Debate set between assembly candidates
The Peninsula Democratic Coalition and the South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition have teamed up to present a debate between 21st Assembly District candidates Steve Poizner and Ira Ruskin. The debate is scheduled 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, at the Los Altos High School theater.
Richard Henning, founder of the Celebrity Forum speaker series at Foothill College, will moderate the event.
Poizner, a Republican, is a high-tech entrepreneur from Los Gatos. He claims bipartisan objectives of overhauling the state education system and creating a better climate for businesses.
Ruskin, a Democrat, is a Redwood City councilman whose objectives include better environmental protections, better services for seniors and improved fiscal management.
Poizner, whose campaign headquarters are located in Los Altos, was a White House Fellow in 2001-2002. Ruskin serves on the Bay Area Regional Water System Financing Authority.
‘Customs and Costumes’ exhibit
The History Museum’s current exhibit “Timeless Weddings: Customs and Costumes” will run through Sept. 12. The exhibit showcases the last 100 years of wedding gown and ceremony history, featuring representative costumes and accessories from the 1890s to the present.
The museum is open noon to 4 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays, and is located at 51 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos. Admission is free. For more information, logon to www.losaltoshistory.org or call 948-9427.
‘Green Foothills’ invites landscapes
The Committee for Green Foothills plans to feature landscape paintings from local artists in its reception and exhibition, “Nature’s inspirations: Celebrating the Arts,” scheduled Oct. 30, at the Family Farm in Woodside.
Artists selected can participate in the exhibition and art sale. They will also be eligible for the Jane Gallagher Award presented to an artist whose work honors the places, people and organizations that inspire the protection of open space.
To be eligible, artists must live in the San Francisco Bay Area and submit a complete application by the July 14 deadline. For more information, logon to www.GreenFoothills.org/Art or call Velma Gentzsch at 968-7243.
Volunteers needed to help seniors
Community Services Agency’s goal is to help homebound seniors stay healthy, independent and in their own homes for as long as possible. The agency is seeking volunteers who can offer a few hours to drive seniors to and from medical appointments. To volunteer, call 964-4630.
Hospital chaplaincy service needs help
The El Camino Hospital Chaplaincy Service will train a new group of volunteers in September. A commitment of two hours per week for six months is required. For more information, call the Rev. Maryellen Garnier at 988-7568.
Donate phones to help victims
Used cell phones can be donated to the “Donate-A-Phone” program to help victims of domestic violence. Phones can be delivered, preferably in a plastic bag, to Shelly Potvin at Coldwell Banker, 161 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos. Drop-off hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. Donations are tax-deductible.
Volunteers needed for Partners in Caring
The Stanford University Chaplaincy Office invites volunteers to provide practical and emotional support to community members who are homebound. Opportunities include friendly visiting, essential transportation, shopping and meal assistance. Training and ongoing education are required.
For more information, call 723-5101.
Hidden Villa seeks
farm guides
Hidden Villa Farm, 26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills, needs volunteers one morning a week to guide the nearly 20,000 schoolchildren expected to visit the farm this school year. Volunteer times are Tuesday to Friday mornings, for a minimum of two hours.
For more information, call 949-8643.
UN store seeks
volunteers
The United Nations Association Store, 552 Emerson Ave., Palo Alto, is seeking volunteers for three-hour shifts, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.
This non-profit store has the full range of UNICEF gifts and cards.
For more information, call 326-3170.
History museum
seeks volunteers
The Los Altos History Museum is looking for museum store sales volunteers, tour docents, resource volunteers and interns. Sales volunteers and docents are needed noon to 4 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. For more information, logon to www.losaltoshistory.org.
High school through graduate school students can join the intern program to gain experience, earn community service hours or learn about their community. To volunteer for the intern program, call 948-9427, ext. 10, or e-mail madelyn.crawford@ci.los-altos.ca.us.
Riding institute
seeks volunteers
The Westwind Riding Institute, located at Westwind Barn, 27210 Altamont Road, Los Altos Hills, is searching for energetic volunteers to help groom and lead horses, as well as walk beside riders during lessons.
The institute is a non-profit organization that offers riding lessons to children with physical handicaps 3:45-5 p.m., Mondays and Thursdays.
