On the Bookshelf: Happy birds, healthy choices

What do a hyacinth macaw, a Moluccan cockatoo, a green wing macaw, a triton cockatoo peach parrot and two yellow naped Amazon parrots have in common? The answer is “Happy Birds,” the performing parrot show.
“Happy Birds” took center stage at Gilroy library on July 1, where the second floor activity room overflowed with more than 200 kids and adults. According to librarians, it was the largest attendance for a library event
to date.
Lines spilled out the doorway, and into the hallway, as attendees who were unable to make their way inside the room tried to sneak a peak of
the amazing performances taking place inside.
A baby’s cry could be heard coming from the room, but it wasn’t from the audience, the baby sounds along with a variety of animal noises all came from one yellow naped Amazon named Korbel, who is 30 years old.
“The community loved the show,” said Sharon Kelly, supervising children’s librarian.
Julie Cardoza, and her husband Ed are the creators of “Happy Birds.” They’ve been in the performing birds business since 1989. It all started with their pet parrot Zac, who they trained. The Cardozas then decided to put on a show.
“It’s an evolution of working with pets—these birds are exotics, however, they are still pets,” Cardoza explained.
Kelly feels the Cardozas’ show is not only entertaining, but it effectively educates their audiences as well.
“Every book about parrots was checked out after the show ended,” Kelly said.
Healthy living class in Morgan Hill
Living with a chronic illness is an obstacle many people face. Discovering a resource that provides assistance in coping with their daily fight is priceless. Attendees of the “Better Choices, Better Health Program” at Morgan Hill Library have discovered such a find.
HealthTrust, an organization whose mission is to make Silicon Valley the healthiest region in America for everyone, approached Jeff Grubb, supervising librarian—adult and teen services, several months ago regarding holding the weekly meetings at the library. He was 100 percent behind it.
“It’s always good to find programs to benefit the community in different ways,” Grubb said. “The library is not just about books. “
Anamaria Bejarano, Health Trust’s wellness, access and health education program coordinator, explained that the organization has conducted outreach and recruitment throughout Santa Clara County to promote the BCBH workshops for a long time.
“Given the need we’ve seen for this program in Morgan Hill, and the success of our first workshop, we will continue to offer it,” Bejarano said.
Diana Kaiser of Morgan Hill attends the program regularly. She suffers from chronic illnesses, but that’s not the reason she attends.
“I’m here to focus on just keeping myself healthy, and so I don’t get any more chronic,” Kaiser said. “It’s really a good motivator…really that’s why I’m here—to keep myself motivated.”
According to Bejarano, equipping people with the tools to become healthier is a key part of the program.
“The program’s goal is to help people take charge of their chronic health condition and start leading healthier, more independent lives,” she said.
Current “Better Choices, Better Health”classes—a free six-week program—held in the Morgan Hill Library’s Project Room from 12:15 to 2:45 p.m. every Monday through July 13.
For more information about other free library events in Gilroy and Morgan Hill, go to sccl.org. N