April 4, 2008

NEWS BRIEFS

Santa Clara County seeks nominations for Friend of the Veteran Award

The Santa Clara County Office of Veteran’ Services is seeking nominations for the 2008 Friend of the Veteran Award for residents who have demonstrated their commitment to veterans in Santa Clara County. Nominations are due by Apr. 10 to the Office of Veterans’ Services. Applications and selection criteria are available at www.sccgov.org under Hot Items, or by calling (408) 553-6000. The award recipient will be honored during Veterans Appreciation Month at a County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors meeting in May.

Nominees should be residents of Santa Clara County for at least three years; have three years of active service to the local veterans’ community and be at least 18 years of age or have demonstrated exceptional initiative.

Nominees should have participated or significantly contributed in the following areas: volunteer service at the VA Health Care System, promoted volunteer support in community services, participated in patriotic holidays and/or special veterans’ and military events, volunteered in family support activities for families with deployed military personnel and those in need, and have membership and participated in organized service groups consisting of veterans. A full list of requirements is available at www.sccgov.org.

Nominations should be faxed to (408) 553-6016 or mailed to Peter Garrison, Director, Santa Clara County Office of Veterans’ Affairs, 68 North Winchester Boulevard, Santa Clara, CA 95051. For more information, call (408) 553-6000.

Van Le to run for District 8 City Council

Van Le has announced her intentions to seek the District 8 seat on the San Jose City Council. She joins seven other candidates to be on the June 3 ballot.

Van Le moved to San Jose in 1975 and has lived in District 8 since 1984. She graduated from San Jose State in 1994. After 15 years in public service with the city’s Redevelopment Agency, she opened her own business.

Van Le states that she believes her service and knowledge of public processes has prepared her to deal with issues coming before the City Council. She says she would like to work on developing the caucus process to implement a Neighborhood Commissioner and reducing San Jose’s budget problems.

Issues within Evergreen of interest to her include the overcrowding of schools, revitalizing businesses, traffic congestion and programs for seniors and youth.

Van Le has been an active member of the District 8 Round Table, a board member of Work2Future to assist the under-employed and a strong supporter of the YMCA.

Her awards for service include the Martin Luther King, Jr. Good Neighbor Award, Kindred Spirit Award from the Children’s Discovery Museum, Human Relations Award for Youth from the County of Santa Clara, and Business Woman of the Year from the Business Advisory Council.

Van Le says, as a refugee rebuilding a new life in America, she understands the values of hard work, tenacity and determination.

Email: Vote4van@vanle4district8.com; or visit the Web site: www.vanle4district8.com.

Grainger donates $10,000 for technical education

Grainger, a local supplier of facilities maintenance supplies, has donated $10,000 to San Jose City College to fund scholarships for technical education.

The check was presented at the grand opening of the company’s new location at 189 Stauffer Blvd. in San Jose. Grainger has been in business for more than 40 years and recently consolidated its distribution center into a 110,000 square foot facility at 2261 Ringwood Ave. in San Jose.

The scholars will allow students to study construction management and facilities management at the college. A Grainger’s manager said, “Our customers tell us there is a growing need for skilled trades people.” About a do-zen students and more than 380 customers attended the event.

Evergreen girl cast in San Jose Youth Shakespeare production

Rochelle Litchfield, a 10-year-old home-schooler from Evergreen, will be playing the role of Mamillius in San Jose Youth Shakespeare’s upcoming performance of A Winter’s Tale. San Jose Youth Shakespeare is a theatre company for young people in the South Bay who are interested in performing in full-length productions of Shakespeare’s plays. Performances of A Winter’s Tale will be held at Mulberry School, located at 220 Belgatos Road, off Blossom Hill Road on the east side of Los Gatos. Nightly performances are at 7 p.m. on Apr. 10, 11,12 with a closing matinee performance at 3 p.m. on April 13. Tickets purchased in advance cost $8 for adults, $5 for kids aged 8-17; those purchased at the door cost $10 for adults, $7 for kids, kids 7 and under are free. For more information, see www.youthshakes.org.

Evergreen remodeler catches top honor

A sample from the Daniel Mackey Constuction portfolio

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) awarded Daniel Mackey of Daniel Mackey Construction Incorporated, in San Jose, California, a 2008 Achievement Award for Professionalism.

Daniel Mackey Con-struction is an award-winning, design/build remodeling firm located in Evergreen and recently completed a “Green” show house that won the Judges Choice award for Green Remodeling from NARI of Silicon Valley.

