As I walked through downtown this morning, hundreds of volunteers and what looked like a few professionals were out in the Plaza de Cesar Chavez setting up this year’s Christmas in the Park display.

Some of the volunteers were wearing t-shirts or sweatshirts from their high school or sorority/fraternity. This group was from the Harker School:

It’s great to see that Christmas in the Park will be back this year, and its great to see so many people getting together to make it happen.

Yesterday, my husband John and I were at Britannia Arms pub (5027 Almaden Expressway, San Jose CA) with a crowd of other wet volunteers helping with their 8th annual “Brit Turkey Drive”.* Michael North and John McKay and pub regulars collected enough donations to buy 700 Thanksgiving turkeys to distribute to the hungry of our community. The turkeys and other food will be given out through the programs of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and Santa Maria Urban Ministry (SMUM) of San Jose. Dignitaries helping with yesterday’s delivery and distribution included The Very Reverend David Bird (Dean of the Cathedral), San Jose Vice Mayor Judy Chirco, and SMUM’s Executive Director, Rev. Lawrence Robles. Channel 7 ABC news was there to film the story.

There were several dozen individual turkeys waiting in the freezer of the Britannia Arms but the morning’s drama was provided by the arrival of four large pallets of frozen birds emerging one by one from the frosty mist of a large delivery truck. Within minutes of the last touchdown on the parking asphalt, individual turkeys and boxes of turkeys were passed from arm to arm into the backs of cars and trucks driven by volunteers to the programs waiting to distribute them. Three cheers for the generosity of the Britannia Arms!

The Channel 7 cameraman said that they might be back to film SMUM serving a full turkey dinner to 200 homeless people under one of San Jose’s bridges – later this month.

* “The Brit Almaden is your authentic neighborhood San Jose British Pub, restaurant, live music venue and Sports bar.”

Images Copyright 2010 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher

Ballet San Jose is looking for men ages 21 and up to be Supernumeraries (non-dancing positions) in this season’s winter story ballet, The Nutcracker.  No previous dance experience required.  If you can count music, are able to run to a beat and jump on cue, then you would be perfect for the ranks of the Super Men.

Ballet San Jose

Interested men should meet the following physical requirements:

Chest Size: no larger than 44″
Height: no taller than 6’3″
Shoe Size: no larger than size 13
Must be physically able to run and jump

Audition Information
Date: Saturday, October 2, 2010
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Location: Ballet San Jose Studios
40 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95113
What to Wear: Sneakers or Running Shoes, Clothing that is comfortable to move in

Questions: Contact Les Reinhardt (408) 288-2820 ext 235 or email LReinhardt@balletsj.org
Please RSVP to Les Reinhardt no later than Friday, October 1st at 5pm if you plan to attend.

You will be taught the movement for Red Russian Guards, White Russian Guards and Spanish Guards. You will be notified no later than Tuesday, October 5, if you have been chosen as a Supernumerary for The Nutcracker. The first rehearsal will be Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 2pm to 4pm at the Ballet SJ studios.

Everyone who auditions will have an opportunity to participate in the production. If you are not chosen to perform a Guard Role, you can be a part of the “Banner” during the performance.  Also you may have other opportunities to be a part of the “Nutcracker Experience” at the San Jose CPA.  Provided you fit the costume requirements, you can be Nutty the Nutcracker, the Mouse King, or a character wrangler before performances.

There are also openings for special appearances in the San Jose Holiday Parade which will be carried by NBC Channel 11 TV.

Ladies can also play a part in the “Nutcracker Experience” by dressing up as Mama Tannenbaum (who gives free toys to children) or as a character wrangler. Also, anyone can help decorate the San Jose CPA lobby for the holiday season during our technical rehearsal period.

If you are only interested in being part of the “Nutcracker Experience,” please contact Les Reinhardt at LReinhardt@balletsj.org.
Don’t miss out on this super fun holiday experience!!!

