Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno will participate in the annual Wreaths Across America program that is held to honor our country”s deceased veterans.
Presented by the Avenue of Flags Committee, this year”s Wreaths Across America ceremony will start at 8:45 a.m. Dec. 12 on Nimitz Drive within the cemetery at 1300 Sneath Lane (Veterans Way), in San Bruno.
Afterwards, volunteers will help place a lovely green wreath with a bright red bow on selected gravesites. The number of graves decorated with a wreath will depend on the number of wreaths — at $15 each — that — are bought by the public between now and the Nov. 30 deadline.
Three organizations in San Mateo County are selling the wreaths: Avenue of Flags Committee; San Andreas Lake Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution; and San Mateo County Blue Star Moms.
Whichever organization you choose to buy from, make sure that the correct identification number — CA0002P for Avenue of Flags Committee or CA0141P for San Andreas Lake Chapter NSDAR or CA0020P for Blue Star Moms — is on the sponsorship form submitted with your check that should be made out according to the instructions on the appropriate form. Mailing instructions are also on the forms.
The sponsorship form and more details for the Avenue of Flags Committee may be found at http://www.bit.ly/GGNC-AoF; for the San Andreas Lake Chapter NSDAR, go to www.wreathsacrossamerica.org; or for the Blue Star Moms, go to www.sanmateocountybluestarmoms.org.
Wreaths may also be purchased from any one of the three organizations on the Wreaths Across America website by checking for their identification number and putting it on the correct form at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, conceived the idea for Wreaths Across America in 1992 when his company had a surplus of wreaths near the end of the holiday season. He decided to honor our country”s veterans and made arrangements for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
“In 2008, over 300 locations held wreath laying ceremonies in every state, Puerto Rico, and 24 overseas cemeteries,” as written on the WAA website. “Over 100,000 wreaths were placed on veteran”s graves. Over 60,000 volunteers participated. Dec. 13, 2008, was unanimously voted by the U.S. congress as ”Wreaths Across America Day.””
The wreath laying is still held annually, on the second or third Saturday of December. The laying of the one-millionth-remembrance wreath donated nationwide to remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach our children the value of freedom, took place in 2012.
In 2014, Wreaths Across America and the national network of volunteers placed more than 700,000 memorial wreaths at 1,000 locations in the United States and beyond.
For questions, call Carolyn Livengood, president, Avenue of Flags Committee, at 650-355-5533 or email carolynlivengood@sanbrunocable.com; Kristen Matthias, regent, San Andreas Lake Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution at 650-347-7334 or email kristenmattias@gmail.com; or Amy O”Campo, president, San Mateo County Blue Star Moms, at 650-756-1857 or email president.ca15@bluestarmothers.us.
South San Francisco award-winning artist to demonstrate an ancient script baybay
Elizabeth Nisperos, South San Francisco award-winning artist and techie, will be one of the calligraphers who will demonstrate an ancient script baybayin for Calligraphies in Conversation from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Bradley C. Walters Community Room at the Oakland Main Library, 125 14th St., in Oakland.
The following four notable calligraphic artists will provide fascinating demonstrations for the public”s enjoyment: * Rick Paulus, former White House chief calligrapher; Alan A. Blackman, prominent San Francisco calligrapher and lettering artist; Elizabeth Nisperos, multidisciplinary calligrapher reviving the lost Babylonian script of the Philippines; Arash Shirinbab, award-winning artist and Arabic-Persian calligrapher.
After the demonstrations, attendees will be able to participate in a hands-on calligraphy workshop and make their own calligraphic art.
Entrance to the event is free.
Duggan”s Serra Mortuary owners to speak at history event
Brothers Dan and Bill Duggan, owners of the Duggan”s Serra Mortuary in Daly City, will be the featured speakers at the History Evening hosted by the History Guild of Daly City-Colma at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Doelger Center Caf, 101 Lake Merced Blvd., in Daly City.
Dan Duggan is the firm”s president and Bill Duggan is vice president and chief financial officer.
