frey and Mary Spicuzza

Anyone who's taken Economics 101 knows that profit is a key part of the business equation. But on Wednesday, Aug. 26, two Willow Glen businesses, White Dove Cafe and The Glen, are both closing their cash registers and devoting an evening to another priority: supporting positive change in the community.

That night Lincoln Avenue's White Dove Cafe soars to new heights of community service with a benefit dinner for the Vanished Children's Alliance.

"Willow Glen has been good to us, and we're trying to give back something to the community for the support they have showed us," White Dove co-owner Jeff Mitchel said.

Proceeds from the $50-per-person dinner will be donated to the organization's San Jose headquarters. The waiters and waitresses working that evening will also be volunteering their time. Their wages will be given to VCA.

Mitchel said many members of his staff have personal reasons becoming involved with the event. "[The serving staff] all thought it was absolutely exciting. Many of them are mothers themselves."

As a mother of two and stepmother of two more, waitress Michelle Bonner often worries about the safety of her children. The disappearance of Monterey 13-year-old Christina Marie Williams has heightened her concern. "It's very little, what we're doing, when you consider [the Williams family's] loss," she said.

It was Christina's disappearance that prompted Mitchel to contact the VCA. "Face it, Christina could be our daughter. It could happen at any given time, and I think it's about time to give support."

VCA is a national organization that assists parents and law enforcement officers in the recovery of missing or abducted children. Created in 1980, it is the oldest missing-children's organization in California and the second-largest agency of its kind in the United States.

The organization has been working on Christina's case, distributing fliers and checking dozens of leads, said VCA assistant director Chris Wilder. Unfortunately, he added, her disappearance is not a unique circumstance.

Between June 1997 and June 1998, 7,500 children were reported missing or abducted in Santa Clara County, he said. Of those, approximately 1,500 were family abductions and 12 were stranger abductions. The remainder were runaways. "It happens more often than people think," Wilder said.

Representatives from VCA will attend the dinner to answer questions and provide information on the organization. "There's something really unique and fun about doing a fundraising event with a local restaurant because it's not just raising money, it's raising awareness at the same time," Wilder said.

Dinner patrons will be served a four-course meal which they can choose from selected items on the restaurant's menu. Although walk-ins will be accepted, reservations are suggested.

Apparently caught up in the fundraising flurry, The Glen is hosting The Support Network for Battered Women's 1-800 Billiards Tournament that same evening.

All proceeds from The Glen's evening of billiards, brew and buffet-style dining will go help the Support Network's newest project--launching Santa Clara County's only 1-800 hotline for battered women.

"This is something where you can see the benefits right away. The 800 number will have an immediate positive impact on our community," says brewpub co-owner John Karamanos.

The Glen, formerly known as Willow Glen Billiards & Brew, will be opening its doors solely to participants wishing to contribute $35 to a good cause while enjoying team competitions and hors d'oeuvres and sampling from a wide variety of beers on tap.

The Support Network, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has been a leader in raising community awareness about domestic violence while providing crisis intervention, shelter counseling and advocacy services for survivors of battering. The network has also pioneered programs for children of abusive families and started a Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program.

With money raised from the billiards tournament, coordinators hope to fund and staff the county's first toll-free domestic violence hotline--which will provide services in both Spanish and English.

Domestic violence is currently the leading cause of serious injury to women in the country, and 42 percent of women murdered in America are killed by their intimate partner.

For more information on the Vanished Children's Alliance Dinner, call 280-5297. For more information on the Support Network for Battered Women's 1-800 Billiards Tournament, call Michelle at the Support Network, 650/940-4375.

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