Late breaking news:
 Our 2014 directories have been printed. (We owe a huge thanks to Joan Heye and to Stephanie for taking care of them.)  Please call Stephanie after June 30th to arrange a time to pick yours up at her home and possibly pick up several for neighboring members. (650-856-0278) We'd like to avoid the cost of mailing as many as possible.

June Newsletter

June 21, 2014

The first day of summer is here and despite the water shortage our gardens are blooming: roses and lavenders, sunflowers and poppies intermingle and sway with the wind.  The natural world seems very resilient and reminds us of the bravery of the ill children that our group so ardently supports.

Activities are continuing in PAA. The Restaurants with Heart project had a good turnout for Iron Gate in May and are offering lunch and dinner at Sultana in Menlo Park on this next Monday,  June 23^rd. See our website for menus and details. Remember that RwH restaurants give us 50% of the meal price as a donation to LPCH. What a fun way to enjoy a meal with a friend and raise money, too!

In addition, the California Pizza Kitchen in Palo Alto invited us to hold a second fundraiser from July 21^st to July 24^th. With a flyer in hand, we will receive 20% from dine-in or take-out on pizzas, salads, pasta and desserts.

The Restaurants with Heart group is also looking for a kind soul to help with design and electronic distribution of their flyers. Please contact Sarah or Nancy if you can help.  Training is available.

We enjoyed the June general meeting last week at Cibo, the local restaurant in Palo Alto where we met for lunch and were joined by several more for a short meeting. It was great to see some faces that we hadn’t seen since January. New directories were handed out to those who came and some to be hand delivered.

One of the announcements at the June meeting was about Beargrams. Gerry Nelson has graciously volunteered to take over Shirley Stites’ job of organizing the Bears and Books project for children who are spending December holidays as inpatients. She has invented a new way to pay for the bears which we make at the Build-a-Bear store. This year, you can buy a Beargram for only $15. You receive a blue card to send to your friend notifying them of the bear given in their honor and we will recruit young people to go to the store and make the bears which are then donated to LPCH.

We can also go in groups or with friends and several former restaurant day groups will be scheduling trips in the fall.  As long as the store knows they are for PAA, we receive a special price and an extra bear for every $100 spent. Beargrams are a perfect way to honor someone who is celebrating an event like a birthday or anniversary and doesn’t need yet another scarf or tie. Beargrams are currently available from Gerry or Luisa.

On a somber note, we received notices that member Martha Deacon and former members Phyllis Austin, Jean Groswith, Patricia Phillips and Elizabeth Allen have passed away recently. Call Sarah for details.

Coming in July: Our web page will be updated with details on the American Girl Fashion Show as soon as the graphics are received. The dates will be Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16^th, 2014.

Coming in August: We have been invited to join Allied Arts Guild at their celebration of ten years since the reopening after the 1989 earthquake on August 23rd. We’ll have a couple of tables to promote our activities including Restaurants with Heart, Beargrams, Thora’s Thimbles and the American Girl Fashion Show.
Please call or email Sarah if you are able to help out that day. Please come and see what our sister auxiliaries are presenting.

Fun in September: Our general meeting at Lucie Stern Center will feature a workshop to help make decorations for AGFS, items for the Holiday Boutique or possibly Thimbles. We’ll have something everyone can do even if it’s munching cookies, so do come, we’d love to see you.

Wishing you a great summer,

Sarah and Nancy