by Gerry L. Galvan

Visitacion Valley's sneak thief has struck again.

This time around, the hapless victim was octogenarian Florence Chalmers who had allowed another woman to use the phone inside her home purportedly for an emergency. She said the woman had told her: "My daughter is seriously ill. She needs medication which I have to buy at a drugstore."

Just moments later, Chalmers discovered the visitor had helped herself to a purse sitting on top of a living room table containing cash, credit cards, personal IDs and other valuables.

Relating her unfortunate experience to members of her Church during coffee hour, Chalmers warned everyone to be on the lookout for the sneak thief, describing the thief as being in her early 40s and weighing about 150 pounds.

Chalmers description of the suspect is similar to that of a woman who startled a Valley couple more than a year ago by sneaking into their Sawyer Street home. When confronted, she claimed she needed 10 dollars to buy gas for a stalled vehicle.

Celebrating the Winter Festival at "Little Vis"

Two multi-cultural assemblies on Dec. 17 at Visitacion Valley Elementary School (VVES) were held in the school's auditorium. Part of the VVES tradition is to celebrate its cultural diversity, with every class performing for hundreds of parents and students, and Mrs. Renee Christie acting as M.C.

Between the two assemblies, the PTA sponsored a pot luck International Food Fest, with many members of the school community bringing delicious home-cooked foods from their culture to share with others.

This fund-raising event brought in more than $200, which will be used for student field trips. Under the leadership of Mrs. Mayer, Mrs. Ramirez, Mrs. Basco, Mr. Morales and Mr. Marshall, the PTA has increased its membership by 30 percent this year.

Books and Breakfast at VVES

Success For All, a reading program designed by Dr. Robert Slavin of John Hopkins University and implemented successfully at Visitacion Valley Elementary School (VVES) since 1992, has many components which involve family involvement, including two "Books and Breakfast" events each year.

In December, more than 40 parents and staff members participated in a "read with your child at home; 20 minutes daily" training session.

Parents of Kindergarten and 1st graders were later treated to a hot breakfast cooked by the school staff, and a free book, after practicing effective ways to read with their children. Conducting the training were Mr. Spearmen in English, Mrs. Hau in Chinese and Mrs. Castillo in Spanish.

Schlage Lock Leaving the Valley

After more than 73 years in Visitacion Valley, Schlage Lock announced it will phase out its Bayshore Boulevard manufacturing location during a several month period in 1999, beginning in March. About 200 jobs will be affected by the cutback, while 100 employees in other departments will eventually be relocated to another San Francisco location.

Founded in 1925, Schlage Lock currently employs 3,000 workers at its manufacturing plants in San Jose and in Colorado, along with facilities for distribution in Kansas and assembly in Mexico. 

Community Center Celebrates the Holidays

Staff and family of Visitacion Valley Community Center (VVCC) celebrated the organization's 80th holiday season the evening of Dec. 18 with a celebration and award ceremony at the Elk's Lodge in South San Francisco.

Following a buffet dinner and presentation of awards, those in attendance were entertained by musical selections.

Sewing at VVCC

Sewing classes at Visitacion Valley Community Center, sponsored by S.F. City College, will resume Jan. 21 and be held weekly on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

IN MEMORIAM

Oroquita, Maria Membreno Giron - Widow of Rafael (Ralph) Oroquita was born on September 15, 1916 in San Salvador, El Salvador and was a resident of the United States for 73 years.

Maria (Mary), 82, was a San Francisco resident who worked as a janitress, retiring in 1981 from Local 87. She died on December 25, 1998, Christmas night, at San Francisco General Hospital after having suffered a long illness.

Rafael, the husband of Maria, was born on October 22, 1893 at Puebla, Saragoga, Mexico and married Maria on December 31, 1938. He died May 8, 1963 a retired shoemaker.

Maria's devoted son, Ralph, was her primary care giver, taking care of her since October 29, 1993 when she had a stroke and became paralyzed on her right side. They shared a home for 33 years in the Little Hollywood community.  The last eight months of her life, Maria had a liver disease that developed very quickly. After eliminating all possible causes, specialists said probable cause of the disease was long term toxic contaminate exposure. During the final six months, Ralph was assisted in caring for his mother by MidPeninsula Homecare and Hospice.

