Why I Give One donor’s generosity—and her employer’s matching gift—are helping strengthen our community. by Jessica O’Connell For Ting, giving to the San Geronimo Valley Community Center is about investing in the place she calls home. “As a member of this community, living here has shown me the value in looking out for one another and supporting the Community Center and the services it pro- vides,” she says. Like many families in our Valley, Ting understands how essential the Commu- nity Center is to daily life. From childcare and youth programs to food assistance, senior services, arts, and community events, the Center is there for neighbors at every stage of life. “As a working parent, quality childcare isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential,” Ting says. “Donating to the Community Center is my way to help ensure this and other critical services remain accessible to everyone.”
At the Community Center, those dollars make a meaningful difference. They help provide fresh produce, proteins, and pantry staples through the weekly Food Bank and Food Pantry. They support congregate meals, wellness programs, and con- nection for older adults. They ensure children can participate in afterschool care, enrichment classes, summer camps, and teen programs regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. They also bring arts programming, performances, and cul- tural experiences to our Valley. As one local father shared after receiving a youth scholarship, “My daughter never would have been able to join summer camp without a scholarship. The Center gave her a summer she’ll never forget—and gave me peace of mind while I worked.” Interested in making your gift go even further? Ask your employer if they offer a match- ing gift program, or contact us. We are happy to help you determine if your company participates and guide you through the process––reach out to Jessica O’Connell at joconnell@sgvcc.org.
Her generosity goes even further thanks to her employer’s corporate matching program.
“An added bonus—my company’s generous corporate matching plan doubles the impact of support for local services.” Corporate matching is one of the simplest ways to increase the impact of a charita- ble gift, yet many people don’t realize it’s available. Thousands of companies across the country offer matching gift programs that will match charitable donations made by their employees, often dollar for dollar. A gift of $250 can become $500. A $1,000 donation can become $2,000—all at no additional cost to the donor.
Tonight’s Sky Sept - Nov 2026 by Rich Lohman As we enter into the month of September many of us start to sense the change in seasons. We feel the lowering of temperatures from the hot summer and
and higher in the southeastern sky. Meanwhile you’ll find bright Jupiter and dim Mars in the predawn eastern sky. Finally, this time of the year gives us the continued opportunity to appreci- ate the white swath of the Milky Way as it arches upward and slightly east- erly from our southern horizon. I recommend a pair of binoculars to slowly scan the lower portion, looking for white fuzzy regions which are gaseous nebulae and star clusters. Then, with only your naked eyes, continue moving towards the top of the sky (called the zenith). About halfway up, you’ll pass through the constella- tion of Aquila, the eagle, highlighted by the bright star Altair. As you con- tinue upward near the top of the sky, expand your view and look for two more bright stars….Vega nearly straight up and Deneb to the east. Altair, Vega and Deneb are the corners of what is known as the “summer triangle”. See the skymap to identify their respective constellations.
notice the earlier sunsets and later sunrises. The sun is also lower in the sky at noon. We see the leaves on many of our trees and plants turn into beautiful “fall colors”, and then fall to the ground. All of this is due to the orientation of our earth in its orbit around the sun as we approach the Fall Equinox. On that date, this year September 22nd at precisely 5:05 pm, the tilt of the earth is such that both hemispheres experience approximately equal hours of day and night. You’ll sometimes hear the phrase “equal days and equal nights”. Along with these changes you’ll often hear reference to the “Harvest Moon” this time of year. She’ll be rising nearly due east at about 7:15 pm on the night of September 26th. Historically, and still true today, this full moon allows farmers some extra time in the late evening to harvest their crops. Hence the name. Throughout most of the summer I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the planet Venus shining brightly, high in the southwestern sky, just after sunset. Her appearance is coming to an end this month. My September issue of Sky and Telescope magazine highlights the story with the title: “Venus has a Grand Dusk Farewell”. At the beginning of the month, the “planet of love” will appear lower in the western sky at sunset each night. Then especially look on the nights of September 13th and 14th. She will be joined by the moon in a striking pairing. The thin, crescent moon will be lower and to the right of Venus on the 13th and higher and to the left on the 14th. It’ll be important to look very soon after sunset low in the west to catch this. If you’re lucky, you also might catch the fairly bright star, Spica, just above the moon on the 13th. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. See the sky map which is set for September 13th. The planet Saturn has been spending the past few months in the early morning sky. Beginning in late September, the ringed planet will become visible low in the east just after sunset and will slowly rise higher as the night goes on. Moving into October and November you’ll find it higher
Any questions, email me at richneal@pacbell.net or phone, 415-488-1938.
SGV Community Center Stone Soup Page 11
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