Opened in 1963, the mortuary that bears the Duggan brothers” family name has an interesting history that dates back to the 1880s San Francisco. They will share their memories of the family business, the move to Daly City, construction of the funeral home and mortuary on the site of the long ago, well-known Daly City swimming hole, Knowles” Pond, and more with the public.
The Duggans will also talk about the only other mortuary in Daly City, the former W.C. Lasswell & Company, which closed in the 1990s. Like Duggan”s Serra Mortuary, Lasswell was a family affair where everyone was involved, whether born into the founding families or marrying into them, such as the late former Daly City Mayor Bernard “Bud” Lycett, who was married to Edna “Bunny” Lasswell, a pioneer female embalmer along with her sister Ida.
Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.
Sequoia High School Dream Club invites public to Making Dreams Come True: The Time is Now! event
Sequoia High School Dream Club is inviting the public to attend the club”s sixth annual Making Dreams Come True: The Time is Now! event being held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at the high school”s Multi-Purpose Room, 1201 Brewster Ave., in Redwood City.
The event offers an opportunity to hear immigrant youths share their experience — their stories will address their challenges and successes.
The evening will also include dinner, door prizes, student art, and education, which will be presented in both English and Spanish.
Tickets cost: $10 per adult, $5 per student or parent, and free for children under 10 years of age.
Tickets will be available to purchase at the door.
For questions, email Jane Slater at jslater@seq.org.
Open Studio event planned along coast
The Colony of Coastside Artists of San Mateo County will hold its fifth annual Open Studio Weekend from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 21 and 22 at the studios of 40 participating artists in 24 different locations from Montara to Half Moon Bay.
The event is a celebration of the visual arts and creative process, which offers a unique opportunity for the public to meet a variety of artists and craftspeople in their own studios and view their amazing work. Most of the studios are usually only open to the public during this special weekend.
Bright yellow signs will on the coastside roads marking the locations of the studios where the public will see original work in the following media: aroma therapy and skin care; beading; ceramics; collage; encaustic, oil, silk, and watercolor paintings; fabric design; felt and silk wearable art; giclees and prints; handmade painted pillows; herbal art; hot glass; illustration; jewelry; mixed media; photography; and weaving. All of the art will be for sale.
Highlighting the event, a “holiday passport” will be available that will make those attending eligible to win one of more than 12 valuable gifts of art.
To help find the open studios and learn about each artist, go to www.colonyofcoastsideartists.com or the group”s Facebook page, which can be printed.
North Peninsula American Association of University Women to feature gAstronomy: Food and Astrophysics program
The next monthly meeting of the North Peninsula American Association of University Women will feature gAstronomy: Food and Astrophysics, a program that will inspire the public to think about food in different ways, and also a Book Sale from 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 21.
The event will be held at the New Visions United Methodist Church, 450 Chadbourne, in Millbrae.
Chemist Sally Seebode, San Mateo Union High School District chemistry and physics teacher, and astronomer Steve Howell, Ph.D., project scientist of the NASA Kepler project, will give demonstrations and food samples to broaden the public”s understanding of food chemistry.
Seebode and Howell will be answering questions such as: Considering expiration dates: would you eat 15 billion year old food? We think of foods as solids and liquids: do gases affect our enjoyment of food? and What is denature and why do we denature proteins before we consume them?
There is no charge to attend this intriguing program co-chaired by Rev. Dr. Nancy Landauer and Carolyn Mason, also co-vice presidents of North Peninsula AAUW, which serves constituent cities of Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, Millbrae, San Bruno and South San Francisco.
Redwood Symphony to present ”Knoxville: Summer of 1915” performance
Redwood Symphony will travel back 100 years with a nostalgic rendering of the American South by presenting Samuel Barber”s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” at 8 p.m. Nov. 21 in the Main Theater of Caada College, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd. at I-280, in Redwood City.
Soprano Hope Briggs, who sang the role of Bess in the symphony”s concert performance of Gershwin”s “Porgy and Bess” in 2000, is returning after her long absence to assume the voice of a young James Agee, the poet who wrote the dream-like reminder of a summer evening in his childhood hometown. Barber used the poem to create a work for voice and orchestra that premiered in 1947.
