June 22, 2020 Letter to Members

 Dear Palo Alto Auxiliary Members,

 

First, I apologize for not keeping in better touch with all of you.  I just haven’t given enough time to Auxiliary business in the last 2-1/2 months and hope to do better, starting now.  Still, I hope that you are well and have been finding your way on this new path.

 

We are certainly living in an unusual time – all this “sheltering in place” with so many of our regular activities and entertainments put on hold.  This has been a great time to tackle that long “to do” list, get to the books one has meant to read, write your memoir (as my husband is doing), etc. but adjusting to not seeing friends and family can also have been a bit lonely.  I do hope you have kept well and found peace and pleasure in a slower pace than your regular routine.  

 

FABRIC MASKS NEEDED AT LPCH

 

 Under the leadership of our Cathy Murphy with Hearts and Hands and PAA’s Thora’s Thimbles, we have been making fabric masks for use by parents, siblings and visitors at LPCH.  The hospital wants all we can make so, if you can help, please call Cathy at 650-324-8777 to volunteer.  She has all the supplies you will need and will be very happy to have more sewers!

 

SUMMER SCAMPER – Final Push – Letter from the chairman attached:

 

Just a reminder, the virtual Summer Scamper is this Sunday and the Association of Auxiliaries’ Team needs more members.  Remember, it’s virtual so you choose your activity (or no activity, no running or scampering unless you prefer) and there is no registration fee.  Of course, you are free to donate funds toward the Association’s goal of raising $10,000 for the work of the Department of Patient Experience.  So, we could help offset our limited fundraising opportunities this year by making a donation. To do my part in bolstering the team, I’m registering my family. (It’s not too late.)  Be sure to see Lisa Cheskin’s letter below.  

 

NO SUMMER GARDEN PARTY AND SILENT AUCTION

 

As I’m sure you know, our auxiliary activities have been greatly curtailed lately and it looks like that will continue for a while more.  We’ve been hoping that all would be back to “normal” in time for our Summer Garden Party and Silent Auction on August 15^th but that doesn’t seem likely.  So, reluctantly, that, too, will not happen this year.  We’re still hoping the Nutcracker Tea in November can happen but only time will tell.  Of course, we need to be sure our members and guests would be safe in attending the event.

 

 

ASSOCIATION OF AUXILIARIES –  ENDOWMENT FUND

 

Really good things have been supported by the Association of Auxiliaries Endowment Fund recently.  The Fund board and committee members have met several times via “Zoom.com” to hear presentations from various departments at LPCH requesting funding for special projects, to consider those requests, and finally, to determine which ones will receive funding in August.  A total of $1,102,170 will be paid out for projects including equipping maternity with wireless fetal monitors, immersive technology for oncology treatment, training equipment for the SIM Center and for Neonatology, additional resources for Social Services, efforts to identify and prevent child abuse, improving utilization of telehealth in pediatric rheumatology and improving parent comfort in the Intermediate Care Nursery.  Please contact PAA’s June Schiller (650-326-7945 or jsciller2@comcast.net) if you would like to join the endowment fund

 

 

SAD NEWS 

 

Two more of our members have passed away.  They are Marie Batten and Gail Sachs.  I don't know any details in either situation but we will be sending a donation to the Foundation in each lady’s memory.

 

Please take care of yourself and stay well.  

 

Blessings,

 

Marilyn Anderson

President, Palo Alto Auxiliary

Hello members,

As you all know, for this year’s Summer Scamper, we formed the first-ever Association of Auxiliaries Team to raise $10,000 for the Department of Patient Experience to purchase 1300 comfort kits. We also aspire to have the largest team in Scamper history – 250 participants. To date, we have raised $5410 and registered 58 participants. We have a ways to go by this weekend’s virtual Summer Scamper! To register, all you need to do is click the link below to get to the Association’s team page and select the “JOIN TEAM” button. Contact Lisa Norcia Cheskin at lncheskin@gmail.com or 408-460-8788 at any time with registration questions.

https://my.supportlpch.org/team/300563

For a little inspiration, see here a photo of some family members receiving comfort kits from hospital staff.

