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VISTORS OF ALL CATEGORIES
Palmer Riedel, (aka "Bear Transporter") of La Quinta, CA Rotary Club
Jim Newport, cheerfully with us for the third (count 'em... 3rd) time.
Megan Brown & Kate Marshall- our speakers (see below for their deep stories)
"Amador," aspiring guide dog and trusty companion of Al Sevilla!
CALLATHUMPS, ANNIVERSARIES, AND BIRTHDAYS
 | | And a grand time it was |
Thirty four paradisaical years for Hays and Regina- aptly celebrated at the Motorama Gala & Cleanup. To punctuate the occasion, Hays took off on a 14-day, two-wheel journey. Regina and the family found him in the wilds of the American southwest! Asked about the experience, the loquacious Mr. Englehart commented, " it was fun."
 | | Is that what Dennis actually said? |
"Bwana" Dennis and Maggie Kurimai spent a few days hangin' with the giraffes and bungling in the jungle of Safari West to celebrate his latest birthday. Asked for a comment, Dennis responded with either, "We were in tents," or "we were intense."
MARK THIS DATE IN HISTORY!
It was noted that today, Kevin Croak appeared early enough for breakfast! His beaming smile said it all as he tasted "Postinoatmeal" for the first time.
HOME TEAM/LAS TRAMPAS
 | | HOME TEAM continues to impress |
Joe Bettencourt revealed the packed slate of upcoming HOMETEAM projects. With all the Motorama Hoopla of the past month, this compressed schedule is needed for all the enormous response to the famous Englehart/Bettencourt charm campaign. July 16th is our next date, but..
...a SPECIAL, all-out, HOMETEAM day will be on JULY 30th (mark it down) for Las Trampas. see: http://www.lastrampas.org/pages/page.php?pageid=1 We have eight total hours devoted to painting a residence house on their property!(3460 Lana Ln Lafayette) We already have 10 prodigious volunteers, and just a few more will make it a frolicky fun day. Las Trampas students are more than appreciative! The school quietly provides extraordinary service to our community.
PINNING CEREMONY:
 | | Paul Harris landslide continues |
Cal Lee donned more hardware upon the chest of Hays Englehart in a cordial ceremony. Hays will soon need an abacus to keep count of his Paul Harris pins!
WE HAVE A WEBSITE!
For those who haven't been paying close attention the past five years, Chuck Yeager proudly announced that we have a website!
SMUGGLY MUGGING:
 | | Whadaya know? Tom can write too? |
Thomas Black offers a generous overture for those who like LMSR pictures! By going to the link from our website, or simply to http://www.lsr.smugmug.com/. anyone can enjoy the wonderful photos Tom has generously contributed the past several years. They're available for downloads and prints.The website photos and newsletter photos all come from there. He charges by the wrinkle for photoshopping.
PROGRAM:
 | | Kate has a really good message |
Kate Marshall and Megan Brown are Tutor-Learner Coordinators for Project Second Chance (PSC), the Contra Costa County Library's adult literacy program. They enroll adults who struggle with reading and writing, and train and support the involved volunteers. Kate and Megan represent "one third of the PSC staff."
Learning to read involves a "light coming on" moment for most of us. Sadly, for one in five adults, this moment of illumination hasn't happened. They can neither read menus, understand BART schedules, or comprehend notes from their kids' teachers.
People with reading shortcomings are good at hiding it. The shame forces them to creatively adapt, using strategies like asking waiters to "tell us the specials," or using excuses such as "I've forgotten my glasses."
This is surprisingly a local problem; Kate told of an Acalanes High School grad with a third grade reading level. Learning to fake it, he'd blended in without suspicion. This is not just an issue for immigrants; nearly half of the people they work with are native-born.
The organization was founded in 1984 and has only a few basic rules: the students must not be enrolled in school, and they must read at less than a sixth-grade level. Above all, they must be MOTIVATED.
Although miracles do occur, it's about becoming functional: It's about ATM operation, programming a DVR, parking meters, prescriptions, road signs, writing checks, just imagine!
They've found numerous underlying causes, but haven't kept formal tallies. Many of the usual functional suspects include dyslexia and audio problems. Some simply missed it.
Individual participation is kept completely confidential and can be set up by contacting our libraries.
 | | Message being well received |
Kate offered touching examples of people with motives. One lady finally reads bills and writes checks, because her husband became ill. Another wanted to read permission slips for field trips for her daughter. One young man was devastated that his girlfriend had broken up with him because he couldn't read her text messages. One man dreamed of being a plumber, so he finally passed the contractor's licensing exam- on the 6th try!
Others want to read the voter guide or participate in jury duty. Several want to read to grandkids and write birthday cards. One lady was thrilled when, after many years, she discovered the "Self-Cleaning" feature on her oven. (so she didn't have to clean it by hand any more!)
Volunteers make it happen; they have giant hearts and love to read. After a 14-hour training class spread overthree days, they're connected with a student to work with twice per week. Overall there are 3,100 tutors in the program, volunteering 340,000 hours and helping 4,700 students!
The presentation concluded with a touching recording of a lady named Martha, who'd endured frustration and humiliation while being at the mercy of others for years. She nervously met her tutor and her life changed forever!
You can help by becoming a tutor, talking about PSC, posting a flyer, inviting them to speak, supporting the libraries, donating and/or coming to a fundraiser at the Lafayette Park Hotel featuring the giant Martini Contest... held the day after Fathers' Day! What a way to celebrate (or recover from?) Motorama.
CALENDAR
Friday, July 15 - Postino 7 a.m., Loaves & Fishes
Saturday, July 16 - HOME TEAM, 8:30 a.m.
Friday, July 22 - Postino 7 a.m. - Cameron Shearer travels
Friday, July 29 - Postino 7 a.m. - Can You Canoe?
Saturday, July 30 - Las Trampas house painting party
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