Richmond Roundup

Expanded Jackie Chan Center Opens
On Nov. 23, Self-Help for the Elderly opened an expanded Jackie Chan Senior Center to better serve district seniors. Using a $75,000 grant from United Parcel Service (UPS), which Self-Help "leveraged" for additional funds, an expanded kitchen and new physical therapy gym will allow the group to serve meals to 150 seniors a day.

About 140 seniors and dignitaries crowded into the center for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. About 50 more seniors were in the adjacent gym.

Anni Chung, president and CEO of Self-Help, was the master of ceremonies, thanking the UPS officials at the event, Mark Stancil, Brian Davis and Greg Laszlo, and translating the proceedings for the Chinese-speaking guests. Representatives from the offices of supervisors Jake McGoldrick and Fiona Ma and SF Mayor Gavin Newsom gave the UPS representatives certificates of honor for their efforts and the Chinese Hospital Auxiliary Follies performed a Hawaiian dance.

"We're very proud to be a part of this center," said Brian Davis, the Human Resources manager at UPS.

The Jackie Chan Center is located at 5757 Geary Blvd. It opened at its current location in April, at which time the film star Jackie Chan (for whom the center was named) was present. It was previously located at 30th Avenue and Cabrillo Street. The center serves frail seniors and adults with mental and physical impairments.

Time Capsule Exhumed at Laurel Hill
Members of the Laurel Hill Nursery School's pre-kindergarten class of 1994-95 exhumed and opened a time capsule that was buried 10 years ago at a special potluck celebration held Sunday, Nov. 14.

After the 1995 capsule was sawed open, its contents were announced: a SF Chronicle from June 16, 1995, Laurel Hill yearbook from 1995 and a dozen photos and individual large envelopes from each student attending the school a decade ago containing lists of their future predictions.

One student had buried his favorite toy: Power Rangers.

Later that day, the current pre-K class of 2004-05 buried a new time capsule for the next decade. They included: a Chronicle dated Nov. 14, 2004; current issues of the Bay Guardian and Time; a book entitled "The Peace Book;" a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker; a DVD; and cell phone.

Laurel Hill Nursery School is located at 401 Euclid Ave. Events for the day were organized by Patty McCormack and Rose Shannon.
- Len Appiano

Resident Wins 2 Radio Awards
Richmond District resident Peter Finch, the news director at KFOG radio, 104.5 F.M. and 97.7 F.M. San Jose, has won the 2004 Northern California Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) award for best "One Person News Department" and "Feature Reporting" for his Fogfiles segment entitled "Fighting Robots."  The winners were announced during the group's 23rd annual awards dinner held at Monterey.

"Peter's outstanding daily news reports and his Fogfiles features help KFOG get beyond the jukebox mentality of many Bay Area radio stations," said KFOG Program Director Dave Benson.

More than 200 entries were received from 26 stations. They were judged by news managers from around the country.

Local Inventor Recognized
Richmond District resident Grace Rodriquez-Welch, the inventor of Patemm Pads, was featured in a short segment broadcast on "Evening Magazine," a well-known television show on KPIX (Channel  5).

As the mother to two small children, Rodriquez-Welch created Patemm Pads as a better way to change children's diapers. The circular design of the pads makes the process faster and more foolproof to put on and makes carrying a used diaper a safer proposition. A patent is pending. For more information, go to the website at www.patemm.com.

Blanket and Coat Drive
San Francisco Federal Credit Union is hosting its second annual blanket and coat drive Dec. 6 through Dec. 17 at all credit union branches. All donated blankets and coats will be distributed to San Francisco homeless people living in shelters and on the streets via The Women's Community Clinic.

To donate lightly used or new blankets and coats, go to any credit union branch. They are located at: 770 Golden Gate Ave., 2645 Ocean Ave. and 4375 Geary Blvd.

For more information, call 775-5377 or go to the website at www.SanFranciscoFCU.com.

World AIDS Day Observed in GG Park
The National AIDS Memorial in Golden Gate Park was recently the site of the 11th annual World AIDS Day, a program that recognized "The Importance of Remembering" the nearly 550,000 Americans who have died from the pandemic. It was an opportunity for those who grieve, or have been affected by AIDS in one way or another, to remember and offer hope for those living with the disease.

Richmond Recreation Center Support Needed
The Planning Association for the Richmond (PAR) is hosting a year-end drive to buy supplies for the Richmond Recreation Center (RRC), a multicultural community center that opened in May 2000. The center offers activities and free classes for all ages. The SF Recreation and Park Department's staff has recently identified more than $30,000 worth of equipment and supplies which are needed to keep the center fully functional, including gym supplies and office products.

Checks specifying that the funds are for the RRC can be made out to PAR and mailed to: 3145 Geary Blvd., #205, San Francisco, CA 94118. For more information, call 974-9332.