September 27, 2004

It occurred to me in the shower the other day (yes, that's where lots of my story ideas come to me) that we have had three huge fundraisers happening at the same time this month; Sunol Glen School's Walkathon, Save Our Sunol's Sunol Country Festival and Little Brown Church's Youth for the Elderly. In an unincorporated town such as ours without the convenience of any real city government funds, sometimes we have to rely on our own efforts to raise funds.
Having grown up in this town and attending Sunol Glen School and the Little Brown Church, it is apparent that the resources we once had are no longer available and we as citizens and parents are getting very creative at the many ways to raise funds. And the fundraisers we hold reach the surrounding communities far and wide, since 71% of the students enrolled in Sunol Glen are transfer students from Fremont, Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, etc. It's the same with the Little Brown Church; 70% of the members and friends who attend our quaint little church reside in the surrounding area and as far away as Tracy, Castro Valley and San Jose.
Another annual fundraiser is the 8th grade Washington D.C field trip fundraiser. A Sunol Glen tradition for as long as anyone can remember, this wonderful excursion gives the graduating students a chance to see our government working in action. Principle Diane Everett said, "They just really learn so much first hand; so much more than book learning. It's really, really outstanding."
Parents are also welcome to accompany their children on the trip and having two kids graduate from Sunol Glen, this will be Mom, Lisa Harpers second trip to D.C. with son Ryan. Lisa says, "I'm looking forward to going again. It's a special opportunity most kids in junior high don't get to do. It's quite an experience."
The class' main fundraiser is selling pizza lunches to the rest of the school on Fridays. Last year they also raised funds by inviting parents to a pre-open house tri tip dinner, which was very successful.
Little Valley Vineyard owner, Sandi Bohner, had some surprising and exciting news this month. Besides preparing for this years Livermore Valley Harvest Wine Celebration and opening a new tasting room, she welcomed a new grand daughter, Soraia, on September 8. Sandi's son Scott and daughter-in-law, Sheila and Soraia's big sister, Sage, reside in Santa Rosa. Then the very next day on September 9, Sandi's other son Stephen called to say he had just gotten married in Las Vegas. Stephen and new wife Amy reside in Arcata.
During the Livermore Valley Harvest Festival, Little Valley Vineyards teamed up with Big White House Vineyards and poured samples of their wines for thousands of visitors at the new outdoor tasting facility. Tesla Vintners is open Friday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 5143 Tesla Road in Livermore. The indoor tasting room will be located in a 150-year-old house on the site and will open in mid October. The new facility will offer a place for music events, business meetings, private parties and weddings. Of the new tasting room in Livermore, Sandi says, "I have not left Sunol; our heart is still in Sunol".