The second Food 4others Drive benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank will take place on Saturday, August 7th.

The food bank serves 236,500 people every month. One in four people in our own county are at risk for hunger. The Food 4others Drive will conduct a one-day city-wide food drive. The goal is to collect 20,000 pounds of food in just eight hours.

Can you help? Volunteers are needed to pass out fliers to interested incoming customers and help receive donations at participating grocery stores. Donations can be dropped into the barrels located on site. All of the resources – fliers, poster, name tags, barrels, etc. will be provided for volunteers.

This event will take place from 9 AM to 5 PM on 8/7/2010

Together we can make a difference in our community!

Please let April know if you can volunteer during this time. She will give you all the details.

April Hunt

(408) 717-1488

April@4others.org

Food 4others

facebook ~ Food 4others

Badwater for Good Water Walk

Check back with San Jose Metblogs for a list of participating grocery stores taking donations on Aug. 7th.

What has 1600 wheels, 1600 feet, swims through Uvas Reservoir and feasts on burritos and beer?

The 800 triathletes who are signed up for the 19^th Annual Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon!

At 7am Sunday, while most people are still snuggled under the covers, 800 athletes plus numerous volunteers will already be lined up at Uvas, with bikes racked and running shoes set out carefully on towels.  Participants will swim ¾ mile in the reservoir, get on bikes for a 16 mile ride, then take off running for another five miles.  Do you have what it takes?

I’m not sure if I do, but I’ll be there lined up in my wetsuit, too.

The Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon is USAT sanctioned and follows a beautiful, mostly flat course.  Athletes and volunteers return year after year to participate in and support this fast growing sport.  The post race party includes burritos and beer and more!!  If you don’t feel ready to participate or volunteer, feel free to come by and spectate!   It is hard not to catch the triathlon bug when watching your first race.  Don’t be surprised if you decide to hop on your bike Monday and make plans for next year!

Visit the website for more information on the course, parking, volunteering and signing up!  Check back here next week for a write-up of my experience… if I survive!

The “Great American Litter Pick Up” is this Saturday March 20, 2010

Registration 8 AM-8:30
Clean-up 8:30 – 11:30
FREE – celebration lunch for volunteers, 12 noon – 1 PM

Volunteers: bring your own pick-up stick & gloves
All youth under 18 need supervision & transportation to get to clean up sites.

For registration information see “don’t let LITTER trash your community!

For more information or to sign up call: (408) 277-3208
Para información sobre este día de limpieza comunitaria, llame al (408) 277-3208.
Muoná bietá tin töcù banè g tiená g Vietä veà viecä donï racù vötù böaø baiõ , xin goiï soá (408) 277-3208.

Every year, I attend two charity fund raising auctions: the Via Ball which benefits Via Services, and the SAMA Middle Eastern Feast and Auction, sponsored by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Saratoga, benefiting medical relief programs in Haiti, the Holy Land, and Africa.

Via is most famous for the year-round Camp Costanoan, a residential, outdoor education, recreation and learning center for children and adults with physical and/or developmental disabilities and special needs. Via was established in 1945 as the Crippled Children’s Society of Santa Clara County. This year was the 15th Annual Via Ball: a grand event held at Villa Ragusa in Campbell. People with big hearts and Silicon Valley celebrities with big wallets dress up fancy to bid at the auction, have executive chefs and master sommeliers compete for their attention, and dance after dinner. Top auction bids go to Felicia Horowitz’s annual hand-made mosaic quilt, which this year was an amazing 7,000+ piece tribute to Van Gogh’s sunflowers and by itself raised over $10,000. At this year’s Via Ball, my husband John and I bought forty pounds of dried figs (split with another family who were also bidding), our table’s flower centerpiece, and some gift certificates. I get many of my ideas for how to improve the SAMA auction from going to the Via Ball.

