Published in the July 8-21, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Robert Airoldi
Morgan Hill Life loves pets and so does Cherisse White. The owner/artistic director of Cherisse’s Hair Salon held June 28 the sixth annual pet wash which raised $3,366 with the help of 50 volunteers who washed and groomed about 40 dogs in just three hours. The money went to One Step Closer Therapeutic Riding and Furry Friends Pet-Assisted Therapy Services. To entertain dog owners, the event had chair massages, raffle prizes and snow cones.
“Our team had servants’ hearts giving back to our great community of Morgan Hill,” White told us. “It is a perfect partnership and we all love dogs.”
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Morgan Hill’s Angeline Madriaga, 12, who was one of 10 finalists vying for a chance to sing the national anthem before the start of a 49ers game, learned last week she was a runner up.
The winner, officially announced June 30, was Carmen Gonzalo from Fairfield. Gonzalo won out of more than 500 entrants who were narrowed down to 10, which included Madriaga, who got to sing before judges at Levi’s Stadium. Gonzalo won through a combination of online voting — which ended June 26 — and judges voting.
The St. Catherine’s eighth grader consistently garnered around 30 percent of the online vote while it was open, trailing Isabelle Simone.
The vote totals from the judges were not posted online nor were the final online voting totals.
Morgan Hill residents got a chance to hear Madriaga’s amazing voice when she sang “The Star-Spangled Banner’ for Fourth of July festivities including the Patriotic Sing and the Fireworks on the Green show.
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A boy runs through a drill put on by the San Francisco 49ers as part of Play360. Photo by Robert Airoldi
An estimated 400 children and teens came out to participate in the National Football League’s Play60 campaign, which encourages youth to get outside and play at least 60 minutes every day. With childhood obesity rates at an all-time high and nearly one in three kids and teens in the United States obese or overweight, physical activity produces overall physical, psychological and social benefits.
That’s why the American Heart Association and the National Football League teamed up to create the PLAY60 Challenge, a program that inspires kids to get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day in school and at home. It also helps schools become places that encourage physically active lifestyles year-round. The event was held at the Outdoor Sports Center, and while no 49er players were there, team representatives helped run participants through drills and referee flag football games.
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We’re sorry to learn Brad Spencer, the “founding father” of Morgan Hill’s Mushroom Mardi Gras, passed away the morning of July 2 from a heart attack at age 72. As Morgan Hill’s fire chief in 1978, Spencer looked for a fundraiser to buy sorely needed equipment. He took inspiration for the Mardi Gras following a visit to the Dickens Christmas Faire in San Francisco. Over time, the festival turned its mission to raising money for scholarships for local students.
Spencer was involved on the festival’s board of directors, and gave hundreds of hours of volunteer time to put on each year’s festival, including this year’s event which was attended by an estimated 80,000 people. Spencer was a genuine gentleman who loved the Morgan Hill community. He is a legend in our town and will be missed.
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The new South County Catholic high school that is planned for southeast Morgan Hill has officially been named Saint John XXIII College Prep. Join organizers at 6 p.m. July 9 at Bubble’s Wine Bar, 17105 Monterey St., and hear details about the school and meet Father Steve Kim, the newly appointed delegate to the steering committee.
