May 6, 2005

LETTERS2theEDITOR

Campbell students moved to action by East Side Heroes article

Editor,
My students saw your story on Sara Zuniga and the East Side Heroes [Evergreen Times, April 9-22]. We are a private elementary school in Campbell, and the great majority of our students go on to private prep schools when they graduate.

I thought I would share that the students at my school were really touched and inspired. They really understand the agonies involved in applying and gaining admission to these schools—the grades, entrance exams, essays, interviews, shadowing and waiting for admission letters.

Sara’s dilemma, getting accepted into Notre Dame with the possibility of not being able to go, really struck home. So on Wednesday, my Middle School Student Council convened an “emergency” meeting and agreed to contribute $1,500 to the East Side Heroes scholarship fund.

This is all money they have raised themselves through walk-a-thons and bake sales and the like, and exactly how much they currently have in their account. They always give a portion of their fundraising to charity, but this is the money earmarked for their own dances, class parties and such.

They also decided that they want East Side Heroes to be an organization they continue to support. The school is matching their donation, so they will be donating $3,000 at the East Side Heroes dinner, where Sara will be awarded a full scholarship to Notre Dame. Not bad for a school with 165 kids!

Anyhow, thanks for your attention and your story.

Bonnie Weston, director
Old Orchard School
Campbell, CA

Evergreen resident shares letter sent to mayor

Dear Editor,
I sent the following message to our mayor. Since the Evergreen Times is such a community asset, I would think that my sentiments toward the issue would be worthy of inclusion in your editorials. Thank you for continuing efforts to promote the community spirit, through communication, with our evolving neighborhoods.

Bev Wiedlin
Creekside

Mayor Gonzales,
Please note my significant distress at attempts to remove the input from the Evergreen community in reference to land use planning and development. As a 26-year homeowner in the Evergreen community, I have stood proudly with my neighbors behind the insightful Evergreen Specific Plan that allowed our area to grow as a planned development, while throughout the city of San Jose open land was carelessly cut into segments with little regard for cohesive thriving neighborhoods.

At this time Evergreen is one of the few areas that has the luxury of continuing to develop its assets in a responsible manner. The people that have shown the ability to carry out this planning are the citizens of this thriving community, Evergreen, with its strong politically savvy voters.

California voters are making a strong show of their disapproval of the governor as he caters to big business. I see this attempt to remove the Evergreen citizens from the arena of community planning as a similar power play. My belief is that you were elected to office to carry out the will of the citizens of San Jose, not to cater to land developers and political insiders.

This is a call to action for your support to the citizens of Evergreen by endorsing the EVP and moving toward a future where the citizens control their future.

Bev Wiedlin
Evergreen Homeowner

Reader appreciates coverage of Evergreen Visioning Project

Dear Editor,
Thank you very much for your excellent article about the recent EVP meeting. I hadn’t realized it, but you are “right on” in saying that the EVP could take a long time to commit to anything in the past, but the unprecedented City Council actions made them instantly agree! Thanks also for the page from Councilmember Dave Cortese’s office describing what we could do.

Thanks for keeping us all informed on all Evergreen issues.

C.A.
Pleasant Hills

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