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April 2012 - Vol.03, No.04
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| Message from the Chief | |
On March 23, I attended the 2012 Project Cornerstone Asset Champions Breakfast. I have to admit that I did not know exactly what I was going to, but had agreed to attend as a member of the Santa Clara County Police Chiefs Association. Police Chief Scott Seaman from the Los Gatos - Monte Sereno Police Department was the Co-Master of Ceremonies and had invited the other chiefs from throughout the county to attend the breakfast in support of the initiative.
The event was held at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose and was attended by several hundred people. Upon entering the hotel, I was immediately struck by the large turnout and the energy in the room. It was apparent to me that those in attendance were passionate about the initiative and excited about the event. After being seated, I quickly grabbed the program and began looking through the booklet to find out what the event was all about. I learned that Project Cornerstone had been founded by the Youth Alliance and was an initiative of the Silicon Valley YMCA. The stated purpose of the Project is a commitment to helping every child feel valued, respected and known. This is accomplished through community building where all adults support youth in order to help them thrive. Working with over 400 community partners and schools, the project intentionally sets out to build developmental assets to provide a foundation for a healthy and successful future.
The term "Upstander" was highlighted throughout the venue with decorations on each of the tables and on the program cover. I understood that it was a play on the word "bystander" but did not immediately catch on to what it stood for until I read the "Upstander Pledge" in the program. Here is the pledge:
I am an Upstander.
I have the power to influence my peers.
I SAY something or DO something when you need help.
I am "there" for you.
I will help you get the help you need.
You are not alone.
I have your back.
My initial thoughts were that this was an excellent pledge which challenges us to proactively take care of one another, youth or adult. However, I know that this is easy to pledge, but much more difficult to do when faced with life's challenges, especially when the challenges are facing someone else. It is a great reminder of how anyone has the ability to change a life by being an Upstander.
The City of Sunnyvale was well represented by attendance at this event, as well as through the many Sunnyvale programs that support this effort. In fact, two members of the Sunnyvale community were nominated for awards.
Once again, I've found myself truly impressed by the sense of community and the many efforts that are made on a daily basis to make our society a better place to live. Congratulations to all those involved in this special initiative. For more information about Project Cornerstone, please visit their website at www.projectcornerstone.org
Chief Grgurina
(408) 730-7140,
TDD (408) 730-7501
or email to: pubsfty@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us
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April is National Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month | |
How to Recognize Cruelty - Signs that an animal might be abused
Recognizing cruelty is simple, right? Not quite, say ASPCA experts. Aggressive, timid or fearful behavior doesn't always tell the whole story. Animals may appear to be timid or frightened for many reasons other than abuse.
"It's almost impossible to make conclusions based on a pet's behavior alone," says the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center's Kristen Collins, CPDT. "The best way to tell whether a pet is being or has been abused is to examine him and his surrounding environment."
Check out our list of signs that may alert you an animal needs help:
Physical Signs
- Collar so tight that it has caused a neck wound or has become embedded in the pet's neck
- Open wounds, signs of multiple healed wounds or an ongoing injury or illness that isn't being treated
- Untreated skin conditions that have caused loss of hair, scaly skin, bumps or rashes
- Extreme thinness or emaciation-bones may be visible
- Fur infested with fleas, ticks or other parasites
- Patches of bumpy, scaly skin rashes
- Signs of inadequate grooming, such as extreme matting of fur, overgrown nails and dirty coat
- Weakness, limping or the inability to stand or walk normally
- Heavy discharge from eyes or nose
- An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal
- Visible signs of confusion or extreme drowsiness
Environmental Signs
- Pets are tied up alone outside for long periods of time without adequate food or water, or with food or water that is unsanitary
- Pets are kept outside in inclement weather without access to adequate shelter
- Pets are kept in an area littered with feces, garbage, broken glass or other objects that could harm them
- Animals are housed in kennels or cages (very often crowded in with other animals) that are too small to allow them to stand, turn around and make normal movements possibly with too many other animals
"Reporting suspected animal cruelty ensures that animals in jeopardy receive prompt and often lifesaving care," says ASPCA Special Agent Joann Sandano. "By making a complaint to the police or humane society in your area-you can even do so anonymously-you help ensure that animals in need are rescued and that perpetrators of animal cruelty are brought to justice."
