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December 2012 Do You Have an Old Bike Needing a New Home? Holidays in Over ten years ago parishioners at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Danville the Valley found that Adopt a Family holiday wish lists from Monument Crisis Center clients often included a request for bikes as a means of transportation. Out of those simple requests the Adopt a Family Bikes group was born. For a couple years used bikes were donated and tires repaired by a woman who spent time during her teens working in a bike shop. Later, David Struck, a father from John Baldwin Elementary school responded to a school flyer and offered up a couple bikes. When he reached Tania H. De Young the Adopt a Family Coordinator at St. Timothy’s he asked a simple question that catapulted the program to the next level. “Who fixes the bikes when you get them?” he asked. The Adopt a Family Bikes program kept growing when David stepped in and spent countless hours cleaning, repairing, and safety checking donated bikes. Over the years the program has expanded to include a dedicated core of volunteers and expanded bike drives. The group runs under the non-profit umbrella of St. Timothy’s Church, but space constraints of the original facility have forced them to
Serving Alamo and Diablo
By Jody Morgan
Holiday happenings at both Forest Home Farms Historic Park (FHF) in San Ramon and the Museum of the San Ramon Valley (the Museum) in Danville showcase the Valley’s historical traditions with displays and activities geared to delighting 21st century visitors of all ages. Travel back in time to a Alice Reynolds is happy to share her Winnie the Pooh collection. Victorian family parlor authentically decorated for the season, or step into a 1950s ranch kitchen stocked with kitchenware used in the Valley. Volunteers at each venue have carefully planned the connections between present and past to ensure a fun-filled journey for the entire family. Holidays on the Farm offers free admission to activities and entertainment as well as modestly priced tours from 10am to 2pm on Saturday,
See Holidays continued on page 21
Alamo Tree Lighting Festival Mark Your Calendars for Sunday, December 2nd relocate several times over the years to accommodate their temporary workshop. The effort has grown to become a community program with the support of individuals, businesses, schools, scouts, and other philanthropic organizations and operates during the holiday season. The group collects donated used bikes from the community, gets volunteers together to clean and repair the bikes, and then donates them in mid-December. Last year, of the 358 bikes distributed, 185 bikes went to children in the Richmond schools that were identified by their teachers as unlikely to receive any gifts during the holiday season. The holiday bike repair shop will be set up at their new location in the old Blockbuster Video space at 180 Alamo Plaza, Alamo. This year the bikes will be delivered to the following non-profit agencies: Contra Costa Interfaith Housing, Foster a Dream, Fresh Start, Monument Crisis Center, Options Recovery Services, West Contra Costa Unified School District, Salvation Army, and San Francisco State University Guardian Scholars Program. Bikes of all sizes are needed – ranging from small tyke-bikes for young children learning how to ride, to bikes for kids, teenagers, and adults who need transportation to get to school or work. In addition, spare bike parts, intact helmets, and working locks are gratefully accepted. See Bikes continued on page 28
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 263 Alamo CA
ECRWSS
The Alamo Chamber of Commerce will present the annual Alamo Tree Lighting Festival at 4:30pm, Sunday, December 2nd. The festival signals the beginning of the Christmas holiday season for families with an evening of caroling, entertainment, beverages, and crafts. Supervisor, Candace Anderson will open the program, and students from local schools will be performing holiday songs sure to get us all in the spirit! This year, Santa will arrive at 4:45PM so all kids will have a chance to share their Christmas wishes and have a picture taken. You will be able to download a photo from his website for FREE or order professional prints from him. Fun arts and crafts stations will be available from New Life Church in Alamo and San Ramon. Other organizations will also present. Beverages will be provided by local civic groups
See Tree continued on page 27
Volume XII - Number 12 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 Fax (925) 406-0547 Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Sharon Burke ~ Writer sburke@yourmonthlypaper.com The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.