editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
March 2011
Serving the Lafayette Community Home Maintenance for the Elderly
East Bay Children’s Theatre
By Fran Miller
By Fran Miller
How might a group of retired teachers and actors motivate legions of disadvantaged students to explore new ideas that ignite their interests and imaginations? How might this same group promote academic achievement in literacy through multi-dimensional learning? By putting on a play, of course. Since 1933, the volunteers of East Bay Children’s Theatre (EBCT) have been delivering the heritage of traditional folk tales via musical theater to economically disadvantaged elementary school children in Oakland and surrounding areas. EBCT is the oldest continuously performing theatre group in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through their non-profit productions, EBCT volunteers strive to highlight important moral lessons that promote positive values and strengthen self-esteem. Approximately 9,000 elementary school children (pre-K through grade 5) each year are inspired and entertained during EBCT school visits. “Our fractured fairy tale plays are filled with music, dancing, singing, and fun, fun, fun,” says Judy Rosenberg, president of EBCT’s board of directors. “We hit the road in mid-February and go until mid-April, performing every Tuesday and Thursday morning at schools where students rarely ever see a live performance. With so much of the arts being removed from our schools, this is one way we can help to put it back.”
Visits to his elderly father’s home and the inevitable list of home maintenance chores that always awaited him are what led Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Club member Hays Englehart to establish one of the area’s most valuable resources for seniors. “My dad was fortunate that he had me to help around the house, but it got me thinking that there must be many seniors who don’t have available family help, or the resources to hire-out for a leaky faucet or blown fuse,” says Englehart, co-founder of Lamorinda Sunrise’s “Rotary HOME Team” program (Home Maintenance for the Elderly).
Members of the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Club prepare to depart for maintenance house calls as part of the Rotary HOME Team program.
That’s Our Snow White 2009 EBCT production EBCT auditions begin in early October, and rehearsals start in January. The majority of participants are 65 plus, and many have been involved with EBCT for decades. This year’s play is Beauty and the Beasty, by EBCT’s own playwright Ron Lytle who has penned the group’s plays for the past eight years. Director Sue Ellen Nelsen has directed for the past 12 years. “EBCT has progressed since I started with them in the mid-60’s and is much more professional with a script writer, director, choreographer, set designer, and costumer,” says Marty Gulko, a Danville resident who has volunteered off and on with EBCT through the years. Gulko remembers when they all used to make their own sets and costumes. She marvels at the longevity and dedication of many of the volunteers. “Some of the women I worked with in the sixties are still members and are still acting!” Gulko could volunteer her time to any number of organizations, but the fulfilling nature of EBCT keeps her in the fold. “The productions are hard work but such fun when you see the children react to all your effort,” says Gulko. “We reach out to children who would otherwise not experience live theatre, and it is rewarding to see the children responding to each perfor-
See EBCT continued on page 17 PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 21 Lafayette CA
The Rotary HOME Team program responds to seniors in the community who need assistance with home maintenance issues. A phone call, fax, or email to the program’s coordinator results in a Saturday visit from a minimum two person Rotary volunteer team who will handle the repair in an efficient and friendly manner. “Most of our members possess repair know-how, and some know nothing about home maintenance, but they are nonetheless invaluable in that they often just talk with the senior while the other makes the repair,” says Englehart. “Sometimes this can be as beneficial as the repair itself.”
See Home continued on page 24
Citizen of the Year
On March 25th, the citizens and business owners of Lafayette will come together to honor Karen Mulvaney as the 2011 Lafayette Citizen of the Year. Karen has gone above and beyond to contribute to our community. Anyone who has worked on a school parcel tax, the library, or the many projects Karen has worked on knows that she Volume V - Number 3 gives it her “all.” PO Box 1335 Karen has stepped in and taken on many Lafayette, CA 94549 thankless jobs that have to get done. Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 Karen and her husband Tom have been Fax (925) 406-0547 major donors to many of the Lafayette’s editor@yourmonthlypaper.com projects and causes. Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher The “Citizen of the Year” dinner will The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not be held at the Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa necessarily reflect that of Lafayette Today. Lafayette Today is on March 25th. To register, visit www. not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement. lafayettechamber.org. Congratulations!