No experience is needed to volunteer, just a love of animals and dedication to the very special children of the community. For more information, call 947-8680.
E-mail notification
at Los Altos library
The Santa Clara County Library can send notices, such as titles of holds and overdue notices, to patrons via e-mail. To sign up for e-mail notification, patrons may obtain a form at the Los Altos main library reference desk and turn it in at the circulation desk.
At the Woodland branch library, patrons should ask at the circulation desk. Patrons who sign up will no longer receive such notices through the post office.
Volunteers needed
by service agency
The Community Services Agency needs volunteers to work one to two hours a week to help provide food to local low-income families and the homeless. Volunteer work would include the pickup and delivery of donated food from local markets to the agency’s Food and Nutrition Center. Weekday morning positions are available.
For more information, call 964-4630.
Daughters
workshops
Daughters of the American Revolution holds workshops the first Wednesday of every month. For more information, including the time and place of workshops, call 494-1866.
Girl Scouts aid
homeless
The Girl Scouts’ Shelter Program provides after-school educational experiences to more than 400 homeless children at four county shelters. The program offers recreational activities as well as help with leadership skills, decision making and conflict resolution.
For more about this program and other Girl Scout activities, call 949-5531.
Red Cross accepting
vehicle donations
The American Red Cross in Palo Alto has initiated a vehicle donation program to generate funds for disaster preparedness and health and safety services in the community.
The Red Cross is accepting contributions of new and used - running or not - automobiles, small pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. A free and convenient pickup will be arranged, and a tax-deductible contribution will benefit the donor as well as the Red Cross.
To donate a vehicle, call 688-0415.
Los Altos-Mtn. View
newcomers club
The Alto-View Newcomers Club, a non-profit organization serving families in Los Altos and Mountain View, sponsors a variety of activities, including wine tastings, mom-and-tot get-togethers, a book club, tennis and potluck dinners.
For more information, call 961-6873.
Guide dog puppies
looking for homes
The San Rafael-based Guide Dogs For the Blind, Inc. is recruiting adults and youths to raise guide dog puppies. Volunteers are needed to teach puppies obedience, house training and social skills by providing home care and direction. The commitment lasts for about 15 months, after which the pups are returned to the guide dog school in San Rafael for formal training by licensed instructors.
For more information, write to Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc., Puppy Raising Department, P.O. Box 151200, San Rafael, CA 94915-1200; call (800) 295-4050; or logon to www.guidedogs.com.
Seniors get utility
tax exemptions
Senior citizens living in Los Altos may be eligible for an exemption from the utility user taxes found on their gas, electricity, telephone, cable television and water bills.
To qualify, seniors must be 65 or older, reside in a household where the gross annual income of all residents does not exceed $27,200, and not be otherwise reimbursed from the utility charges upon which the tax is based.
For more information, call the Los Altos Finance Department at 948-1491.
Wildlife Rescue offers
classes for volunteers
Volunteers 16 years or older interested in caring for injured wildlife can enroll in Wildlife Rescue’s year-round training classes.
Mid-March through early October is the busiest time of year for Wildlife Rescue. This is nesting season, and many baby birds and squirrels fall from nests due to people pruning their trees.
Last year Wildlife Rescue cared for 2,410 injured and orphaned wild animals, including many from the Los Altos area. Approximately 58 percent of the animals treated were returned to the wild.
For more information, call 494-7417.
Support group for
single parents
The Shoreline Chapter of Parents Without Partners serves Santa Clara County as a support group for single parents. The group meets 5 p.m. every Saturday for introductions to the organization and is open to all single parents. A monthly dance is held every third Friday.
For more information, call (408) 275-9057.
Widows and widowers
support group
The Mid-Peninsula Widows and Widowers Association meets 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the Los Altos Lutheran Church, 460 S. El Monte Ave., Los Altos. The association helps people begin a new life following the death of a spouse. All widows and widowers of the area are invited to attend.
For more information, call 964-2612 or 968-1408.
Senior home repair
volunteers needed
The City of Los Altos Senior In-home Repair Program needs volunteers to perform minor repairs. The program makes it possible for senior citizens to continue living independently in their own homes.
People handy in any aspect of home repair are urged to call the city’s Volunteers Enriching Government Action coordinator at 948-1491, ext. 229.
