Published in the November 11-24, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Arioldi
Robert Airoldi
Families found furry friends at the first annual Dia de Los Perros (Day of the Dogs) event held in the BookSmart parking lot Saturday Oct. 24. The main cause was to raise $1,000 to perform surgery on a 4-month-old Black Lab/Shepherd puppy named Hercules who was born with a deformed front leg that prevents him from walking on it. The dog and his sister were abandoned. We heard later from BookSmart owner Brad Jones that Hercules got through his surgery successfully and is recovering well.
The event was put on by Tail Waggin All Breed Rescue, a nonprofit dog rescue organization operated by Patty Guinn in Newman.
“All the funding is going to his amputation, his emergency surgery and all the other over-the-top kinds of animals,” said Karen Topping of Sonrisa Stables in Gilroy. “Patty has a lot of emergency cases that she pays for out of her pocket, so this is a way to help her with fundraising.”
More than $2,000 was raised from the event and 12 abandoned dogs found new homes and were saved from destruction. Good to hear a happy-ending story for our canine friends.
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Turkey Day is two weeks away, and that means it’s time to get your carving knives sharpened for the big gobbler feast. And what better place to do it than at our downtown neighborhood store The Happy Spatula? The kitchen equipment store will have opportunities to bring in your knives to be professionally sharpened. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. both Wednesday Nov. 11 and Saturday Nov. 21, the store will hold this free event to help local residents get their knives in tip-top shape.
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USA Football brought the Oakland Raiders NFL FLAG Regional Tournament to the Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center Oct. 24. The one-day tournament included more than 40 teams from Arizona, Nevada, Northern and Southern California. The winners advance to the National Championship which will be held in San Francisco the week before the Super Bowl in February 2016.
The 49ers and Raiders were represented with inflatables, running back drills, sports personalities, and Sourdough Sam mascot. Teams could also play at the EA Sports Station in-between games. Mayor Steve Tate was presented the 13-14 girls championship trophy while NFL Films captured the action for a future broadcast on the NFL Network. All this took place against the backdrop of 92 soccer teams in town for the Almaden Halloween Classic.
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Four years ago when Mount Madonna School student Ronan Lee was in elementary school, he chose to learn about conservationist and biologist Jane Goodall for a class project on “moral heroes.”
Each student selects an individual whose work, actions and life inspires them. Students create a small bottle doll representation of their hero, and on the designated day, dress up and portray their hero for presentations to their classmates, other students, parents and special guests.
That project came full circle when Lee, now a middle school student, got to meet Goodall in person. Lee and his parents attended an event sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Network, featuring Goodall as guest speaker. Following her talk, Goodall signed copies of her book “Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder from the World of Plants.”
“When I was in third grade I really wanted to study someone who loves animals for my moral hero” Lee said. “I picked Jane Goodall because she helped chimpanzees and made a big difference with preserving their habitat. I never imagined that four years later I would go to a wildlife expo and actually meet her in person.
“She smiled when I showed her the doll I’d made to represent her when I was in third grade,” Lee shared. “She told me no one had ever shared with her before a doll that they’d made of her. After she signed my doll, my dad told me that Jane Goodall was his and my mom’s hero, and my grandma’s hero, too.”
Great job, Ronan!
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As part of October’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Morgan Hill Police Department Detective Mindy Zen helped gather 300 cell phones, including iPhones, Blackberrys and others, and donated them to Community Solutions.
Most of the phones were confiscated from the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco and donated by Warden Cynthia Tampkins. Friends, family, co-workers, local law enforcement and community members also donated their unused phones. The phones will hopefully generate about $4,000 to $5,000 for nonprofit Community Solutions.
Participating were, from left, MHPD Chief David Swing, Lynda Flores, Karen Schulz, Deputy D.A. Johnny Gogo, Lulu Lopez, Perla Flores, Mindy Zen, MHPD Captain Shane Palsgrove, and Supervising Deputy D.A. Stephen Lowney.