Ralph had been a community environmental activist since returning in 1967 from military service in Vietnam and had confronted City officials and agencies many times trying to initiate a comprehensive health study in the Visitacion Valley and Little Hollywood communities. He lead the successful effort to stop a major expansion that was planned for the Norcal/Sanitary Fill Company facilities adjacent to his community.

Surviving Maria are: Ralph, Marie Garcia, and Alice Harrington; 13 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren.
Father Gabriel from the Church of the Visitacion, San Francisco, presided over three Catholic services. A rosary was recited from Valente, Marini, Perata & Co., San Francisco. A requiem mass was celebrated from the Church of the Visitacion. Graveside services and interment were at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma.

Praise must be given to the steadfast bravery of Maria, her body skeletal and distorted by a massive abdomen. Maria said that Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in a beautiful blue robe, came to her hospital bedside at the onset of the disease and said, "Maria, you will have no pain. When the time comes to join me, you will not suffer." The end of her life was very quick. She had refused pain medication and in the final moments said, "I am okay and everything is fine."

Maria's faith, forgiving nature, and her unconditional love for her family and friends were the essence of her life. The final 189 days of homecare for Mary were a blessing and not a burden to her son. God is truly merciful.

Submitted by her loving son: Ralph Oroquita, 460 Peninsula Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94134 Phone/Fax (415) 467-1184.

Remembering Arthur Phibbs

Friends were saddened to learn of the January 2, 1999 death of Arthur Phibbs, who body was found that morning in Visitacion Valley Playground. A San Francisco native in his late forties who spent most of his life in the neighborhood, he is remembered as "a very unselfish, caring person" by the many people who knew him.

Local Schools to Participate in African-American Read-In Chain

Several local schools will participate in the 10th annual African America Read-In Chain to be held on Monday, Feb. 1. On this day, community members are invited to read the works of African American authors to elementary school classrooms in celebration of African American history and culture.

The Read-In Chain was started in 1990 to make literacy a formal pat of Black History Month. The goal of the Read-In Chain is to get one million people to read works by African American writers on the same day in communities across the nation.

"This is a great way to celebrate African American achievement and at the same time get a first-hand look at a public school," said Shiela Lockett, local sponsor and San Francisco School Volunteer (SFSV) coordinator. "Many community volunteers come back for this event year after year because it is so much fun."

The Read-In Chain takes place in classrooms around San Francisco that use Afri-centric curriculum and teachings to promote the success of African American students, including Visitacion Valley's own El Dorado Elementary School.

Everyone is invited is invited to help kick off African American history month by volunteering to read to a classroom in their local community on the morning of Feb. 1. Advanced registration is required. For information or registration, call Shiela of SFSV at (415) 274-0250 or visit the website at www.sfsv.org.

Anyone who would like to do more than this one-time event is also welcome to call. Local schools in particular need of volunteers include Visitacion Valley Elementary and Middle Schools, and John McLaren Child Development Center. Teachers need volunteers to help with reading, math, science and social studies. SFSV provides volunteers with training in literacy, tutoring and more; the schools provide support, recognition, and more importantly, grateful students and teachers.

Second Annual Citywide Teen Talent Show for High School Students

San Francisco Public Library's Teen Advisory Council announces auditions for the Second Annual Teen Talent Show. Auditions will be Saturday, Jan. 23 in the Koret Auditorium at the Main Library located at 100 Larkin St. in the Civic Center. The Talent Show will be held on Thursday, March 4 at 6 p.m.

If you are a teen in high school and dance, sing, act or perform in any way, please come and share your talent with other teens from all over San Francisco. The March 4 show will be judged, prizes will be given, and talent scouts will be in attendance. Preference for participation is given to teens attending San Francisco high schools or students who are home schooled as high school students. Call 557-4276 to register.

Family Literacy Night in February at VVMS

Family Literacy Night is scheduled for the evening of Feb. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Visitacion Valley Middle School (VVMS). This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and guardians to see what makes VVMS such a special place for students. Student work, presentations and displays will be available for review by the public.