If you see signs of animal abuse, don't keep it to yourself. Here's how to report cruelty in your area.
Animal Agencies - where to adopt, surrender, train, volunteer and  learn
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Humane Society of the United States
Humane Society of Silicon Valley
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Sunnyvale Moose Lodge |
"An International organization of men and women, dedicated to caring for young and old, bringing communities close together and celebrating life."
 The Loyal Order of Moose is a fraternal and service organization founded in 1888, with nearly 800,000 men in roughly 1,800 Lodges, in all 50 states and four Canadian provinces, plus Great Britain and Bermuda. The Women of the Moose, founded in 1913, is a unit of Moose International, with more than 400,000 women in approximately 1,600 chapters in all 50 states and four Canadian provinces.
Along with other units of Moose International, the Loyal Order of Moose and Women of the Moose support the operation of Mooseheart Child City & School, a 1,000-acre community for children and teens in need, located 40 miles west of Chicago; and Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community for its members near Jacksonville, FL.
Moose Lodges conduct approximately $50 million worth of community service and the Women of the Moose Chapters conduct more than $20 million worth of community service (counting monetary donations and volunteer hours worked) annually. The Loyal Order of Moose also conducts numerous sports and recreational programs, in local Lodges and Family Centers in the majority of 44 State and Provincial Associations, and on a fraternity-wide basis.
Here in Sunnyvale, The Moose Lodge has long provided stuffed Tommy Moose toys to the Department of Public Safety for use in traumatic situations where children are involved. They have increased their level of support to several community programs including Sunnyvale Youth Mentoring Program's Youth & Horses, Sunnyvale 5K K.I.D.S. Fun Run/Walk, and the snack service at the Gateway Neighborhood Center which serves Sunnyvale Boxing Club participants. They also have provided supplies and funding to our neighbors at Santa Clara Community School. For more information about the Loyal Order of the Moose, please visit http://www.mooseintl.org/public/Default.asp for the Sunnyvale Chapter.
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Sunnyvale Boxing Club Celebrates One Year Anniversary! |
 The Sunnyvale Boxing Club was started by Public Safety Officer Jose Ramirez at Columbia Middle School more than eight years ago. After three years at the Columbia location, the club was without a home for four years. The club was invited to be the first program at the Gateway Neighborhood Center which opened last year. This month, the Sunnyvale Boxing Club celebrated its first anniversary at the new location. Every Monday through Thursday, youth seven years old and older work out at the Club. Since the grand opening of the Center on April 1, 2011, the Boxing Club regularly sees 30-60 youth each day. Public Safety volunteers provide quality coaching and administrative staffing daily. New members are accepted Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information, please phone (408) 730-7199. Click here to see action photos of the club.
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NEAT is Busy at Work in the Fair Oaks Park Area
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 The Neighborhood Enhancement Action Team (NEAT) works with residents, businesses, property owners and neighborhood groups to identify and resolve neighborhood quality of life issues. NEAT's goals are to build strong working relationships in the neighborhood, identify neighborhood issues, and engage and empower community members to take action that enhances the quality of life in their neighborhood. NEAT members include representatives from various City Departments who have the experience, knowledge and decision making authority to best address specific neighborhood issues. The City Departments on NEAT may include Community Development, Environmental Services, Library and Community Services, Office of the City Manager, Public Works and Public Safety. NEAT works inter-departmentally to leverage resources and take a holistic approach to problem solving. Neighborhoods are selected for NEAT by determining the magnitude of issues and the resources available.
