Outdoor club carwash
HOLLISTER
– Students in the San Benito High School Outdoor Club will host
a car wash fundraiser at Sunnyslope Medical Center, Saturday, April
4, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Outdoor club carwash
HOLLISTER – Students in the San Benito High School Outdoor Club will host a car wash fundraiser at Sunnyslope Medical Center, Saturday, April 4, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
CASA of San Benito workshop
HOLLISTER – Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of San Benito County staff will host an information session at Starbucks on Airline Highway (in the Nob Hill shopping center) Wednesday, April 8, at 6 p.m. Advocates offer a voice for abused, neglected and abandoned children.
For more information or to RSVP, contact Esther Curtice at 637-4992.
Friends of the Library to meet
HOLLISTER – The Friends of the San Benito County Free Library will host their annual meeting Monday, April 13, at 5 p.m. in the Barbara Memorial Room at the library, 470 Fifth St. The meeting will kick off National Library Week. Nora Conte, the county librarian, will give a presentation about the library. The paintings of Carlos Munoz will be on display. Members of the public are invited to attend.
For more information, call Mary Schneider at 637-1794.
Foreclosure prevention workshop
HOLLISTER – The City of Hollister and San Benito County will host a free, bilingual foreclosure prevention workshop on Saturday, April 25, at the Veteran’s Memorial Building in downtown Hollister.
Hosted by Francisco Casas, Hollister’s housing programs coordinator and a NeighborWorks certified housing counselor, the workshop will offer an overview of the foreclosure process, tips on how to avoid foreclosure, and loan modification options. The workshop will be held in conference room 204 at the Vet’s Building, 649 San Benito St. Doors open at 9 a.m. The workshop is from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Seating is limited. RSVP to Christopher “CJ” Valenzuela, 637-1763 or e-mail
cv*********@pl******.us
.
ARC offers fine dining raffle for donors
OAKLAND – Those participating in American Red Cross blood drives in April have a chance to win a brunch for two at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay. Staff will hold five drawings for donors during the month for brunch at Navio, which features California coastal cuisine. The Red Cross operates five donor centers, one in San Jose at 2731 N. First Street, and also hosts a monthly blood drive in Hollister. To schedule an appointment or for more information, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543) or visit HelpSaveALife.org.
MACE banquet tickets on sale
HOLLISTER – The Mexican American Committee on Education is now selling tickets for their 39th Annual Cinco de Mayo Scholarship Banquet. The banquet will be Saturday, May 2, from 5 p.m. to midnight. Keynote speaker Rocky Delgadillo, the city attorney for Los Angeles, will speak at 7 p.m. There will also be a tribute to the 2009 community award honorees, Jose Zepeda and Guille Reynoso. Tickets are $45.
For more information, call 637-2009 or 245-6971 or visit www.themacecommitte.org.
San Benito Democrats meet
HOLLISTER – The San Benito County Democratic Central Committee will meet Thursday, April 9 at 5 p.m. at the YMCA on Fifth Street. All democrats are welcome to attend. The group meets the second Thursday of every month.
For more information, call 1-888-740-4432 or e-mail
sb**********@ya***.com
.
Statewide seat belt alert
SACRAMENTO – The California Highway Patrol issues a statewide seat belt alert to draw attention to the need to buckle up when riding in a vehicle. March 31 was Vehicle Occupant Restraint Day.
“The goal of this campaign is to stress that seat belts save lives,” said Joe Farrow, CHP commissioner, in a press release. “More than 30 percent of all vehicle passengers killed statewide in 2007 and 2008 were not buckled up at the time of their collision. We hope people will learn from it and take the extra seconds to put on their seat belt or properly restrain their child. There’s no do over for someone killed because they failed to buckle up.”
Seat belt usage in California is at a record high of 95.7 percent, according to statistics from the Office of Traffic Safety. In 2008, CHP officers issued more than 204,000 citations to drivers and passengers who failed to buckle up. There were also 17,000 tickets issued for child safety seat violations. Children younger than 6 years or weighing less than 60 pounds need to be secured in a car or booster seat.
