May 18, 2007

NEWS BRIEFS

San José Public Libraries Summer Reading Celebration signups June 16

On June 16, the first wave of an estimated 25,000-plus youth and their families are expected to queue up at San José Public Libraries to sign up for the annual Summer Reading Celebration. The eight-week program encourages recreational reading as a family activity, offering fun prizes as rewards for reaching each of five reading milestones for a cumulative total of 30 hours.

Each year program materials carry a new theme to spark the imagination and engage readers' sense of fun. This year, Get a Clue @ your library serves children (birth through grade 5) and YNK @ your library serves teens (grades 6-12).

For the first time this year, San José Public Library will offer an additional program component specifically for adults, Summer Sleuthing @ your library. Throughout the month of July, adults are invited to read books and win prizes through weekly drawings at all San José library locations. Prizes will include bookstore gift certificates, restaurant and coffee shop certificates, and other great prizes from local businesses. Several San José libraries will also host mystery author programs in July.

While the focus of Summer Reading Celebration is on promoting reading as an enjoyable, stress-free activity, there is a more serious underlying benefit for young people. Research has shown that student learning declines or remains stagnant during the summer months; phenomena often referred to as the "summer setback." However, research also shows that children who read or are read to at least three times a week have a higher rate of academic success than children from homes where they have less exposure to books. The Library's summer reading program has proven to be a great motivator to get families coming to the library on a regular basis and reading. Eighty percent of participants surveyed last year report that they both read more and enjoyed reading more as a result of the program.

San José residents may sign up any time starting June 16 and complete as many milestones as they wish. Family members may sign up for the youth programs individually or as a group, tracking progress with one reading log. Credit may also be earned for reading aloud to younger family members. Those who complete all five stages will take home a free book. Participants may complete as many logs as they wish, but only one for prizes.

For more information, call your neighborhood library or King Library Youth Services at (408) 808-2183.

Evergreen Valley Recreation Club accepting summer registration

The Evergreen Valley Recreation Club will be open for another fun summer of swimming and basking in the sun! The club will be opened to members from May 12 to September 30. The pool is located at 3380 Woodside Lane in San Jose. 

The club has one large heated swimming pool, a wading pool, new public showers and restrooms. A picnic area and BBQ’s are available and you can reserve the area and host a swim party. A volleyball/large play area and patio deck area are also available for your enjoyment. Membership dues for the new season are $375 per family. To reserve your membership, mail or drop off your application and dues in the mailbox at the pool entrance. 

Applications and information are available online http://evrcpool.tk or at the at pool entrance.  Any questions please visit http://evrcpool.tk or email evrcpool@yahoo.com or call (408) 327-9201.

Yerba Buena Villas annual garage sale June 9

Yerba Buena Villas will hold its’ annual garage sale on June 9 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 360-unit wide garage sale is located at Yerba Buena and San Felipe Roads, west of Evergreen Valley College. All are welcome – no early birds please.

Yolanda King dead at age 51

Yolanda King, the eldest child of civil rights pioneer Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., died on May 15 in Santa Monica, Ca., at the age of 51. According to Associated Press reports, an immediate cause of death had not yet been determined.

Yolanda King, born on Nov. 17, 1955 in Montgomery, AL, is shown during one of her final local speaking engagements when she spoke at the fifth annual Carry the Vision Community Nonviolence Conference at Evergreen Valley College on April 21.

The conference, which emphasizes non-violent choices in solving conflicts to residents, saw Yolanda King regale her audience with stories of her famed father, as well as her mother, Coretta Scott King. Among other things, Yolanda King spoke of the importance of key civil rights events, and how the passage of time didn’t diminish their importance on society today.

“The dream didn’t die,” said King at the conference, and emphasized personal and social change by inspiring “individuals to passionately create peace in their own lives, hereby encouraging the same within their families, communities and across the globe.”

Yolanda King is survived by brothers Dexter Scott King and Martin Luther King III, as well as sister, the Rev. Bernice King.

—Photo by Dan Miranda