Community

Courtesy of Allyson Johnson
Tech Trek scholars from Crittenden, Blach and Egan middle schools attend the American Association of University Women’s Sept. 29 meeting. Andrea Freund from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business served as keynote speaker.

The American Association of University Women kicked off its membership year Sept. 29 at the Los Altos main library.

Andrea Freund, a doctoral candidate at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, served as keynote speaker, addressing the topic “Getting More of What You Want.” She told the audience of mostly middle-school girls and their parents that women historically start off at a disadvantage in negotiation in the workplace because they tend to see the process as a battle, and are afraid of seeming greedy or “not nice.” In salary negotiation, Freund said, nearly 60% of men negotiated their starting salary, while less than 10% of women asked for more than what was initially offered.

Courtesy of El Camino YMCA
Participants in the Mountain View Police Department’s Dreams & Futures program receive lessons on water safety and basic swimming skills in collaboration with El Camino YMCA’s Safety Around Water program.

The El Camino YMCA in Mountain View recently collaborated with the Mountain View Police Department’s Dreams & Futures program to host a free Safety Around Water program for 100 at-risk students.

Fifty fourth- and fifth-graders and 50 sixth- and seventh-graders received swim lessons from officers and volunteers twice a week over the summer, according to a local YMCA representative. The kids learned basic water skills, what to do when stuck in the water unexpectedly, how to find a safe place to swim, and more.

Courtesy of Robin Chapman
Journalist Robin Chapman and her father, William Ashley Chapman, pose at Moffett Field with his Cessna 152, March 25, 1987, the day they took their only flight together.

The recent visit of the president of the United States – also known as POTUS – to our region brought Air Force One to Moffett Federal Airfield, a facility known to pilots by the code initials NUQ. In recent years, U.S. presidents often have used NUQ, as it is the closest runway to Silicon Valley.

Moffett has played host to a range of important aircraft since it was completed in 1933 – from the Navy dirigible USS Akron to the Blue Angels and today’s Google fleet. Actor James Stewart earned his Air Corps wings there in 1941. During the Cold War, Moffett was home to the Navy’s P-3 Orions, whose squadrons hunted Russian submarines in the Pacific. As tensions eased in the 1980s, NUQ also hosted a civil aviation flying club for veterans like my father.

Therapy Salon owner Sarah Zebb is set to host “Spirit Day” this weekend, her ninth annual fundraiser to help find a cure for cancer.

The event, scheduled 1-5 p.m. Sunday at Therapy, 660 Fremont Ave. in Los Altos, will benefit cancer patients through the nonprofit Unravel Pediatric Cancer.

The Palo Alto Humane Society’s annual Daisy’s Day fundraiser is scheduled 1-4 p.m. Sunday at the Quadrus Conference Center, 2400 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park.

The event supports the veterinary needs of pets in underserved families throughout the Peninsula, raising money for sick and injured animals serviced by the Palo Alto Humane Society, which includes Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View. One of the Humane Society’s goals is to provide emergency veterinary services for pets whose owners may not have funds for lifesaving intervention.

Halloween is right around the corner – and so is the Town Crier’s annual Spooky Stories contest.

We’re offering storytellers of all ages the opportunity to weave a Halloween-themed tale in under 400 words.