Mackey, owner of Daniel Mackey Construction Incorporated, is a Certified Remodeler, Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler and Certified Green Building Professional. He was instrumental in developing national education and certification programs for Green Building and often teaches classes and seminars to help educate current and potential contractors. He is the current president of the NARI California Coalition, a group dedicated to raising the bar in the remodeling industry.

Santa Clara High School Reunion set for June

A high school reunion, coordinated by members of Santa Clara High School’s Class of 1968, is open to any attendee of the school from its inception up through the Class of 1981. Santa Clara High School, founded in 1872, is the second-oldest high school in Santa Clara County.

“The Panther Festival” - named in honor of the school’s mascot until it changed to “Bruins” in 1981 - will include a BBQ picnic and music performance to be held on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale, CA. Visit the Web site for the event at www.pantherfestival.com.

Many members of the storied Santa Clara Swim Club which has 15 swimmers enshrined in the International Swimming Hall of Fame attended Santa Clara High School. The swim club, founded in 1950 by the legendary George Haines who died in 2006, has achieved an Olympic Medal count of 44 Gold, 14 Silver and 10 Bronze. Santa Clara’s famous Panthers include swimmers Chris Von Saltza, Don Schollander, Donna DeVarona, Sharon Finneran, Claudia Kolb, Pokey Watson, Brian Job, Mark Spitz, Mitch Ivey and Joe Bottom. Kim Welshons led the Santa Clara Aquamaids to National Championship status in synchronized swimming and Joanna Kerns (nee DeVarona) is a well-known film and TV star.

Jump on It! Sign Up Now for Cevalo Riding Academy's Summer Horsemanship Camps

Don’t miss out on the summer fun at Cevalo Riding Academy! Registration is under way for popular summer horsemanship camps, and sessions are filling up fast. Designed for children 6 and up, day camp sessions are a perfect way for aspiring riders to learn more about horses and jump-start their riding skills.

Registration is under way for popular summer horsemanship camps at Cevalo Riding Academy.

Five-day sessions for riders 8 and up include 1 hour of riding instruction per day, and feature hands-on activities and demonstrations that cover a wide range of horse-related topics, such as grooming techniques, hoof care, feeding and training. Each session is tailored to the abilities and experience of each camper, enabling both first-time riders and those who have ridden before to have a great time. For 6- and 7-year-olds, Cevalo offers two special 3-day mini-camp sessions that introduce young riders to the joy of riding and working with horses.

Summer sessions start June 16 and run through Aug. 22. Early sign-ups are encouraged as space is limited. For more information, visit Cevalo’s web site at www.cevaloridingacademy.org and click on the “Camps” link, or email info@cevaloridingacademy.org.

Come hunt for bargains and meet the horses at Cevalo's Ranch Rummage Sale on Saturday Apr. 12. A wide variety of items will be for sale, from household goods to horse-themed items. Proceeds will go towards supporting our school horses into their retirement. Gates open at 9 a.m., no early birds please.

SPJ to host Narrative Writing Workshop in San Jose

The Society of Professional Journalists will host a Narrative Writing Workshop April 26 at San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, Calif. Workshops are designed to improve writing in the nation’s newspapers.
The Narrative Writing Workshops, led by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tom Hallman Jr. of the Oregonian, show journalists how to move beyond the inverted pyramid-style of writing to the art of storytelling.

“During the workshop, participants will learn ideas for narrative reporting, the daily get, long-form narrative storytelling and strategies to take back to the newsroom,” Hallman said. “Narrative writing is a true gift and I look forward to teaching my craft with future narrative writers.”

In 2001, Hallman won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for a series of articles in The Oregonian. Additionally, he has been the recipient of every major writing award for journalism, including multiple American Society of Newspaper Editors awards, a Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award, a National Headliner Award and a Nixon National Writing Award. A reporter for more than 25 years, Hallman has been at The Oregonian since 1980.

Programs will be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and cost $40 for SPJ members and $60 for non-members.  Lunch is included.  Late fees shall apply for registrations received less than two weeks before each workshop. For complete details or to register, visit SPJ's Narrative Writing Workshop page or call Programs Coordinator Heather Porter at (317) 927-8000, ext. 204.

To learn more about SPJ’s Narrative Writing Workshops and other training programs, please visit SPJ’s Narrative Writing Workshops page.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s largest and most broad-based journalism advocacy organization. SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For further information on SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.