Staff Development Days
The California State Department of Education approved eight professional staff development days in 1999 for the S.F. School District. The first was on Jan. 4 with the remainder: Jan. 19; Feb. 5; Mar. 4, 5, 25 and 26; and May 3. Students do not attend classes on these days.
School Holidays
No classes will be held at VVMS on: Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Day; Feb. 15, President's Day; and Feb. 16, Lunar New Year.

Masked Men Rob Valley Market

In what was later identified as a crime spree hitting three other businesses in San Francisco, two masked men entered the Teddy Market at 298 Teddy Ave. at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 5 and robbed the store at gunpoint of an undisclosed amount of cash. Similar robberies had occurred just a short while before at businesses in Bernal Heights and the Excelsior and just 10 minutes later in the Bayview.

Public Meeting on Welfare Reform

Is welfare reform working? Come speak out at a public meeting of DHS workers, welfare recipients and activists who will talk about the reality of CalWORKS and GA on Thursday, Jan. 21 from 6-8 p.m. at City College Downtown, 33 South Gough St. Child care and refreshments will be provided. This meeting will be sponsored by the Coalition for Ethical Welfare Reform and SEIU Local 535. Call 239-0161 for more information. 

Laws Cutting Taxes and Fighting Crime Took Effect in New Year

Californians now enjoy lower taxes, safer neighborhoods and better schools thanks to a number of new laws which became effective on Jan. 1.
Chief among these is a permanent 31 billion cut in the car tax resulting in a 25 percent reduction per vehicle in annual license fees.
Some of the new laws include:

Education
*AB 1216 (Kaloogian) will require schools to make course-work materials and student assessments available to parents for review. This law also prohibits students and teachers from being questioned about their beliefs, and it requires parental consent before a school may test or assess a student's behavior or mental health.

*AB 2536 (Poochigian) creates the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science as a summer program for students statewide in grades 9-12 who have demonstrated high achievement in these subjects.

Taxes
*AB 821 (Takasugi) amends the California Taxpayers' Bill of Rights by expanding the taxpayers' rights with respect to sales and use taxes. It authorizes the Board of Equalization to waive interest penalties in cases where a taxpayer's failure to pay tax is due to error or delay by a state employee.

*AB 1469 (Takasugi) makes state tax codes more taxpayer-friendly. Taxpayers will now be held harmless for amounts that their employers withhold from their paychecks but fail to remit to the Franchise Tax Board.

Public Safety
*AB 2386 (Bordonaro) prevents court ordered custody or unsupervised visitations by a parent who has been convicted of murdering the child's other parent.

*AB 1927 (Morrow) allows courts, as a condition of probation, to require that registered sex offenders must stay away from their victims. This law also provides notification of past victims when a serious or violent sex offender is released on probation. This law will also require convicted sex offenders to provide verifiable proof of their address.

*AB 1382 (Olberg) increases penalties for drivers who wilfully evade a peace officer.

*AB 1844 (Thompson) requires a person convicted of arson or attempted arson to register with the local police or sheriff's department upon release from incarceration.

*AB 1757 (Bowler) permits county offices of education to hire additional probation officers for schools.

*AB 1978 (Campbell) requires food facilities to employ at least one person who has passed an approved and accredited food safety certification examination.

Healthcare
*AB 1439 (Granlund) requires health care practitioners to disclose their credentials on a name tag while working. It also requires that only a licensed social worker can provide a second signature on a notice of certification to commit a person for up to 14 days of intensive treatment for mental illness or chronic alcoholism.

*AB 1225 (Granlund) allows minors between 15 and 18 years of age to make an anatomical gift, with the consent of the parent or guardian. Coroners, medical examiners and medical personnel would also be prohibited from removing any body part without consent.

Senior Citizens
*AB 2418 protects senior citizen volunteers from age discrimination.

*AB 1817 (Takasugi) makes changes to procedures for licensing, funding and operating adult day health-care centers.

Privacy Rights
*AB 1629 (Miller) prohibits the unauthorized use of electronic mail networks to send unsolicited e-mail advertisements ("spam"). It also exempts specified non-profit organizations from the state's telemarketing regulatory scheme.

