Third Charter School Sought in Livermore - The Independent

PAGE 12 - The Independent, OCTOBER 13, 2011Nature ProgramsA Pumpkin Carving Campfire will behosted by the Livermore Area Recreationand Park District ranger staff on Sat.,Oct. 15. Meet Ranger Dawn Soles at4:30 p.m. at Sycamore Grove Park, 5049Arroyo Road.Halloween is fast approaching anddecorations are going to be popping outleft and right. Join me for an eveningfilled with one favorite – the pumpkin!Participants will spend the first part of theevening carving this squash into works ofart, or horror. Please bring a pumpkin andcarving tools if you have them (there willbe a few tools to lend). Carving stencilswill be provided. There will be a BBQgoing if you would like to bring food togrill. We’ll then head down to the campfireto hear about the history of Halloween andhave some Halloween fun. Hot chocolateand s’mores fixins’ will be provided. A $4per person donation is requested. PleaseRSVP by calling (925) 960-2400. Signup early – space is limited.Oaks and Acorns is the topic of theSun., Oct. 16 program. Meet Ranger AmyWolitzer at 2 p.m. at Sycamore GrovePark, 5049 Arroyo Road.Come for a short walk (less than ½mile) to admire the different types ofoaks that grow in our parks and helpus collect some acorns for planting thiswinter. Participants will also learn abouthow important oaks and acorns were tothe Indians that lived in this area and theprocess they used to make these nuts edible.There will be some replicas of toolsand baskets used in the process. Thoseattending may even have an opportunityto make (and taste) acorn mush.There is a $5 per vehicle parking fee atboth entrances to Sycamore Grove Park. A$2 donation is requested to help supportthe programs. Participants may call 925-960-2400 for more information.Adobe VolunteersThe City of Pleasanton’s Alviso AdobeCommunity Park is currently seekingvolunteer docent applicants to join theEducation Program team.Alviso Adobe Community Park islocated at 3465 Old Foothill Road in thewestern foothills of Pleasanton. Volunteerdocents should enjoy learning and leadinghands-on activities with school groupsand other park visitors. All applicantsmust complete a volunteer applicationand attend an interview.To apply online, please visit www.helplendahand.org, or contact StephanieCarman at (925) 931-3479 or scarman@ci.pleasanton.ca.us.The application deadlineis Friday, October 28, 2011. Once anapplicant is selected to become a volunteerdocent, they must be fingerprint clearedand TB tested at the city’s expense.Breast Cancer SymposiumValleyCare Health System, alongwith ValleyCare Medical Foundationand Valley Medical Oncology Consultantswill present a free Breast CancerSymposium on Thursday, Oct. 27, 6 to 8p.m. at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel,FAZ Ballroom, 5121 Hopyard Road inPleasanton.The Symposium is designed for cancersurvivors, caregivers and those whoselives have been touched by breast cancer,as well as the general public concernedabout cancer and its prevention.Guest speakers and their topics includethe following:Lori Hope, a two-time cancer survivorand author of Help Me Live: 20 ThingsPeople with Cancer Want You to KnowRuby Chang, MD, “3D Breast Ultrasound:A New Screening Tool. Does ThisIncrease the Chance for a Cure?”Nicole Jeffrey-Starr, MD, “Importanceof Clinical Breast Exams and BreastSelf Exams”Rakesh Patel, MD, “Evolution ofRadiation Therapy: Less is More”Steve Williams, MD, “ImmediateBreast Reconstruction”Vanni Mathiram, MD, “Do I Need anAxillary Lymph Node Dissection?”Rishi Sawhney, MD, “PersonalizedChemotherapy & Targeted Therapy inBreast Cancer”In addition to presentations by thespeakers, there will be question and answersessions and a free door prize drawing.Light refreshments will be served. ToRSVP, call (925) 734-3319.Health ProgramsThe public is invited to attend twoprograms hosted by Rosewood Gardens,an assisted living and memory carecommunity located at 35 Fenton Streetin Livermore, California. To attend, call925-443-7200.Veterans Aid & Attendance Workshopfor Veterans and Surviving Spouses, Saturday,October 15, 10:30am – 11:30am:Veterans and their surviving spouses couldbe