Community

The Palo Alto-based Alto Swim Club, which has several Los Altos residents as members, recently partnered with Beyond Barriers Athletic Foundation to provide aquatics-program scholarships to underserved youth.

“We want to make swimming accessible to as many interested youths as possible and be able to offer more swimming opportunities to currently underrepresented populations in USA swimming,” said Laura Mitchell, one of Alto Swim Club’s head coaches. “Swimming is a critical life skill. It’s a foundational skill set we believe every child and adult should have the opportunity to learn.”

Titus

Move over, Pokemon GO – a new virtual-reality game may offer the same thrill of discovery while providing inspiration for girls in grades K-8 on several levels.

Through her startup Golden Poppy Inc., Los Altos resident Carrol Titus recently launched what she calls “the first augmented-reality mobile outdoor game” to promote STEM learning for girls. The game debuted at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last month in Las Vegas.

Garden Club spotlights planting vegetables

The Garden Club of Los Altos is scheduled to meet 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Los Altos Lutheran Church, 460 S. El Monte Ave.

Master gardener Ann Burrell will discuss “Planning Your Vegetable Garden,” offering tips on how to plant the best-tasting and most prolific vegetables in a small area.

The Los Altos Senior Program has scheduled a free tax-return preparation service Monday mornings through April 13.

The Tax-Aide service, sponsored by the AARP Foundation, is the nation’s largest volunteer tax assistance program, and Los Altos has hosted a Tax-Aide site since 1997.

My veterinary practice has been receiving an increased number of phone calls asking if we declaw cats. Declawing is an ethically controversial procedure that entails amputation of the third “toe bone.” In comparison to a human, it is the same as cutting off the finger at the last joint. There are effective alternatives.

The Peninsula Democratic Coalition has scheduled its annual meeting 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Los Altos Youth Center, 1 N. San Antonio Road.

The meeting will include lunch at noon, followed by a panel discussion, “Let’s Hear from the Women: Newly Electeds in the Mid-Peninsula,” with city councilwomen Neysa Fligor of Los Altos, Ellen Kamei of Mountain View, Alison Cormack of Palo Alto and Giselle Hale of Redwood City.