*AB 2303 (Runner) prohibits an employer from audio or videotaping an employee in a restroom, locker room or changing room, unless authorized by a court order.

*AB 487 (Leach) exempts unlisted telephone numbers from disclosure under the Public Records Act.

Veterans
*AB 2096 (Margett) reduces the required down payment from veterans for homes and farms under the Cal Vet loan program to 2 percent.

*AB 2097 (Margett abolishes the single-interest rate requirement for Cal Vet loans, allowing veterans with existing mortgages to continue paying lower rates when rates rise.

Workers' Compensation
*AB 2342 (Cunneen) allows surviving spouses of patrol officers who are killed in the line of duty to receive workers' compensation death benefits, in addition to the death benefit already provided by the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS).
Water

*AB 609 provides that recycled water producers, retail water suppliers, and agencies responsible for groundwater replenishment may cooperate in joint studies to determine the feasibility of providing recycled water service and recycled water for groundwater replenishment.

Three Bills Introduced to Improve Local Transit

Three bills were recently introduced by S.F. Supervisor Leslie Katz to initiate development of an intermodal transit hub at the present site of the Transbay Terminal.

"I envision a magnificent new gateway to our City akin to Grand Central Station in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. served by buses, Caltrain, high speed rail, BART, Muni and rail over the bridge," said Supervisor Katz. "A new Transbay Terminal will give riders real transportation alternatives while serving as an attractive destination in its own right."
The three bills include:

*An ordinance providing for the extension of Caltrain to a new or rebuilt transit station on the present site of the Transbay Terminal.

*A resolution calling for inter-city bus service, including AC Transit, to be located at the Transbay Terminal.

*A resolution affirming the results of Proposition L which stated that passenger rail service be included as part of the redesign of the Bay Bridge. A logical terminus for such a line is at the current Transbay site.

"Transportation is a top priority for San Franciscans and the people of the Bay Area," said Mayor Willie Brown. "We must do all that we can to reduce traffic congestion, promote mass transit and improve the environment."

Transportation was rated the primary regional problem in a poll conducted by the Bay Area Council in December which said that traffic congestion costs the region $814,000 every day.

Transbay area redevelopment is expected to improve productivity and enhance the quality of life Downtown and South of Market and its nearby communities of Yerba Buena Center, South Beach and Rincoln Hill, and Mission Bay and China Basin. The Transbay Terminal is located at First and Howard Streets.

Crisis Line Volunteers Needed

Are you a good listener? Caring? Supportive? Understanding? Do you want a real challenge? Do you need or want counseling skills? If so, then San Francisco Suicide Prevention needs your help.

Volunteers are needed to provide emotional support in a non-judgmental manner, to provide crisis management, and to provide information and referrals when appropriate. Extensive training is provided.

Next training class will begin Jan. 28. Call 984-1900 for more information.

Barbary Coast Trail Walk

A two hour walking tour guided by Daniel Bacon, author of Walking San Francisco on the Barbary Coast Trail will originate at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23 by the flag pole at the upper level of Portsmouth Square. No reservations are required. Call 641-5058 for information.

Wells Fargo Slide Presentation

A slide presentation by Dr. Robert Chandler on Wells Fargo Since 1852 will begin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 3333 California St.
Two experienced expressmen from the East, Vermont-born Henry Wells and New Yorker William G. Fargo, gave their names to a joint stock enterprise launched on Mar. 18, 1852 as an express and banking business "to serve gold Rush California."
Dr. Chandler's slide presentation will illustrate the exciting history of Wells Fargo in San Francisco--the jumping off point for the Mother Lode.

Renter's Credit Again Part of New Tax Laws

Tax savings for families along with better services greet California taxpayers this year, according to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB).
New Legislation

New tax provisions taking effect this year bring several changes that will impact the California tax return. Some of the changes:

*The dependent exemption credit increased from $68 to $253 per dependent. For a family of five, the tax savings is over $500.

*The Renter's Tax Credit is back with a few changes. Suspended since 1992, the credit is $60 for individual taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $25,000 or less. The credit is not refundable. It will reduce the tax amount, but not below zero. in prior years, this credit was refundable if the tax liability was eliminated.

