Community

American Buddhist monk Ajahn Chandako, who is the Abbott of Vimutti Monastery in Auckland, New Zealand, will lead a half-day meditation workshop at the Morgan Hill House at Villa Mira Monte, 17860 Monterey Road, 9 a.m. to noon May 22.

Roberta Kracht has been an active member of the Morgan Hill community for more than 30 years, but she can never predict when she might suddenly be bedridden for half a day or more due to a chronic condition that she and about 1.5 million Americans suffer from.Kracht, 64, was diagnosed with lupus in 2010, but she had been in pain for many years before that. The disease, for which there is no cure and about which little is known, can cause a variety of debilitating symptoms. For Kracht, she has rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, a condition that causes muscular and skeletal pain and fatigue.“I don’t know what I’ll be able to do for the day,” Kracht said. “In five minutes, it comes over you and you have to go to bed. In the summer, when it’s really hot, I don’t go outside.”She added that she can’t work at her private psychotherapy practice for more than a couple hours a day.Other lupus patients—nearly half, in fact—end up suffering from kidney failure, added Erin Badillo, Executive Director of the Lupus Foundation of Northern California. Some other patients experience lung and skin ailments. Others can’t work at all and rely on disability insurance to make ends meet. Existing treatment options often make the patient even sicker.But Kracht’s illness doesn’t stop her from trying to raise awareness of lupus, assist other patients and support funding for research for improved treatment options. Kracht is one of 12 volunteer members of the board of directors for LFNC, a nonprofit organization that works to advocate for lupus patients and raise awareness of the “invisible” disease.“Roberta inspires a lot of our board members,” Badillo said.May is Lupus Awareness Month, and Morgan Hill and surrounding cities are in the process of issuing proclamations to that effect. Kracht and Badillo, who sat down to talk about their awareness efforts recently at Kracht’s Butterfield Boulevard office, were at the state capitol in Sacramento in April to commemorate the declaration of May as statewide Lupus Awareness Month.Lupus is classified as a “chronic autoimmune” disease that gives patients an “overactive immune system,” Kracht and Badillo explained.“Whenever your cells feel threatened, they attack the other good cells, thinking they’re going to be harmful,” Kracht said.Senate Resolution 65, presented by Sen. John Moorlach, passed with a 36-0 senate vote and seeks to bring greater awareness, understanding and insight to the devastating effects of lupus.Also in attendance for the signing of the resolution April 25 were members of LFNC, the Lupus Foundation of Southern California and Lupus Los Angeles.The City of San Jose proclaimed May as Lupus Awareness Month earlier this month.“I’ve seen upfront the toll this disease takes on loved ones in my family,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, who happens to be Kracht’s son-in-law. “The small but mighty team at Lupus Foundation of Northern California has done astounding work educating those affected by lupus while supporting external research. I commend Erin (Badillo) and her team’s efforts, and am confident that the most innovative community on the planet will discover a cure.”Despite funding for research gaining momentum in recent years—resulting in the first drug developed specifically for lupus about four year ago—the disease, which is not contagious, remains an enigma. About 90 percent of diagnosed lupus patients are women, Badillo said. People of color are most likely to have lupus. These phenomena remain a mystery.“It seems to be hereditary,” Badillo said. Kracht noted that her mother exhibited symptoms similar to those of lupus patients, but she was never diagnosed with the disease because it was unheard of at the time. Her mother died at the age of 34.Kracht has lived in Morgan Hill with her husband John Kracht since 1985. Their seven children grew up in Morgan Hill. Although Roberta Kracht was diagnosed with lupus about six years ago, most patients are diagnosed in their 20s or 30s.LFNC is a highly active organization that promotes and organizes numerous efforts throughout the year to support lupus patients, Badillo explained. The organization sponsors 21 patient support groups throughout northern California, and is working on starting more. They also hold two conferences annually in Sacramento, with the next one coming up May 21. These conferences are live-cast over the internet for those patients not feeling well enough to attend.They have also instituted a “buddy program,” which is about a year old and matches new patients with longtime lupus sufferers who act as mentors, Badillo added.On June 12, the “Drumbeat to a cure” 5K run/walk will take place at West Valley College in Saratoga. The event, sponsored by LFNC, is intended to raise awareness and funds for research.“Awareness is making a difference,” added Kracht. She noted that earlier this month, the U.S. Congress appropriated $5 million to establish a special committee on lupus research. “It’s very interesting how this is growing so fast. We’re going to see some good things soon.”For more information about lupus and LFNC, or to register for the June 12 5K, visit lfnc.org.

