I unleashed my interior Alex Trebek on Thursday evening as I performed recreation present host for the inaugural San Jose Q&A, a trivia competitors that raised greater than $230,000 to assist the burn unit at Santa Clara Valley Medical Heart.
“This money we raised will affect and save many lives, and we did it with a smile,” mentioned Michael Van Each, the president of Republic City Properties, who suffered extreme burns as a baby and acquired life-saving therapy at VMC.
Republic City Properties President Michael Van Each, proper, addresses the viewers on the inaugural San Jose Q&A, a trivia fundraiser to assist the burn unit at Valley Medical Heart, on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at San Jose Stage Firm. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Space Information Group)
He got here up with the concept of getting a “fun” fundraiser that wasn’t the standard banquet dinner or public sale and hit up some history-minded individuals to give you questions about San Jose and Santa Clara County that might problem the three contestants — Valley Well being Basis CEO Michael Elliott, Janikke Klem of Heritage Financial institution of Commerce and Mark Ritchie of Ritchie Business.
They really did an ideal job arising with solutions. However the viewers of practically 200 individuals undoubtedly let the contestants find out about it after they answered incorrectly, as did the night’s “celebrity judge,” former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery, who made the decision on shut solutions and injected some persona into the night.
Klem was already in first place when she was the one one to accurately reply the ultimate query — What was San Jose’s first sister metropolis? Reply: Okayama, Japan in 1957 — and took dwelling bragging rights, together with a snazzy championship belt and a basket of wine.
However, as Van Each identified, the massive winner was the burn unit at Valley Medical Heart, which can be capable of use these funds to assist out extra sufferers.
CLINIC HITS THE ROAD: Recognizing that not everybody has the power to simply get to needed medical care, a quartet of organizations teamed up on a very good answer: A cellular medical clinic that can make common visits to areas to supply uninsured adults with free healthcare, together with continual situation administration and referrals for specialised care.
The Rotary Cell Medical Clinic was on show for excursions at its ribbon-cutting on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 at Our Girl of Guadalupe Church in San Jose. The cellular clinic is the results of a partnership amongst Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, the Order of Malta, RotaCare Bay Space and the Rotary Membership of San Jose. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Space Information Group)
The teams behind the trouble are Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, which can function the Rotary Cell Medical Clinic; RotaCare Bay Space, which is offering the volunteer medical professionals to employees it; the Order of Malta; and the San Jose Rotary Membership.
They lower the ribbon on the state-of-the-art car, which incorporates two examination rooms, on Thursday at Our Girl of Guadalupe Church in East San Jose with a crowd that included Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County CEO Greg Kepferle, RotaCare Bay Space CEO JP Kaur Sahi; Mike Blach and Vic Giacalone, who’re on the board of Order of Malta, Western Affiliation USA; and Vince Sunzeri, who headed up the challenge staff for the Rotary Membership of San Jose.
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County CEO Greg Kepferle, left, RotaCare Bay Space CEO JP Kaur Sahi, middle, and Vince Sunzeri of the Rotary Membership of San Jose, pose in entrance of the Rotary Cell Medical Clinic at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 at Our Girl of Guadalupe Church in San Jose. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Space Information Group)
BIG SLICE OF COMPASSION: Everyone knows about Oktoberfest, however do you know that it’s additionally Socktoberfest this month? At the very least that’s the case at Tony & Alba’s Pizza on Stevens Creek Boulevard, the place homeowners Diana and Al Vallorz are pledging to donate a pair of heat socks to farmworkers within the Salinas Valley for each small, giant or further giant pizza ordered for the remainder of the month. They’ll even be accepting donations, too.
“Economically, it is tough for customers and restaurants now, but Diana and I know it is tougher for the farmworkers,” Al Vallorz mentioned.
FALL BACK IN SARATOGA: Blacksmiths had been an important ingredient within the Santa Clara Valley again within the 1800s — repairing farm instruments, shoeing horses and fashioning cooking and home items. Now, the Saratoga Historical past Museum is giving the general public an opportunity to see how they labored their craft Oct. 20 at “Striking the Iron.”
The free occasion, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 20450 Saratoga-Los Gatos Street, will embody an indication on the patio and a go to to McWilliams Home pioneer cottage, the place a costumed docent will present excursions of the home. There’ll even be instruments utilized by blacksmiths on show.
ENTER STAGE RIGHT: Actor Alicia M.P. Nelson achieved what was actually a lifelong dream to carry out on the Hammer Theatre Heart stage on Wednesday when she introduced a pair of monologues as a part of her presentation as a recipient of the Leigh Weimers Rising Artist Awards.
Nelson was 4 days previous in 1995 when she attended the groundbreaking of the blue field that turned dwelling for the San Jose Rep, the place her mom, Pink Ladder Theater Co. Director Karen Altree Piemme labored. Sadly, the Rep went beneath in 2014, dashing Nelson’s hopes of acting on that stage till final week, when she was honored together with painter Yen Yi Chung and musicians Bennett Roth-Newell and Petra Persolja.
In the meantime, Steve Dini has returned to San Jose from Texas to guide a revolution of his personal. The previous radio and TV broadcaster is again at Pioneer Excessive College, the place he taught drama for a number of years, to direct “Les Miserables” for the college’s Glue Manufacturing unit Gamers. That’s the group of grownup performers at Pioneer who placed on a musical each fall to lift cash for the college’s drama program. The present runs Oct. 23-26 at Pioneer Excessive’s Steve Dini Stage — which suggests that is one present during which the actors will certainly be strolling throughout their director.