SAMA has been holding its annual dinner for 11 years but SAMA’s auction fundraiser is only three years old. Our SAMA committee is entirely made up of volunteers and the event is held in the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School hall. SAMA uses the same auction management software as does the Via Ball – see my 2008 review of Auction! for details. SAMA’s 2010 Middle Eastern Feast was prepared by Nina Amireh, Lucy Asfour, and Andrew Bate plus an energetic crew of volunteers from St. Andrew’s youth group. Entertainment was provided by Gregangelo and Velocity Arts and Entertainment, a whirling dervish.

Each year, the most popular SAMA auction items are in the food and wine category, with the Willow Glen Caboose Brunch and Nina’s “Middle Eastern Dinner for 8” getting top bids in 2010. The Robert Lewis oil painting “New Vineyard, Old Manor” raised the most money of any single auction item. Our family bought a silver dish, a set of Bart Ehrman’s New Testament Lectures on CD, plus an inlaid mosaic frame and chessboard made by Izzat Ashkar of Syria. The entire SAMA auction raised just a few thousand dollars more than Felicia Horowitz’s quilt. SAMA supports programs such as The Four Homes of Mercy, a refuge for the severely disabled based in Jerusalem.

Via Ball

SAMA Auction and Middle Eastern Feast

Images Copyright 2010 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher

For over 25 years, Santa Maria Urban Ministry or SMUM has been a safe place of welcome, service and positive transformation. SMUM is at 778 South Almaden in San Jose, CA. SMUM works with Second Harvest Food Bank to distribute food to the hungry, offers educational program that include ABC Playtime for little kids and the Studio homework and computer club for grade school children, and (of particular interest at this time of year) the VITA income tax preparation service in many languages.

The small SMUM building is very well used: the VITA and Studio programs use the same well-managed computer lab at different times of day. Although SMUM is the official charity of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, its free community services are supported mostly by grants and donations by the Friends of Santa Maria.

On 27 February, SMUM held its annual volunteer appreciation lunch at Trinity Cathedral in downtown San Jose. Constructed in 1863, Trinity is the oldest church building in San Jose.

Dozens of volunteers, from the middle and high school tutors for Studio to the retirees who staff the welcome desk, gathered to eat tamales, fried rice, fruit salad and Tres Leches Cake.  Many of the volunteers arrived at the lunch directly after working the morning food warehouse shift.

Everyone was given a green t-shirt and a Certificate of Appreciation.  There was much applause for Rev. Lawrence Robles (SMUM’s Executive Director) and his wife Carmen (who manages the warehouse).

Images Copyright 2010 by Katy Dickinson

Natalie

A bone marrow testing drive will take place at Roy’s Station (corner of N. 5th and Jackson Streets) on Sunday, February 21st, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We are hoping to be able to help find a donor match for 8 year-old Natalie Nakatani, and others. The Asian American Donor Program will be on hand to take samples. Testing is painless – a simple swab on the inside of the cheek, and there are no fees involved.

Roy’s Station

Hope for Natalie

The Asian American Donor Program

AADP for translation.

Last night my husband, Ken, and I were remembering that September morning… I dressed for work, took my bowl of Cheerios and sat in front of the TV. I was expecting the usual morning news and traffic report. What I saw was so shocking. I could not believe my eyes and started to yell. Ken ran in holding his razor with his face covered in shaving cream just in time to see the second plane hit.

We considered not going to work, but as taxi drivers we knew that our services would be in demand. At San Jose Airport all flights had been grounded. The nervous travelers had only one thing on their minds; getting back home or to a hotel. We were busy for most of the morning and early afternoon. The airport emptied out, and then it was as if the city had just stopped. We drove home.

What are your memories of that day?

* National Day of Service and Remembrance in San Jose
A ceremony to honor attack victims and the brave firefighters, police officers, and civilians who gave so much. After which off duty San Jose firefighters and police officers along with volunteers will help with vegetable beds and neighborhood cleanup.

September 11th
Sacred Heart Community Service
1381 S. First St, San Jose
Scheduled 8:30 AM

9/11 Becomes Day of Service