Superior Court Holds Mentorship Lunch for Young Women
The Santa Clara County Superior Court welcomed over 100 attendees to this year’s Young Women’s Power Lunch on March 22.
The event gathered 80 young women in grades 8-12, offering them a unique opportunity to connect with mentors from various fields, including female judicial officers, attorneys, elected officials, and local leaders.
Hosted by the court’s Community Outreach Committee, it aimed to foster meaningful connections between high school students and adult mentors.
The lunch began with a warm welcome from Judge Beth McGowen.
Cassandra Staff, from the Office of Women’s Policy, encouraged everyone to look for the “helpers” in society and to become a person of service.
Judge Julia Alloggiamento, chair of the Court Community Outreach Committee, described the atmosphere as undeniably positive.
“We are all here to support one another,” she said. “Who you are and who you want to be is good enough.”
Addis Arciniega, program coordinator and coach at the Silicon Valley Urban Debate League, delivered an address that underscored the importance of embracing challenges as opportunities for growth.
Icebreakers, breakout discussions, and a word cloud exercise encouraged attendees to share insights from their personal journeys, explore thought-provoking questions, and envision their aspirations and goals.
Sharan Dhanoa, director of the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking, talked about the importance of embracing your authenticity.
“Not just one thing or experience in my life led me to where I am today,” she affirmed. “Don’t be limited by experiences in your life or things that happened to you.”
Youth Commission Hosts Cookie Decorating Event
On Saturday, the Los Gatos Youth Commission hosted a cookie decorating event for the neurodiverse community, including friends.
It was a bright and sunny day as attendees joined the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police department for the 10am-noon gathering, which included an Easter egg hunt at the end.
One big highlight was the “canine companions” who showed up to participate.
Canine Companions for Independence is a nonprofit organization that trains dogs that are assigned to provide assistance to people who could benefit from a service canine.
Vegetarian Group Honored with Award
On March 21, local nonprofit Plant-Based Advocates (PBA) received a Champions of Promise award from Palo Alto-based environmental group Acterra at their Promise to Our Planet event.
The Los Gatos-based group accepted a Certificate of Commendation from County of Santa Clara supervisors Otto Lee and Joe Simitian for their work educating the public about the benefits of a plant-based diet.
In her acceptance speech, Kathleen Willey, co-founder of PBA, spoke about how switching to a whole foods plant-based diet transformed her life.
“Countless doctors’ visits resulted in prescribing harmful drugs that only masked my symptoms,” she said.
But after switching to a whole food plant-based diet, her asthma and other symptoms disappeared, she stated.
Willey spoke about how her plant-based diet powers her many physical activities, such as mountain biking, running, and stand up paddle boarding, and gives her the energy to work and be active with her husband and two sons.
Willey was introduced by Kerry Yepiz Billner, child nutrition director at the Los Gatos Union School District.
Billner recently competed in the West Valley Community Services Chefs of Compassion fundraiser, creating a cardamom-infused pear tart for the dessert course.
Affordable Housing Project Completed
On April 1, Affirmed Housing announced the completion of 79 homes at Vitalia, a new, affordable and supportive-housing development located at 3100 S. Bascom Avenue in San Jose’s Cambrian neighborhood.
An opening ceremony was held March 29, with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, San Jose Councilmember Pam Foley, as well as Santa Clara County supervisors Susan Ellenberg and Sylvia Arenas in attendance.
“Oftentimes we forget that some of the residents who qualify for affordable housing are our students, teachers, seniors on fixed incomes, veterans, and those who were formerly unhoused,” said Councilmember Foley, according to a release. “Access to affordable housing is a significant step in the right direction toward ensuring that these individuals and many others have safe, stable options to call home.
The five-story, GreenPoint-rated development features a mixture of studios, and one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes for low-income and formerly unhoused people.
Half of the units are reserved for supportive-housing with the remaining homes designated for households earning up to 60 percent of the county’s Area Median Income (AMI).
