Community

Courtesy of El Cajon Project

Leslie Nguyen learns culinary skills through chef Betty Ewing’s El Cajon Project.

Betty Ewing has been trying to make a difference in the lives of youth since 1993, when she founded the El Cajon Project. The nonprofit endeavor provides youth at risk of not graduating from high school with a newfound sense of direction, responsibility and self-sufficiency through an immersive culinary program.

“(In 1993), I had a restaurant and had spoken to the local high school’s vice principal,” Ewing said. “I asked, ‘Do you have students that might not graduate?’ He replied, ‘Absolutely.’”

Course helps residents become local ‘LEAD’-ers

Los Altos Community Foundation is accepting applications for its 2019 Leadership Education Advancement program.

Designed for local residents and business owners who want to make a difference in the community, the LEAD course provides an in-depth introduction to Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. In 10 interactive classes, participants learn about the municipal, nonprofit, school, hospital and business groups that drive the community and meet the organizations’ leaders.

The Town Crier has named Los Altos resident Dennis Young, a community volunteer for more than four decades, its Los Altan of the Year for 2018.

Young, 75, has been deeply involved in community volunteerism since the 1980s. He’s been active in everything from the Rotary Club of Los Altos to the Community Health Awareness Council and Los Altos Community Foundation.

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Joint Community Volunteer Service Award winners for 2018 include, from left, Jeff Deaton, Laura Teksler, Russ Satake, Donna Drako, Jim Clark, Chuck Lindauer and Melissa and Steve Seligman.

Eight more surprised Los Altos and Los Altos Hills community volunteers made their way to the honorees’ table after being named 2018 Joint Community Volunteer Service Award winners Friday.

The annual event, in its 36th year, recognizes unsung volunteers who contribute in a variety of ways, from mentoring students to helping their neighborhoods with emegency preparedness. A 12-member committee comprising six residents from each city, selects winners from the nominees recommended by local nonprofit groups.

Young

The Town Crier has named Los Altos resident Dennis Young, a community volunteer for more than four decades, its Los Altan of the Year for 2018.

Young, 75, has been deeply involved in community volunteerism since the 1980s. He’s been active in everything from the Rotary Club of Los Altos to Community Services Agency and its mission to help those in need. He’s used his accounting expertise to crunch the numbers for countless political candidates and their campaigns. He’s served as master of ceremonies for the annual awards luncheon honoring other community volunteers. And he’s even played Santa at the Festival of Lights Parade.

Although much progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the United States, a pioneering AIDS physician recently told the Rotary Club of Los Altos that much work remains to be done to alleviate the disease in developing countries.

Since the discovery of the disease in 1981, the infection rate in the U.S. has declined significantly.