Business women’s
association
The American Business Women’s Association meets 5:30 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of every month, at Mac’s American Grill, 325 Main St., Los Altos. The group is dedicated to the professional development of women.
For more information, call 324-2808 or 964-8000, ext. 3013.
Kiwanis meets
every Tuesday
The Kiwanis Club of Los Altos, which benefits primarily needy or underprivileged children, meets at noon every Tuesday at Mac’s American Grill, 325 Main St., Los Altos.
For more information, call 964-7051.
Symphony auxiliary
invites new members
The Peninsula Symphony Auxiliary has been serving the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra for more than 30 years. The auxiliary is made up of guilds from Los Altos to Burlingame. The guilds meet once a month for a music-related program.
Anyone interested in becoming a guild member may call 941-1857.
CSA seeking help
for seniors
The Community Services Agency of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View needs volunteers in the Senior Outreach Service program. Volunteers provide assistance with daily living activities to seniors in their homes.
Opportunities include brown bag drivers (must be available 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays), escorted transportation drivers, in-home volunteers (grocery shopping and light house cleaning) and socialization support (assistance in reading).
For more information, call Penny Morehead at 964-4630.
Weekly bag of food for
low-income seniors
Low-income Los Altos and Los Altos Hills seniors may be eligible to receive a weekly bag of groceries for $10 a year.
Those who are 60 years of age or older, or disabled and 55 or older, may call Second Harvest Food Bank at (408) 266-8950 or Community Services Agency at 968-0836 to find out whether they qualify.
American Legion
meeting at Elks
American Legion Fremont Post 52 meets 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. every Friday at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge on El Camino Real, Palo Alto. The organization focuses on supporting disabled veterans at the Veterans Hospital in Palo Alto.
For more information, call 961-2232.
Foothill Stamp Club
open to collectors
All persons interested in stamp collecting as a hobby may join the Foothill Stamp Club, which meets 7:30 p.m. the first and third Mondays of the month on the second floor of Great Western Bank, 199 Main St., Los Altos.
Longtime collectors and newcomers alike are invited to join the club. For more information, call 964-8923.
Camera operators
sought by VEGA
The City of Los Altos volunteer program, Volunteers Enriching Government Action, needs people to operate the remote-controlled TV cameras for city council and planning commission meetings. Training with easy-to-follow directions will be provided for qualified candidates.
Meetings are held Tuesday and Thursday nights. After initial training, a six-month commitment is required.
For more information, call Volunteer Coordinator Phyllis Semple at 948-1491, ext. 229.
Friendly Visiting Service
seeks volunteers
Friendly Visiting Service is seeking volunteers to make weekly one-hour visits to senior Los Altos residents who live alone or in care homes and who have few or no family or friends in the area.
The volunteers are needed in four Friendly Visiting Service programs. An interview and four hours of training are required.
For more information, call 329-0888.
Docent training
from MROSD
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is registering volunteers for its docent program, which provides guided hikes, walks and tours to the public throughout the year.
The program attracts adults of all ages who are interested in the preservation of open space and who would enjoy learning about the natural and human history of the midpeninsula and sharing their knowledge with others.
For more information, call Patty Quillin at 691-1200.
Volunteers needed
for Food Closet
The Food Closet needs volunteers to help sort and carry donations, organize merchandise and hand out food bags. Volunteers may work 9 a.m. to noon or 1:30-4:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. The Food Closet serves low-income families and individuals in Mountain View and Los Altos.
For more information, call Shirley Lowler at 964-4630.
Volunteers needed
for trail projects
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has opportunities for volunteers to help with trail and revegetation projects on its open space preserves.
Space is limited, so volunteers should call and register at least one week in advance. Training, tools and supervision are provided.
To be placed on the mailing list for volunteer projects, call 691-1200.
Exchange students
need local hosts
Local families interested in hearing a new language, experiencing another culture and seeing how easy it is to make new friends who will last a lifetime are invited to learn more about hosting a Youth For Understanding international exchange student.
All kinds of families are selected as hosts: married couples with or without children, single parents, as well as families with teenagers. Host families provide room, board, guidance and the experience of what everyday life is like in the United States.
For more information, call Eric Seid at 948-3300.