“I very much doubt there will be a dry eye in the house,” Maestro Eric Kujawsky said about this poignant work in a press release.
Benjamin Britten”s “Four Sea Interludes” from his opera “Peter Grimes” will also be featured in the program. The Interludes are highly dramatic and impressionistic portraits of the sea, which forms the psychological these of the opera.
Tchaikovsky”s Symphony No. 5 will conclude the evening”s performance. “Some of the composer”s most beautiful, most singable melodies are found in this masterpiece, one of the favorites in the orchestral repertoire,” said Kujawsky who will give his pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m.
Tickets from $10-$25 are available at www.RedwoodSymphony.org. Children under 18 years of age, accompanied by an adult, are admitted free. Plenty of free parking is available at the college.
Belmont Holiday Craft Faire planned
Belmont Parks & Recreation Department is inviting the public to shop for unique gifts at its Holiday Craft Faire that takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving every year.
This year, the event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 21 and 22 at the Senior and Community Center as well as the Twin Pines Lodge, Manor, and Cottage, all located in Twin Pines Park, 1 Twin Pines Lane, in Belmont.
The faire will feature local artists and craftspersons who will offer a variety of great holiday gifts and decorations, lovely handmade items, items for the home, and more for purchase.
Entertainment, a refreshment and hot food stand, and free admission and parking will add to the public”s enjoyment.
For more information, call 650-595-7441, go to www.belmont.gove, or email parksandrec@belmont.gov.
San Bruno Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic to hold open house
San Bruno Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic is celebrating its 10th anniversary of service to veterans by inviting the public to an Open House being held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 23 at the clinic, 1001 Sneath Lane (Veterans Way), in San Bruno.
The gala will feature food, fun, information booths, special guests, and an opportunity for new members to register for services provided by the clinic.
To RSVP for the free event, call 650-615-6001.
Masterworks Chorale to present two programs to welcome holidays
Masterworks Chorale is presenting two programs to welcome the holidays.
The first program, “Celebrate!,” a family-friendly concert featuring popular and classical holiday music from many styles, will be held at 2 p.m. and again at 4 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Congregational Church of San Mateo, 225 Tilton Ave., in San Mateo.
After each performance, join the chorus for the traditional cookie buffet to top off the celebration.
The second program is “Holiday in Whoville,” which will start at 4 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Transfiguration Episcopal Church, 39th and Alameda de las Pulgas, in San Mateo. This concert, for kids and those who are young in heart, will be highlighted by childhood favorites, such as “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Children from the Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club will help lead the sing-a-longs. Cookies will be provided afterwards.
Ticket cost the Dec.6 concerts are: $30 in advance per adult and $35 at the door; $10 per student with I.D.; and free for children ages 3 and under (no ticket is required for 3 and under). A discount of $25 per person is available for groups of 10 or more.
Special Family Discount bundle prices for Dec. 12 are: Family of three, $50; family of four, $60; and family of five, $70. Children 3 years and under do not need a ticket.
To purchase tickets or for more details, go to www.masterworks.org or call 650-918-6225.
Boston Private Bank & Trust Company, San Mateo County Arts Grant Program, San Mateo Daily Journal, and Wells Fargo Foundation are the major sponsors of the concerts.
University of California Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center offers winter camp
University of California Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center is holding its unique Winter Camp for children, ages 6 to 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 21, 22, 28, and 29 at 1500 Purisima Creek Road in Half Moon Bay.
Participants make new friends and learn about life on a ranch by helping with the ranch”s daily chores, animals, gardening. The children will also go hiking and make a special project to take home.
The cost is $65 per day per child. You may sign up for one, two, three or all four days. To pay by credit card, register online at http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=16310.
To pay by check, make the check payable to UC Regents and mail with all the forms to UCCE/Elkus Winter Camp, 80 Stone Pine Road, Suite 100, Half Moon Bay, Calif., 94019.
All campers must complete a waiver form and a youth medical form.
For questions, call Leslie Jensen, Elkus Ranch coordinator, at 650-712-3151 or email elkusranch@ucanr.edu. To learn more about and view pictures of Elkus Ranch, go to www.ucanr.edu/sites/elkus_ranch.