*California has conformed to most of the Roth IRA provisions. Unlike traditional IRAs, contributions to Roth IRAs are not deductible. However, the earnings withdrawn later are not taxable.

*California has added two new Voluntary Contribution Funds: the California Mexican American Veterans' Memorial and the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

Try e-file This Year
The quickest way to get that tax refund back is by electronic filing (e-filing). FTB e-filers can get their refunds back within 10 days, sooner if they request direct deposit. More Californians are expected to e-file this year die to the increased number of tax preparers who offer this service, as well as the greater ability of online services.

Filing by telephone (TeleFile) offers the same benefits as e-file--fast refunds and accurate returns. A 10-minute phone call to a toll free telephone line is all it takes to file. TeleFile is by invitation only. FTB is mailing 1.8 million TeleFile booklets to Californians who generally qualify to file on Form 340EZ.

Free Tax Assistance
FTB has greatly extended the hours of operation for its general toll-free information line. Through April 15, the hours are from 6 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays. The phone number for FTB is 1-800-852-5711.

Walk-in service at FTB's 16 field offices located throughout the state is extended too. Between January 16 and April 15, business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with extended hours on Wednesdays to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Tax help is available on the Internet. Taxpayers can get tax forms, answers to frequently asked tax questions, legal rulings, news releases and other information. Taxpayers can also e-mail their technical questions and receive an answer generally within 48 hours. Visit FTB's home page at: www.ftb.ca.gov

Free tax help is also available around the clock through FAST (Fast Answers about State Taxes) The FAST automated telephone service answers the most commonly asked state tax questions, allows taxpayers to find out about the status of their refunds, payments and current balances, and lets taxpayers order both state and federal tax forms. The FAST phone number is 1-800-338-0505.

Taxpayers can call or refer to the back of their tax booklets for instructions.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides free tax help to low-income, senior, disabled and non-English speaking persons. Trained volunteers staff nearly 1,500 sites throughout California. Many military bases also provide this service for members of the U.S. armed forces. Check FTB's internet site or call FTB at 1-800-852-5711 for locations.

Double Check and Avoid These Common Errors
FTB advises taxpayers to double-check their math, their California exemption credit (which differs from the federal deduction), and their tax from the tax table. Errors in these areas are the most common ones made. Errors can delay refund checks. Each year, Californians make nearly a million errors on their state tax returns.

Taxpayers who had two or more employers during 1998 should remember to check to see if they are eligible for a refund of excess State Disability Insurance (SDI). To be eligible, an employee must have had at least two employers, received more than $31,767 in wages, and the total SDI (or Voluntary Plan Disability Insurance) withheld has more than $158.84. Be sure to claim a refund of the excess on your California tax return. See the instructions located in the tax booklets.

Fast Refunds
To get fast refunds, FTB encourages taxpayers to e-file or TeleFile. Refunds are mailed within 10 days or, if requested, can be directly deposited into taxpayers' bank accounts within seven days. For taxpayers that cannot file electronically, FTB reminds taxpayers that the earlier they file, the quicker their refund will arrive. Taxpayers who file in January or February generally get their refunds within four weeks. Those filing in March and April can expect to wait up to eight weeks to receive their refund checks. Last year, 7.5 million Californians received refunds averaging $400.

Not Everyone Has to File
FTB wants to remind everyone the requirement to file a California income tax return is based on income amounts as follows:
*Single and Head of Household taxpayers do not have to file if their total income was $10,623 or less, or adjusted gross income was $8,498 or less.

*Married couples do not have to file if their total income was $21,246 or less, or adjusted gross income was $16,996 or less.

Anyone with income below these amounts need not file a California income tax return. If they had California income tax withholding taken from their pay or they made California estimated tax payments they would need to file to get a refund of those amounts. Each year FTB receives thousands of tax returns from people who had no reason to file. Anyone who has questions concerning their requirement to file should contact FTB at 1-800-652-5711.

News for Taxpayers Who Cannot Pay Their Taxes by April 15
Taxpayers who are experiencing a financial hardship and cannot pay their taxes in full can generally arrange to make monthly installment payments. FTB has streamlined the application and approval process. To apply for an installment payment agreement, use FTB 3567, Installment Agreement Request. Taxpayers can download the form from FTB's Internet web site or order it by calling FTB at 1-800-338-0505.