Also, we are hoping that, as depicted in the picture below, we will be able to add our logo to the comfort kits purchased with our Scamper donations. A great promotion of our organizations!

Won’t you join us?

June 16 Letter to Members

 June 16, 2020

 

Dear Palo Alto Auxiliary Members,

 

First, I apologize for not keeping in better touch with all of you.  I just haven’t given enough time to Auxiliary business in the last 2-1/2 months and hope to do better, starting now.  Still, I hope that you are well and have been finding your way on this new path.

 

We are certainly living in an unusual time – all this “sheltering in place” with so many of our regular activities and entertainments put on hold.  This has been a great time to tackle that long “to do” list, get to the books one has meant to read, write your memoir (as my husband is doing), etc. but adjusting to not seeing friends and family can also have been a bit lonely.  I do hope you have kept well and found peace and pleasure in a slower pace than your regular routine.  

 

FABRIC MASKS NEEDED AT LPCH

 

 Under the leadership of our Cathy Murphy with Hearts and Hands and PAA’s Thora’s Thimbles, we have been making fabric masks for use by parents, siblings and visitors at LPCH.  The hospital wants all we can make so, if you can help, please call Cathy at 650-324-8777 to volunteer.  She has all the supplies you will need and will be very happy to have more sewers!

 

SUMMER SCAMPER – Final Push – Letter from the chairman attached:

 

Just a reminder, the virtual Summer Scamper is this Sunday and the Association of Auxiliaries’ Team needs more members.  Remember, it’s virtual so you choose your activity (or no activity, no running or scampering unless you prefer) and there is no registration fee.  Of course, you are free to donate funds toward the Association’s goal of raising $10,000 for the work of the Department of Patient Experience.  So, we could help offset our limited fundraising opportunities this year by making a donation. To do my part in bolstering the team, I’m registering my family. (It’s not too late.)  Be sure to see Lisa Cheskin’s letter below.  

 

NO SUMMER GARDEN PARTY AND SILENT AUCTION

 

As I’m sure you know, our auxiliary activities have been greatly curtailed lately and it looks like that will continue for a while more.  We’ve been hoping that all would be back to “normal” in time for our Summer Garden Party and Silent Auction on August 15^th but that doesn’t seem likely.  So, reluctantly, that, too, will not happen this year.  We’re still hoping the Nutcracker Tea in November can happen but only time will tell.  Of course, we need to be sure our members and guests would be safe in attending the event.

 

 

ASSOCIATION OF AUXILIARIES –  ENDOWMENT FUND

 

Really good things have been supported by the Association of Auxiliaries Endowment Fund recently.  The Fund board and committee members have met several times via “Zoom.com” to hear presentations from various departments at LPCH requesting funding for special projects, to consider those requests, and finally, to determine which ones will receive funding in August.  A total of $1,102,170 will be paid out for projects including equipping maternity with wireless fetal monitors, immersive technology for oncology treatment, training equipment for the SIM Center and for Neonatology, additional resources for Social Services, efforts to identify and prevent child abuse, improving utilization of telehealth in pediatric rheumatology and improving parent comfort in the Intermediate Care Nursery.  Please contact PAA’s June Schiller (650-326-7945 or jsciller2@comcast.net) if you would like to join the endowment fund

 

 

SAD NEWS 

 

Two more of our members have passed away.  They are Marie Batten and Gail Sachs.  I don't know any details in either situation but we will be sending a donation to the Foundation in each lady’s memory.

 

Please take care of yourself and stay well.  