Mission Hospice Auxiliary hosts annual fall gala
Mission Hospice Auxiliary hosted its annual fall gala — Costume Party! — on Oct. 17 at the Peninsula Golf & Country Club in San Mateo. Led by Martha Melton and Amy Newman, the festive evening was highlighted by dinner, dancing, live and silent auctions, music, and entertainment by Joe Mag Music.
Thanks to support from the community and 240 attendees, the event netted $140,000 for the development of San Mateo County”s only hospice house, which will provide a peaceful, home-like setting for patients whose end-of-life comfort cannot be managed at home. With a focus on the family, the hospice house will allow loved ones to spend time together in a private environment while the experienced medical staff and trained volunteers give compassionate physical, emotional, and spiritual support.
The major donors to the event were: Kinetix; Marilyn Porto, Realtor; Corbett Family; Crosby-N. Gray & Co.; CHME (California Home Medical Equipment); Alice Flynn; ICS (Integrated Computer Solutions); Martha Melton; Florence Thom; and Nancy and Dr. Stephen Weller, radiation oncologist.
Mission Hospice Auxiliary, a volunteer group that raises funds to support Mission Hospice & Home Care and increases public awareness about end-of-life care, raised more than $200,000 last year to support the hospice house campaign and provide needed care for local patients and families.
Mission Hospice & Home Care, a nonprofit founded in 1979 to offer quality, compassionate end-of-life care to patients and families in the San Mateo County area, is committed to serving all patients — regardless of their ability to pay — and relies on community donations to support its programs.
For more information, go to www.missionhospice.org.
North Peninsula Food Pantry and Dining Center of Daly City”s annual fundraising gala dinner held
North Peninsula Food Pantry and Dining Center of Daly City”s annual fundraising gala dinner, Take My Hand, hosted by Lucky Chances on Oct. 23 at the Colma Community Center, was attended by 156 people this year.
Food Pantry Executive Director Denise Kelly and board of directors President Dennis Fisicaro welcomed everyone to the event, and thanked Genesys in Daly City for sponsoring its annual food drive again this year.
The drive resulted in the Food Pantry receiving 3,327 pounds of food (125 pounds more than last year), $8,872 employee donations (more than $2,400 than last year), and $5,000 from Genesys (same as last year).
Kelly and Fisicaro also extended their gratitude to the 385 volunteers, who donated more than 2,670 hours of time between Oct. 1, 2013, and Sept. 30, 2014.
Kaiser Permanente Volunteers was honored with the Doug Carner Memorial Award for Volunteerism for the group”s outstanding support of the Food Pantry. Carner, who died in 2005, was one of original founders and the first executive director of the Food Pantry in 1989.
Hope Lutheran Youth Ministry of Hope Lutheran Church in Daly City was the recipient of the Jane Powell Memorial Youth Volunteer Award for the youth ministry”s many hours of service on the first Tuesday of every month. Jordan Bandoc and Natalie Hom accepted the award on behalf of the volunteers.
Kelly also thanked Paul”s Flowers for the table centerpieces, Lucky Chances for the food, and Jim Crowley for heading the Food Pantry staff.
“Thank you to the community for supporting our mission,” said Kelly in her closing remarks.
A silent auction that included several gift baskets created by Helen Fiscaro and Carol Tanzi, and a raffle, also highlighted the event.
First National Bank of Northern California, Genesys, and Wells Fargo were supporting hands ($2,000 each) for the event. CSG Consultants Inc., Cypress Lawn, Daly City Host Lions Club, Duggan”s Serra Mortuary, Kaiser Permanente, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Republic Services were lifting hands ($1,000 each).
For more information, to volunteer, or to donate, call 650-994-5150 or email fooddc@comcast.net.
Millbrae 2015 Man and Woman of the Year honored
Ron Frediani, of Associated Window Cleaning, and Kathleen Kimura, of Tokyo Express LTD, were honored as the 2015 Man and Woman of the Year at the 43rd annual Millbrae Man and Woman of the Year Awards dinner held Oct. 23 at Green Hills Country Club, 500 Ludeman Lane, in Millbrae.
