Community

“Everything is the same,” said the grief-stricken older brother of an 18-year-old Ann Sobrato High School alumnus who is in a medically-induced coma at Stanford Medical Center—the same state he has been in since early August.

Droves of families began forming a line outside the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center Dec. 11 as much as two hours before the Cathedral of Faith’s fifth annual holiday extravaganza was scheduled to begin.

Trail Dust BBQ will host Berkeley’s renowned sour beer company The Rare Barrel and esteemed Capitola brewery Sante Adairius for a beer tasting event billed as “Funk N Dank” from 2-6 p.m. Dec. 19.

Twenty-two members of the local Boys & Girls Club of Silicon Valley made a special Dec. 10 visit to the headquarters of Morgan Hill-based Specialized Bicycle Components, where employees guided them on a campus tour and treated their guests to some holiday craft-making.

The rain is here to stay with gray skies and showers expected tonight and through Friday, according to Forecaster Diana Henderson of the National Weather Service.

Thousands of residents and visitors kicked off the winter holiday season Dec. 5 with the 30th annual Kiwanis Club Morgan Hill Holiday Parade.The parade route traversed Monterey Road through downtown Morgan Hill. Local young dancers, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, high school marching bands, public officials and other nonprofit service organizations joined the procession of holiday lights, characters and music.Santa Claus on his Magic Ship, manned by Boy Scouts Troop 799, brought up the end of the parade. Spectators and performers joined Santa and other community members after the parade for a tree lighting and live music at the Community and Cultural Center.

Local fourth graders spent their Tuesday morning at Target in Morgan Hill picking out their favorite toys, clothing and other items, all paid for by Morgan Hill Police officers who helped them fill their carts and bag their purchases at the checkout line.The shopping spree for more than 110 children was part of the Morgan Hill Police Officers Association’s “Shop with a Cop” event, according to MHPD Sgt. Carlos Guerrero. The Dec. 8 program paired about 25 off-duty, uniformed members of the MHPOA with fourth graders selected by teachers and administrators from all local public and private schools.Each child was given a gift bag, which contained a $100 Target gift card, as they arrived at the store. Each student was then paired with an officer and a shopping cart as they perused the store for their favorite merchandise.“A lot of these kids don’t always get to see us in a positive light,” Guerrero said, explaining that most children’s sightings of police are when they are responding to a crime or other unfortunate emergency. The Shop with a Cop program helps local police promote positive interactions with kids and other members of the community.Teachers selected students to participate in the program if they satisfy a number of criteria, including whether they are an example for others, their leadership qualities, and their levels of self-motivation, self-discipline and social responsibility, Guerrero said.“We’re very thankful to the police officers for this opportunity,” Crossroads Christian School Principal Ms. Marsha Anguiano said while two of her students were checking out MHPD patrol cars after they completed their shopping spree at Target.The Shop with a Cop program was funded by proceeds raised from the POA golf tournament fundraiser, which took place this year in October. Guerrero explained that the POA donates money raised from the annual fundraiser back to the community in the form of programs such as Shop with a Cop. The Dec. 8 program also received funding from the South County Youth Task Force.This is the first year Morgan Hill officers have participated in Shop with a Cop, which is a nationwide program. 

GILROY—Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on Thursday granted conditional approval of a transaction that will allow a change of control and governance of the Daughters of Charity Health System, a network of hospitals that includes Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy.

The annual Holiday Parade and festivities sponsored by the Morgan Hill Kiwanis Club will take place 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 in downtown Morgan Hill. The parade ends when Santa’s Magic Ship leads the crowd to the ceremonial tree lighting at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road. This year’s event for the first time will feature a holiday performance inside the Community Playhouse. Spectators can join the festivities for free; just make your way to Monterey Road in the downtown.

Just talking about his self-produced YouTube videos, 14-year-old eighth grader Sean Nguyen can’t help but crack a smile. After all, it’s his passion and what gives him a sense of self belonging.