“We all need to have reminders,” Farrow said. “By having the black-and-whites out on the road, we want to educate the public to remind them to wear their seat belts. We all get a little careless sometimes, but in this case, careless can be deadly.”
CHP offices offer free car seat inspection and installation. For more information in the Hollister area, call 408-848-2324.
Graniterock to host career day
AROMAS – Graniterock is hosting a Construction Career Day Friday, May 8, at its A.R. Wilson Quarry in Aromas. The event is designed for students, and will highlight the many career paths available in the construction business. The event begins at 10 a.m. with a tour. Bruce Woolpert, president and CEO, will address the students. After that, 25 professionals representing various construction and green building occupations will meet with the students.
To RSVP or get your school program registered contact Audries Blake at 479-5013.
Tax break for new cars
OAKLAND – The Internal Revenue Service has announced that taxpayers who buy a new passenger vehicle in 2009 may be entitled to deduct state and local sales and excise taxes paid on the purchase on their 2009 federal tax returns.
“If you are thinking about buying a new car this year, you should consider this new deduction as an added incentive to make the purchases,” said Jesse Weller, an IRS spokesman. “The new tax break enables most taxpayers to buy now and get a tax benefit later on their tax returns.”
The deduction is limited to the state and local sales and excise taxes paid on up to $49,5000 of the purchase price of a qualified new car, light truck, motor home or motorcycle.”
The amount of the deduction is phased out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income is between $125,000 and $135,000 for individual filers or between $250,000 to $260,000 for joint filers.
Vehicles purchased between Feb. 16, 2009 and Jan. 1, 2010 may qualify.
Guardian Angels garage sale
HOLLISTER – The Guardian Angels will be hosting a Relay For Life fundraising multi-family garage sale Saturday, April 4 from 8 a.m. to whenever they are sold out at 960 El Toro Drive in Hollister. They are collecting donations from community members of items to sell to raise money for the American Cancer Society. To donate items or to participate, call Delia Villegas at 801-0515 or e-mail her at
dv***********@ya***.com
.
Chamber mixer
The San Benito County Chamber of Commerce invites you to a mixer hosted by Pinnacle Hardwood Floors at 203 Hawkins St. on Wednesday, April 8 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Chamber members, bring a raffle prize and promote your business. Non-Members: $5 entry fee. For information call 637-5315.
Casa de Fruta Crafts Fair
HOLLISTER – Casa de Fruta will be hosting the 15th annual Easter Weekend Arts and Crafts Fair, to be held at the Casa de Fruta train station Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Some of the items for sale include wood work, oil paintings, jewelry, leather work, and metal art, among other items. Music will be provided by Good Medicine, which will play blues, country, oldies classic rock and other music.
For more information, call (559) 877-3474 or (408) 842-9316.
Club Ed tutoring available
HOLLISTER – Club Ed, a club at San Benito High School, offers private tutoring for students in first through 12th grade in math and most language arts subjects. Tutoring takes place in the SBHS library from 3 to 4 p.m., and 6 to 8 p.m. The cost is $14 an hour. For more information, contact teacher Rachel Flores-Zepeda at
rf*****@sb***.us
or 637-5831, ext. 370.
Spring boutique needs vendors
HOLLISTER – The Sunnyslope Christian Center is hosting a Spring Boutique Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1520 Sunnyslope Road. Vendors will be selling Custom-made jewelry, candles, collectible dolls and other items.
For more information, call 637-2635 or e-mail
ml**@pg*.com
.
Taxpayers’ tea party
HOLLISTER – The San Benito Chapter of Friends of the Constitution will host a Taxpayers’ tea party Wednesday, April 15 at 3 p.m. at the corner of Fourth and San Benito streets. They encourage residents who disagree with the way state and national government is using taxpayer money to attend and bring a tea bag with them.
For more information, visit www.sanbenitochapter.org or contact Marvin Jones at 638-0938.
Tax help for residents
HOLLISTER – The American Association of Retired Persons Tax-Aide Program offers free personal tax counseling and preparation assistance to all taxpayers with middle and low income, with a special emphasis on helping those 60 and older. The program will run through April 14 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Community Center, 300 West St., in Hollister. Help will also be available Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. at the County Library on Fifth Street. Call ahead for an appointment at 637-1980.