Presented by the Mayor”s Civic Coordinating Council and the Millbrae Chamber of Commerce, about 150 people attended the prestigious event that recognizes those who have given so much time and energy to the community.
Frediani, like the Energizer Bunny, is a consummate community volunteer who began volunteering as a youth sports coach at age 16. Over the years, he has coached basketball, track and field, softball, baseball, and soccer at St. Dunstan School in Millbrae and Capuchino High School in San Bruno, and also for the Millbrae Lions Club and American Youth Soccer Organization youth sports programs. He has also trained and mentored younger parents to be coaches.
Friediani”s community involvement has also included: Frequently volunteering at his children”s school; Serving as a parks and recreation commissioner for more than 20 years; Supporting the local business community as a Millbrae Chamber of Commerce board member; Volunteering at the annual Millbrae Art and Wine Festival; Successfully raising funds for local schools and clubs; Helping, with his fellow Lions, to feed displaced residents and emergency responders from the Millbrae Lions Club”s mobile kitchen for three full days after the PG&E natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno in 2010; Spending myriad hours during 2013-14 helping to transform the Lions Scout House into the Millbrae Community Youth Center.
Frediani”s accomplishments also include being named 2004 Millbrae Lion of the Year, the highest honor bestowed by his club, and being a past president of the Millbrae Lions Club in 2011-2012.
Kimura, who has committed her life to fostering people-to-people relationships to enable mutual understanding and lasting friendships, was an active PTA/PTO volunteer at the following schools: Spring Valley Elementary, Taylor Middle, and Mills High, all in Millbrae, from 1979 through 1998. She served as president of the Millbrae Council of PTAs and international liaison for the Mills PTO board of directors.
Kimura developed a passion for nurturing international relationships between the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom, which led to her assuming volunteer leadership roles with the San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Association, Japan Society of Northern California, and the British Benevolent Society of California, among many others.
Since 2006, Kimura, and her Millbrae family business, has been an active member of the Millbrae Chamber of Commerce. Her crowning achievement has been her leadership in creating the annual Millbrae Japanese Cultural Festival, which, to-date, has been celebrating Japanese culture, entertainment, and food for the past 10 years.
In 2011, Kimura was honored with a Diversity Award by the San Mateo County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. For three years, she also worked tirelessly to establish a sister city relationship between Millbrae and Hanyu, Japan, in 2014.
Skyline College President Regina Stanback Stroud, Ed.D., keynote speaker, talked about the importance of volunteering and how it helps form the foundation of the community.
Millbrae Mayor Robert Gottschalk, master of ceremonies, gave welcoming and closing remarks.
Mary Vella Treseler was the chairwoman of the planning committee for the event.
Sequoia High School Alumni Association awards $7,195 to 25 teachers, $100 each to cheer, football teams
The Sequoia High School Alumni Association has awarded a total of $7,195 to 25 teachers at Sequoia High School in Redwood City through its annual Cherokee Grants program as well as $100 to the Cheer Team and $100 to the football team.
“The Cherokee Grants program was established to fund the purchase of instructional equipment, materials or services that are not included in the current Sequoia Union High School District budget,” SHSAA President Ken Rolandelli wrote in an email. “Grant applications are given to every Sequoia High School teacher.”
A committee studies each request and decides how funds can be spent to benefit the most students or the most worthy programs.
This year, the classes and clubs that benefited from the grants, which fully or partially funded various requests, were: Spanish; special education; STARS (Successful Transition Achieved with Responsive Support) 1; English; English language development; French; social academics communication; social studies; mathematics; algebra and trigonometry; physics and science; English learners; journalism; Chess Club; AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination).
If interested in donating to this worthwhile program, make a check payable to and mail to the Sequoia High School Alumni Association, P.O. Box 2534, Redwood City, Calif., 94064 (write Cherokee Grants in the note field) or donate via PayPal at www.sequoiahsalumniassoc.org.
If you have any news tips about our county communities, call or fax Carolyn Livengood at 650-355-5533 or e-mail her at carolynlivengood@sanbrunocable.com.