 

Blessings,

 

Marilyn Anderson

President, Palo Alto Auxiliary

Hello members,

As you all know, for this year’s Summer Scamper, we formed the first-ever Association of Auxiliaries Team to raise $10,000 for the Department of Patient Experience to purchase 1300 comfort kits. We also aspire to have the largest team in Scamper history – 250 participants. To date, we have raised $5410 and registered 58 participants. We have a ways to go by this weekend’s virtual Summer Scamper! To register, all you need to do is click the link below to get to the Association’s team page and select the “JOIN TEAM” button. Contact Lisa Norcia Cheskin at lncheskin@gmail.com or 408-460-8788 at any time with registration questions.

https://my.supportlpch.org/team/300563

For a little inspiration, see here a photo of some family members receiving comfort kits from hospital staff.

Also, we are hoping that, as depicted in the picture below, we will be able to add our logo to the comfort kits purchased with our Scamper donations. A great promotion of our organizations!

Lisa Cheskin

September 2020 Presidents Newsletter

 September 2020

Dear PAA Members,

Once, again, I hope this finds you well and coping fairly comfortably with what seems to be our new normal.  Many of us, like Luisa Pliska, have been purging closets and then trying to find a charity open to receiving donations.  Susan Kirtley was swimming 40 laps a day before the air quality got so bad.  Maybe she is back at it now.  Sue Alvarez has been re-doing a fixer-upper and lots of gardening.  

Sarah Beetem answered my question of activities with the following:

“When my son and daughter in-law gave me a book called Grandmother’s Journal, I realized that I wish my grandmother, or even my mother, had filled out something similar.  Now that the prior generations are gone, I wonder what life was like for them.  Not the major things like graduations or marriages, that I can research, but the small details like party phone lines, cutting Christmas trees, or surviving the last pandemic. I decided that now would be a great time to write about my life and leave a written record because by the time my grandchildren are old enough to be curious, I may not be here to tell them the stories of my life.  I can just remember listening to funny radio programs with my maternal grandma when she babysat us.  I remember her stories of riding a horse to high school and riding in wagons across Los Angeles County to camp on the beach, but I wish I knew much more about her life. (1882 – 1965)  Why not take time now to write a tape record some of your memories for your future family members?  It doesn’t have to be a special journal or to answer specific questions; just put down some things you remember.  If they don’t care about them now, they might care later on.”

By now, you have received your invitation to our Annual Membership Tea on Tuesday, October 20^th at 2:00 p.m. via Zoom.  We hope all of you will make yourself a cup of tea and join us.  If you have not used Zoom, previously, perhaps you can find a friend (I always ask a grandchild) to help walk you through the process before October 20^th.  I will send an email invitation link on the 19^th.  As always, we will be honoring all our long-term members.  Those for special mention will be:

60 years  (joined PAA in 1960)

     Bobbie Dolton

55 years  (joined in 1965)

     Gaye Bruce-Ferronato Jo Ann Pfost

     Lorraine Hultquist

 50 years (1970)

      Liz Bowman Bonnie Miller    

45 years  (1975)

      Sabra Dexter Barbara Mattson

      Sue Pettigrew Ruth Wood

40 years  (1980)

      Ann Bennett Jane Bradley

      Ellen Smith

35 years  (1985)

      Eloise Bodine Audrey Polster

30 years  (1990)

      Karen Sutherland

25 years  (1995)

      Nayla Sleiman

20 years  (2000)

      Luisa Pliska Barbara Sheldon

15 years  (2005)

      Barbara Alexander    Sarah Beetem

      Marlene Bollhoffer Nancy Bronstein

      Sally Edmondson Marlene Hom

      Susan Kirtley Dallas Manning

      Karen Stevens Mary Ann York

With so many of Auxiliary events having to be canceled, we are excited to tell you about the Holiday Faire planned by all seven auxiliaries and to be held outdoors at Allied Arts Guild on Sunday, November 8^th from 11:00 to 4:00.  Here’s a chance to start your holiday decorations and purchase distinctive Christmas gifts.  Each auxiliary will have very special items for your shopping fun.  Palo Alto Auxiliary’s booth will feature beautiful Fall and Christmas wreaths.  All precautions recommended by the CDC, the State and San Mateo County will be observed to secure safety for everyone.  We are looking for some volunteer help so call Nancy Larsson or me (Marilyn Anderson) to offer your help.