The fourth NEAT area was started in December, 2011. The area contains Fair Oaks Park and the area north of the Park along N Fair Oaks Avenue. This area includes 27 multi-family properties, including 265 apartments, 81 single-family homes and 15 businesses. NEAT reached out to all residents, property owners and business owners and received feedback from 28 percent of the residential households, 32 percent of the property owners and all of the business owners or operators. Three major issues were identified in the area; vehicle nuisances (on-street parking violations, speeding and various traffic violations), loitering (homeless, solicitation and drinking in public), and the poor condition of streets and sidewalks. Over the next few months, NEAT members will be working to help address these issues, as well as focusing on safety in and around Fair Oaks Parks, and property maintenance municipal code violations.
For more information; visit the NEAT website: neat.insunnyvale.com, call NEAT: (408) 245-NEAT (6238), or by email: neat@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us
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34th Annual Fire Safety Poster Contest |
 During the month of March, Sunnyvale kindergarten through fifth grade students from schools throughout the city produced Fire Safety Posters for the annual contest. The poster themes included Cool a Burn; Firefighters are Your Friends; Crawl Low in Smoke and Smoke Detectors Save Lives.
More than 100 posters were submitted from 16 schools. The top three from each grade were recognized on April 3 with a pizza lunch at Fire Station 2 and an awards ceremony at the City Council.
The annual contest is a lot of fun, but the underlying fire safety message is serious. Public Safety Officers provide fire safety presentations in the elementary schools to teach children how to prevent fires and what to do if there is a fire. The poster contest is a way to receive feedback from students about what they've learned.
This year's winners are:
Kindergarten
1st Swastik Purathepparambil, Stratford School, Washington Park
2nd Kayla Lam, Laurelwood Elementary School
3rd Ashley Scott, Laurelwood Elementary School
First Grade
1st Sean O, Challenger
2nd Hetal Kurani, Challenger
3rd Julie Cohen, Cherry Chase Elementary School
Second Grade
1st Adam Mody, Vargas Elementary School
2nd Darpan Singh, Laurelwood Elementary School
3rd Harshini Velchamy, Challenger
Third Grade
1st Aya Darwazeh, Challenger School
2nd Kriti Maiya, Challenger School
3rd Ralph Sapida, Ellis Elementary School
Fourth Grade
1st Anagha Guliam, Stratford School, Washington Park
2nd Elizabeth Ranch, Laurelwood Elementary School
3rd James Medoza, San Miguel Elementary School
Fifth Grade
1st Sarah Kim, Cherry Chase Elementary School
2nd Ananya Karthik, Challenger school
3rd Aishwarya Jayadeep, Nimitz Elementary School
Please click here to see all winning posters. |
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Fit & Fun Fair | |
Celebrate Wellness with an Afternoon of Fun for the Whole Family!
Saturday, May 5
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Columbia Neighborhood Center 785 Morse Avenue, Sunnyvale More Than 65 exhibitors  - Rock Wall
- Carnival Games & Prizes
- Obstacle Course & Jousting
- Bike Safety Check-up
- Nutrition & Safety Information
- Fun Food
- Fun on the Run Mobile Recreation Program
- Free Health Screenings: Diabetes, Cholesterol, Vision, Blood Pressure & More
- 5K Fun Run & Walk (9:00 a.m.) By K.I.D.S & the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
- Oral Health Checks for Children By Children's Dental Center of Sunnyvale
- Car Seat Safety Inspections by appointments only. Call (408) 730-7179
- Columbia Neighborhood Center Grand Re-Opening Ceremony & Tour (10:30 a.m.)
This is a FREE FAMILY EVENT! For more information, call (408) 523-8150. This event was formerly known as the Health & Safety Fair. |
|  For questions and comments about the Sunnyvale DPS newsletter Beyond the Badge, you can e-mail us at: pubsfty@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us
© 2010-2011 City of Sunnyvale, CA |
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