Commuters on U.S. 101 through Morgan Hill will gain relief from the cracks and potholes on the freeway by this fall, but until then overnight roadwork is likely to slow down traffic.The California Department of Transportation will begin the maintenance project Wednesday, May 18, according to Caltrans spokesman Bernard Walik. The project will consist of grinding the existing concrete pavement and replacing damaged concrete slabs on U.S. 101 in Morgan Hill and San Jose.The project is intended to replace the severely damaged broken concrete sections and resurface the existing asphalt concrete pavement on the freeway’s mainline, according to Walik. The project will also replace crash cushions, install metal beam guardrails and modify traffic loop detectors at various locations.The work should be completed by the end of October.Work will be performed Monday through Thursday nights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning, and on Fridays from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following Saturday.The project will require various freeway lane and ramp closures, but Caltrans will always provide at least one open lane in either direction of travel and never close two consecutive ramps, Walik said. Noise will be inevitable during the project, but it will be kept “within approved construction noise limits.”Caltrans officials say the project will improve the quality of travel for motorists on U.S. 101 and extend the service life of the existing driving surface.Signage is in place to warn and assist motorists traveling through the area, and drivers are urged to use caution while moving through the work zone.

The 37th annual Mushroom Mardi Gras food, art and wine festival will take place Memorial Weekend, May 28 and 29 in downtown Morgan Hill.

A $524.4 million budget was adopted by the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors May 10 for the coming fiscal year.

As Morgan Hill continues to grow and embrace the latest in high technology and other commercial pursuits, there remains a small—yet vital—slice of town that predates the city’s founding, to which a dedicated group of volunteers is intent on preserving for future generations.

Santa Clara County’s Animal Shelter in San Martin is searching for new foster homes for 131 kittens in need of life-saving care and feeding.Each year, the shelter cares for hundreds of kittens who are strays, brought in by residents or abandoned by their mothers and in need of maternal care and bottle feeding.“Our animal shelter relies on the generosity of community members to help nurture kittens through their first few weeks of life, and to an age where they can be adopted into loving, permanent homes,” said District 1 County Supervisor Mike Wasserman. “We hope that individuals and families who have time this summer, will volunteer to care for these young kittens.”In 2015, 610 animals, mostly kittens, were cared for by 101 foster homes that are part of the shelter’s Foster Care Program, according to the May 11 press release. The program enables the shelter to take care of a large number of stray kittens brought in by Animal Control or the public, as the kittens need to be bottle fed as often as a human baby.Kittens are placed into foster care as early newborns, and in groups of two up to six kittens. They are fostered from one to eight weeks, usually until they are 7-8 weeks old at which point kittens can be spayed or neutered before adoption.The shelter supports its foster families with supplies, food and veterinary care, in exchange for their care of the animals.“We welcome volunteers 18 years or older who love animals to participate in our foster care program,” said Lisa Jenkins, Interim Animal Care and Control Manager. “Providing a temporary home for an underage kitten or other animal during the early stage of its life can be a fulfilling experience.”For more information, call (408) 686-3900 or visit sccgov.org.

Morgan Hill Unified School District will once again operate the Seamless Summer Feeding Program, which supplies free lunches to children up to age 18 during the summer months.

Community members are invited to attend a public forum to hear from three finalists for the top leadership position at Gavilan College, according to a press release from the school.