You may remember that the joint auxiliaries’ 2020 special project at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital was pathology research to identify appropriate neuroblastoma treatment.  We were all excited about that project and fully funded it early in the year.  That allowed the auxiliaries to direct some funding to assist front line workers at the hospital who were substantially impacted by Covid 19.  The Summer Scamper raised $10,000 to fund Patient Relations’ comfort bags for parents of patients.  Your donations are now needed to help Child Life make our young patients more comfortable in these especially difficult days in the hospital.

Be generous!

We recently received a couple memorial donations from family members of Patricia Mangan.  Some of you may remember Patricia who, according to those family members, really enjoyed working at the restaurant.   The family also ordered cookbooks to have a bit of Patricia’s experience. 

Again, I hope you are doing well and look forward to seeing you at the Tea and the Holiday Faire.

Marilyn

PAA Endowment quickly donates a LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot to LPCH 

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Dear PAA friends,

I hope you are doing as well as can be expected during this unusual time.  It’s certainly a new experience to have so much leisure time.  Personally, I’ve caught up all the ironing (which only happens on New Year’s day if I iron, in the family room, while the rest watch football), I’m on my second 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, and I’ve just finished a 43 hour audio book while working in the garden.  If we could have an outdoor tea in my yard, this week, it’s ready.  Really, the saving grace has been the “Zoom” program on the computer.  My Bible Study class meets on Tuesday mornings, my husband is taking a Stanford class and we’ve  been doing family chats, all on Zoom.  Our whole family, of 25 members including those in Colorado Springs, and Baltimore, visited last night.  

While our auxiliary activities have been pretty much quieted, the staff at LPCH, of course, is working hard in the face of additional hardships.  We know that staffing is short as caution requires some to stay home, volunteering has been suspended so those hands are missing too and we hear that material resources are in short supply.

So, last Thursday evening, when we were made aware of a critical need facing LPCH in the fight against COVID 19: micro-level sanitation, quick action was taken.  The plea was for a LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot with “intense pathogen killing power” that can disinfect an entire patient room in as little as 20 minutes.  This robot will keep the hospital clean by destroying deadly microorganisms critical in protecting patients, families and staff during this time.

Within minutes of hearing about this need, Association leadership contacted the members of the Endowment Committee, reached out to the Board Members of the Association of Auxiliaries, held a virtual vote (unanimous) and a mere 14 hours later, had a check for the $115,000 from our Association Endowment payout to deliver!  We are grateful to our Endowment Members, our Auxiliary Presidents, Second Delegates and all of our members for making this happen.  And happen so swiftly!  Good job everyone!

Of course we are looking forward to getting back to our old routines.  As soon as possible, we will reinstate Restaurants with Heart, reschedule our missed general meeting and get busy on the next fundraising event.  In the meantime, we are all in this together and need to support each other.  Please call if you need to chat.

Take care of yourself and keep up your spirits,

Marilyn

Friday, March 13th, 2020

Cancellation of PAA Activities Through the End of April

Dear Members and Friends,

Buying into the old adage, "Better Safe than Sorry", we are following the actions of the Association of Auxiliaries, the Foundation and the hospital and canceling Palo Alto Auxiliary's activities through the end of April.  We will let you know if circumstances require more time after that.

That means that we will postpone our general meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, March 18th at Mike's Cafe and, really sadly, cancel our Spring Tea and Fashion Show on April 26th.  We were putting together a lovely event and are very disappointed to have to call an end to it.  But.......we don't want to jeopardize anyone.

We will hope to reschedule the general meeting for May or June and, shortly, will begin planning for the Summer Garden Party at the Richardsons' home in Los Altos.  That date is August 15th, so be sure to put it on your calendars now.  