eligible for up to $23,388 of tax-freeincome per year to help pay for assistedliving or home healthcare expenses. Findout more at this free workshop presentedby Jake Birnberg of Hoosier Senior Solutions.Continental breakfast will be served,compliments of Rosewood Gardens.Understanding Alzheimer's and OtherMemory Disorders, Monday, November14th, 11:00am - 12:00pm: When memorydisorders begin to impact everyday life andoverall safety, it’s time for answers. Joinexperts Anaga Kumar and Dara Burke forthis important luncheon seminar. You’lllearn the warning signs, the facts aboutAlzheimer’s and other memory disorders,plus forward-looking strategies for livingwith memory loss or caring for a lovedone experiencing it.Recently, Watermark RetirementCommunities, Inc. assumed managementand ownership of Rosewood Gardens, inLivermore, California.Christmas ChildOperation Christmas Child kickoffevent will be held on Oct. 15, 6 p.m.at Crosswinds Church, Dublin. Guestspeaker Livia Satterfield will share herstory.For twelve years of her life, Livia livedin a Romanian orphanage. With a lack oflove and care from the orphanage attendantsand fellow orphans, she remembersher life changing as a 9-year-old througha simple shoe box.Dublin kids, families and volunteershost a celebration event to kick-off the2011 Operation Christmas Child seasonin which they aim to collect 22,000 shoebox gifts. Dublin residents will learn howto impact hurting children a world awaywith simple shoe box gifts this holidayseason.Crosswinds Church is located at 6444Sierra Ct., Dublin.Operation Christmas Child, a projectof international Christian relief and evangelismorganization Samaritan’s Purse,headed by Franklin Graham, is the world’slargest Christmas project of its kind. Since1993, the project has hand-delivered morethan 86 million shoe box gifts to needychildren in more than 130 countries.For more information on how toparticipate in Operation Christmas Child,call (714) 432-7030 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org.Witch WinnersLivermore Downtown Inc. recentlyhosted a Witches Night Out event thatincluded a variety of contests.The winners are: Favorite Martini,Pineapple Cilantro from The Clay Ovenpoured by Bartender Elias at ultra-spectivephotography; Favorite Bartender: Chaseof Simply Fondue; Favorite ShoppingLocation: Main Street Designs.Pedestrian SafetyDuring the month of October, theLivermore Police Department will befocusing its efforts on vehicle safety asit pertains to Pedestrian Safety.The City of Livermore’s pedestrianaccident statistics are below the nationalaverage. However, recently LPD hasresponded to several vehicle vs. pedestriancollisions, especially around schools.The department’s Traffic Unit routinelyconducts pedestrian safety operationsthroughout the city to enforce pedestrians’right-of-way violations. During themonth of October the Traffic Unit willbe conducting pedestrian operations onWednesday, October 19. The departmentalso designates crossing guards toschools with high pedestrian and vehicletraffic. The crossing guards are there toassist students with crossing the busyroadways during school hours. Additionally,the city has several crosswalk trafficdevices throughout the city at locationswith high vehicle and pedestrian traffic.The devices are in-ground flashing lightsto warn drivers of foot traffic crossing theroadway. Pedestrians are encouraged touse crosswalks.Questions regarding pedestrian safetyor general traffic issues, may be directedto contact Officer Joe Nguyen @ theLivermore Police Department Traffic Unitat (925) 371-4850.Halloween CraftCreate a spooky Halloween craft todecorate your home for the holiday! Allcraft times will be on a drop-in basis andcraft assistants will be on hand to helpyou at various times throughout the craftprogram. Please see below for times andlocations:Rincon Branch Library: Friday, October14, 2011, 3:30-4:30 p.m., located at725 Rincon Avenue.Civic Center Library: Wednesday,October 26, 2011, 12:00-5:30 p.m., locatedat 1188 S. Livermore Avenue.All ages are welcome to these freelibrary programs. Contact Youth Servicesat (925) 373-5504, or Rincon at (925)373-5540, for more information.