The Willow Glen Resident

Around The Glen

Christmas shopping the Ecuadorian way

When Willow Glen resident Soozie Shireman returns from Ecuador, she won't be empty-handed. She'll be carrying plenty of brightly colored handmade items--sweaters, shirts, tapestries, dolls, ornaments and musical instruments--that she'll sell Dec. 16-18 to raise funds for her nonprofit group, Ecuadorables.

"She gathers money and uses it for orphanages, supplies and focus projects," Kirt Ibsen, an Ecuadorables volunteer, explained.

The goods will be on sale from 7 to 10 p.m. at 1124 Dean Ave., off Lincoln Avenue.

Shireman will return from Ecuador this week, after working as a translator and trip secretary for Interplast, the organization that brings doctors to Third World countries to perform plastic surgery on residents with severe deformities like cleft palates and burn scars.

Shireman founded Ecuadorables nearly two years ago as a way to further help children she met on Interplast trips, including Delmira, a young girl who lost an eye when a kerosene lamp exploded in her home. Over the past year, Shireman raised enough money to bring Delmira to the United States to be fitted for a prosthetic eye. Now Shireman is working to build Delmira's family a safe house. Ibsen said that during this trip to Ecuador, Shireman has found land for the home and is in the process of buying it.

In addition to picking up Christmas gifts at the mid-December event, shoppers can enjoy footage of Shireman's most recent trip to Ecuador, including clips of Delmira's project, orphanage visits and the Interplast program. There will also be music and plenty of food. For more information, call 298-7739.

--Maggie Benson

Red Cross offers fire safety tips for the holiday season

Nearly 600 fires per year are started by the ignition of Christmas trees, causing an average of 33 deaths, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The Red Cross offers these simple suggestions to help Willow Glen residents avoid becoming a part of this statistic:

Be sure candles are kept away from decorations or other combustible materials as well as windows and exits; don't leave children unattended in a room with lit candles; never use candles to decorate Christmas trees; unplug lights before leaving home or going to bed; don't overload electrical outlets; have your chimney inspected and cleaned by a professional; and burn only wood. Never burn paper or evergreen boughs, which can float out of the chimney and ignite a neighboring home.

--Maggie Benson

Web site urges residents to help make needy kids' holidays bright

Through Dec. 19, Willow Glen residents can make the holiday wishes of thousands of Bay Area children and teens come true. The United Way's Homepage for the Holidays links gift-givers with kids in need by listing the names of the children and the gifts they desire.

This is the second year of the program, according to Catherine Valdez, the project's manager. Last year, the home page helped 2,000 children get gifts for the holiday. This year, Valdez is hoping to serve more than 4,000.

"We talk about moving into the age of being impersonal because of computers, and this totally defies all of that," Valdez said. "It's very good for these children; it's a very personal moment for them because someone handpicks them. I think it's wonderful."

Once cyber Santas log onto the home page, they can choose a recipient, then purchase the desired Barbie or Transformer online through a company called etoys, which will ship the gift at no charge.

Gift-givers can also purchase presents at a retail store and drop them off at a local UPS customer counter or a Sears Automotive Center. UPS will deliver the gift at no charge.

The kids are nominated through several charitable Bay Area agencies and come from a variety of families, including those who have lost a parent, are homeless or are on welfare. Choices for Children in Campbell is the United Way's Santa Clara County contact.

"We're really looking to push for older kids," Valdez explained. "It's the older kids that kind of get left behind."

The United Way posted the names of more than 2,000 needy kids on the Internet on Nov. 21. So far, 300 kids have been helped, 24 of whom are from Choices for Children. Seventeen hundred kids are still waiting for a cyber Santa to select their names off the list.

"That's to be expected, simply because it is the beginning of the season," Valdez said of the low numbers. "People wait until the eleventh hour to get going. Generally speaking, it's the last week that we get kids selected."

Once the project gains momentum, Valdez expects more toys will be donated than there are kids on the list. The surplus goes to nonprofit agencies that will dole out the gifts to families in need.

Potential gift-givers who aren't online can call HELPLINK at 800-273-6222.

Access the site by logging onto either www.unitedway-cal.org or www.kpix.com

--Maggie Benson

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