Wishing good health for you and your families,

Marilyn Anderson

President

February 22, 2020

Dear PAAers,

Remember when today (February 22^nd) was a holiday to celebrate George Washington’s birthday?  I, for one, don’t love having moved most holidays to Mondays but it does give us nice 3-day weekends.  Wonder how you used the last one.  I used some of the time to work on various plans for PAA.

Coming up in the next couple of months:

RESTAURANTS WITH HEART:  Next week, Monday, February 24th and Tuesday, February 25^thwe are at Divino’s in San Carlos.  This is one of my favorite restaurants.  The food is delicious, the staff is very welcoming and happy to be supporting LPCH.  It’s not too late to call Karen Stevens (650) 327-6809 and let her know you would like to attend.  Next month, we are at Rustic House in Los Altos.  Watch for the email or flyer from Ginny Wilson and plan to attend.  Restaurants with Heart is an important fundraiser for PAA and deserves our enthusiastic support.  So, invite your children, grandchildren, neighbors, friends etc. and enjoy lunch or dinner out while giving to the hospital. 

MARCH GENERAL MEETING:  We will meet on Wednesday, March 18^th at 11:30 for lunch at Mike’s Café, 2680 Middlefield Road, (one block off Oregon Expressway) in Palo Alto.  We will order from the menu but I do need to know who is coming so the restaurant can be prepared for our number.  Please call or text me at (650) 400-1969 or email: paloaltononie@gmail.com by Friday, March 6^th with your reservation. Following lunch we will have a short meeting and a speaker being arranged by Jeanne Berube from the Foundation.  She is hoping to get us the new doctor with the Teen Van.  

SPRING TEA, FASHION SHOW AND TRUNK SALE:  Plans are moving along for the Sunday, April 26^th event and I’m attaching the invitation for your information.  This is a lovely event for bringing your daughter(s) or gathering a group to attend together. Or even come on your own. The committee still needs lots of help – publicity, ticket sales, donation of raffle items, decoration creation, food preparation, set-up and clean-up on the day of the event.  Again, please call, text or email me with your offer of help.  Be sure this date is on your calendar!  And we are still looking for the donation of china cups and saucers and/or white china plates.  We don’t have nearly enough to use instead of renting dishes. 

SAD NEWS:  Irene Bell who passed away recently, joined Palo Alto Auxiliary in 1967 and lived in San Mateo.  We have sent a memorial donation to the hospital in her name but do not have any family contact information.  Can any of you help on that?

Enjoy the lovely weather – my daffodils, camellias and pansies are loving it.

Marilyn Anderson

President 

Presidents" Blog - 2019 In Review and 2020 Events

December 22, 2019

Dear Ladies of Palo Alto Auxiliary,

In this lovely, and quite busy season, I want you to know how much the work of our members and friends is effective and appreciated.

2019 has been a good year – our “Sip and Shop” event in March made a little money and many new friends. The Summer Garden Party with a Silent Auction was quite successful and, again, introduced some new folks to our work.  The Nutcracker Tea last month was lovely, fun for our many young guests and well received by their parents.  Then, too, we made $12,500. 

These events and your dues and donations have made it possible for PAA to make donations to LPCH totaling $45,000 this year!  Congratulations to all our members who have made that possible.  If any of you want to make “year end” donations, we will be happy to receive them and guarantee their good use.

You all know, by now, that the Annual Membership Luncheon will be back at the University Club (again guests of John McGilvray).  Please get your reservations in to Dallas Manning as soon as possible.  We will be talking about the Special Project for 2020 and, I think, you will be delighted with the auxiliaries have chosen t support.  It’s exciting!

We have started planning the Spring Fashion Show and Tea.  The date needs to be confirmed but it looks like it will be May 17^th at Allied Arts Guild.  So put that date on your calendar and you will hear more about it soon.  In the meantime, a number of you have mentioned having china cups and saucers that you no longer use. We think they would be perfect for our spring event so if you want to donate some, please let me know.  I’d be happy to pick them up.

As we end 2019, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukah and a great New Year.

Blessings,

Marilyn Anderson