Guest View

To get a warm and fuzzy feeling this holiday season, consider donating to a local animal care organization such as wildlife rehabilitation, pet shelter, and animal rescue group, who are always in need of that extra helping of generosity.Giving to a local organization enhances your community and produces immediate and visible results. Many of these organizations, including the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, are supported solely by donations from individuals and companies. A donation to your favorite animal charity can make a heart warming, deeply appreciated gift and gives the giver a feeling of goodwill (and a tax deduction, too).A word of warning:  Beware of fly-by-night “charities.”  Check out an organization before sending off a check. If you’re not familiar with the organization, ask for the phone number and address. Call to see if they’re reputable or have them send you more information. The organization should have a 501(c)(3) tax exemption number. It’s your hard earned money—don’t hesitate to ask questions regarding where that money goes.W.E.R.C. wishes to thank all in our community who have generously donated throughout the year to help us help the helpless, injured and orphaned native wildlife that would not have survived on their own.Sue Howell is the Executive Director of the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill.

On Nov. 12, my wife Lucy and I attended the most powerful and impactful panel discussion ever. The constant theme was the importance of continuing the fight and struggle for social justice, equal rights, dignity and respect for all. The venue was Wheeler Auditorium...

This guest view is the first in a periodic series of upcoming op-eds on tips to prepare for wildfire season, which started May 1 in Santa Clara County.No matter where you live, the most common reason homes burn during a wildfire is because embers land on something easily ignitable around the home. Remove leaves and pine needles from your rain gutters. Make changes now to reduce the ember threat to your home.Flaming brands and embers can travel a mile or more ahead of the active front of a wildfire and up to 60 percent of wildland/urban interface home ignitions result from embers.Most of the activity that makes a home less vulnerable to ignition focuses on the home and its immediate surroundings. Our Ember Aware campaign is intended to educate people on the risks of ember cast and the actions they can take to reduce those risks, to encourage residents to harden their homes against embers and/or to maintain those ember-resistant features, and to practice ember-safe housekeeping and landscaping. You can learn more at emberaware.comTip number two: Unclutter the gutter.Rain gutters attached to the edge of your roof are perfect for catching embers during wildfire. Burning embers can land in the gutters, and if they are filled with dried leaves, pine needles and twigs, a fire can start and possibly ignite the roof, roof sheathing and fascia. Even houses with fire-rated roofs are vulnerable to this type of ember attack. Rain gutters made of vinyl will melt and drop into flower beds, igniting plants next to the house and maybe even combustible siding. To keep your home safe, we suggest that you:• Remove all dried leaves, pine needles or other materials from your rain gutters before fire season.• Keep a ladder handy and check your rain gutters throughout the fire season, cleaning them out as necessary.• If a wildfire is approaching and there is no time to clean out the debris, plug the rain gutter downspout with a tennis ball, or something similar so that the downspout will be plugged, and fill the rain gutter with water.Fire Marshal Dwight Good serves the Morgan Hill Fire Department and South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District and the CalFire Santa Clara Unit. He has 24 years of fire service experience. He can be contacted at [email protected].

We have a place here in Morgan Hill where more than 70 kids go when school gets out, where they can do their homework and get help if needed, where they can get exercise and “Play 60,” where they can do fun projects and socialize with other kids. It’s a place where they thrive and take great steps toward attaining their full potential. It is the Lori Escobar El Toro Clubhouse on Crest Avenue, and it needs your help!Last July, the Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley (BGC) took over the operation and oversight of the Clubhouse from Catholic Charities and revamped the programming by adding staff and proven BGC programs. Catholic Charities did a great job of keeping the old center going with minimal resources. BGC brings a much more comprehensive and a proven program, so it is a great, successful upgrade for the Clubhouse.  If you get a chance, please drop by some afternoon and witness the enthusiasm and positive spirit of the kids there. They will capture your heart.Boys and Girls Club took over the operation with the understanding that the Morgan Hill community would continue to support the Clubhouse financially. Amigos de El Toro is an organization of volunteers that do whatever is needed to support the Clubhouse, and fundraising is one of our basic missions.While the annual budget for the Clubhouse is well over $200,000, BGC asks that the Amigos raise about $100,000 locally. Almost $40,000 of that comes from identified, sustainable sources. So the Amigos need to raise a little more than $60,000 annually and are working hard to identify potential generous contributors and establish sustainable sources for that local share. We welcome ideas, suggestions and of course contributions to help us achieve it, for we may very well lose this precious asset if we are unable to do our share.Of course one way to raise funds is by having a fundraiser, and the Amigos put on an outstanding event that we hope you will support. Now in its fourth year, our “Building Futures” event will be at Mama Mia’s restaurant, 275 E. Dunne Ave., 6 to 9 p.m. May 15. The cost is only $15 with plenty of hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar. We’ll have exciting raffle and auction items including a private dinner for eight served by the Pirate of Morgan Hill at his Cove. Also, we will have some very special art prepared by El Toro kids—and some of those kids will be on hand to tell you about what they do at the Clubhouse.It is a fun event where our great community comes out to support a very good cause and has a ball doing it.  Tickets are available from BookSmart, 80 E. Second Street, or from the event committee (Laura Gonzalez-Escoto, Melissa Santos, Cecelia Ponzini or Steve Tate) and will also be available at the door. I sure hope to see you there.Contact the mayor at (408) 621-7377 or [email protected].

Period poverty is defined as the struggle those who have a menstrual cycle face while trying to afford menstrual products. Despite not being able to control a menstrual cycle, those who have one are still left to purchase products that some cannot afford. I...