Those who need help with preparing their taxes are requested to bring the tax package they received in the mail, last year’s return, and all relevant information on income and expenses. Volunteer counselors are not trained to assist in preparing tax returns that report business, rental or partnership income.
Republican Party meeting
HOLLISTER – The April meeting of the San Benito County Republican Party will be Tuesday, April 7 in the San Benito County Free Library at 470 Fifth St. The meeting will be called to order at 7 p.m.
For information, call 638-0938 or check our Web page at www.sanbenitogop.org. The public is welcome.
Young Professionals
The SBC Chamber’s Young Professionals group kick-off event will be held Thursday, April 9th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at DeRose Winery. The event is for 21- to 40-year-old business professionals. The cost is $20 (payable by cash or check at the door) and includes admission, heavy appetizers and wine. Please bring a friend! For more information please call (831) 637-5315.
Cleanup downtown
HOLLISTER – The Hollister Downtown Association is hosting the annual spring cleanup, and volunteers are needed. The event will be April 25 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Organized groups such as Boys and Girls Scout troops or 4-H clubs are invited to participate. Students looking for community service hours or adults wanting to pitch in can also join in. For more information, call 636-8406.
In search of Sacred Heart class of ’82
HOLLISTER – Members of the Sacred Heart class of 1982 are looking for missing classmates for a summer reunion. Bonnie Brown, maiden name Goodwin, and Michael Kirch are asking anyone who is in contact with a member of the Sacred Heart class of 1982 to help them pass the message along. They hope to have the reunion this summer in San Juan with all 48 class members present, with a date and location to be announced soon.
For more information, please contact Bonnie at
bo*********@wi******.net
or Michael at
mi**********@ho*****.com
.
Friends of the Library book sale
HOLLISTER – Books for all ages and interests are available for purchase at $2 per bag at the shed behind the San Benito County Free Library on Fifth Street every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 636-4107.
Children’s art contest
HOLLISTER – The Child Abuse Prevention Council of San Benito County is accepting entries for the April art contest. To enter children in grades third through sixth should create a picture and a slogan related to the theme of preventing child abuse. The pictures can be on 8 ½-by-11 paper up to poster size, and can be done in any medium such as charcoal, markers, paint, etc. Entries can be completed by an individual child, or a group of child, though only one prize will be awarded. All submissions should have a consent form completed by a parent or legal guardian attached.
The first prize is a $50 gift card; second place is a $25 gift card and third place is a $15 gift card. The winners will be announced at the YMCA Healthy Families Day April 25, and the winning entries may be used in agency newsletters Web sites, or on County Express buses.
For more information, contact Ana Cabrera at San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency at 634-0686 or by e-mail at
ac******@sa***********.org
.
Southside registration
HOLLISTER – Registration for Southside kindergarten will be held March 23 through April 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Southside School District, 4991 Southside Road. Children must be 5 years or older before Dec. 12, 2009. For more information, call 637-4439 or visit www.southsideschool.net.
Hospital scholarships available
HOLLISTER – Applications for the 2009 Hazel Hawkins Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship Awards are now available. Each year the Auxiliary awards scholarships to students who are pursuing a medical or medically oriented career. The total amount awarded to each recipient will be at the discretion of the scholarship committee.
Auxiliary members put in thousands of hours throughout the year running a thrift shop, the hospital gift shop, and organizing their annual craft and antique faire in order to fund scholarships and purchase equipment for Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.
To be eligible to apply for a scholarship you must:
· Be a high school graduate (or equivalent)
· Be a resident of San Benito County for a minimum of one continuous year
· Be enrolled in health-related course of study at an accredited institution.
· Apply by April 17.
A complete list of eligibility rules and application packet are available at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital Lobby, San Benito High School, Gavilan College, on the hospital Web site at www.hazelhawkins.com or contact Frankie Arballo in the hospital’s public relations office at 636-2644 for additional information.