FTB reminds taxpayers that penalties and interest still accrue on past due amounts even if a taxpayer is making installment payments. There is no provision in the law that allows FTB to forgive interest and penalties for an installment payment agreement.

Events at S.F. SPCA

Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic
Throughout the month of February, the S.F. SPCA will offer $2 vaccinations and vet exams to pets of limited-income people. For more information or to make an appointment, call 554-3030.

Pet Loss Support Group
On Tuesday, Feb. 2, Dr. Betty Carmack will lead a free pet loss support group for grieving pe owners at S.F. SPCA's Learning Center at 243 Alabama St. (around the corner from the main entrance at 2500 16th St.) from 7:30-9 p.m. For more information, call 554-3050.

Volunteer Orientations
Help the animals by volunteering for one of the many important jobs available at S.F. SPCA. Volunteers are needed on an ongoing basis as cat socializers, dog walkers and adoption counselors, among others. Volunteer orientations are held Saturdays, Feb. 6 and 27 from 5-7 p.m., and Tuesdays, Feb. 9 and 23 from 10 a.m.-12 noon at 243 Alabama St. For more information, call 554-3087.

Chinese Herbal Medicine for Pets
Responding to the requests of animal lovers who want to learn alternative methods to alleviate their pets' pain, the S.F. SPCA is offering a one-day workshop in Traditional Chinese Medicine for Animals, led by Dr. Cheryl Schwartz, a Bay Area pioneer in the field.
The workshop will be held Saturday, Feb. 13 at 243 Alabama St. For more information and registration, call 554-3050.

Summer Camp Fair to Feature Many Programs

Interested families can meet representatives of a large  variety of summer camps during Summer Camp Fair '99 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6 at the French American International School at 150 Oak St.

This year's event features an extraordinary range of camps, both resident and day, national and international. Most of the camps offer scholarships. Parents looking for summer activity and enrichment programs for their children will be encouraged by the variety and scope of the displayed programs. More information is available by calling 643-3434.

Saturdays are Special at the Randall Museum

The Randall Museum offers drop-in art and science workshops every Saturday:

*Jan. 16: Energize! Learn about solar, thermal, chemical and kinetic energy through fun, exciting experiments and activities.

*Jan. 23: Waste Into Art Class. Meet Stuart Harwood, the award-winning artist who created the "Waste Into Art" exhibit currently at the Randall Museum. Let it inspire you to make some wild and magic found-object art of your own.

*Jan. 30: Wondrous Whales. Come learn about the mysterious ways of these gentle giants of the sea. Examine whale artifacts, play games, tell stories and make a mini-whale of your own to take home.

*Feb. 6: Animal Valentines. Through art and science, learn about some of the wild antics animals perform to attract each other and then make a pop-up wildlife valentine card.

*Feb. 13: Valentine Prints. By etching into recycled Styrofoam trays, applying paint and printing or recycled paper, you can create cards that will make any valentine want to be yours.

*Feb. 20: Science Fair. Come and see the winning science projects from the 17th annual San Francisco Middle School Science Fair.
More than 200 of the best projects will be on exhibit.

All Saturday classes are $4 and are scheduled from 1 to 2:30 p.m. with sign-ups beginning at 12:30 p.m.; class sizes are limited. Ages are five and up; under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Call 554-9600 for further information.

Children's Museum Needs Docents

Snakes, mice, tarantulas, tortoises, hawks and owls are just some of the live animals school children can meet at the Randall Museum in San Francisco.

Thanks to volunteers, who handle and present these animals, kids and their parents and teachers get a close-up view and can often touch the Museum's wild creatures every Tuesday through Friday morning.

To share the excitement, prospective volunteers can join a docent training class which will meet Wednesday evenings, Jan. 27 through Mar. 24 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Volunteers learn to be comfortable holding and displaying the Museum's live, native animals and discussing their natural history and biology with student groups. Total cost for the series of eight classes is $45.

Potential docents should enjoy children and appreciate their special fascination with animals. After training, volunteers commit to working with visiting groups for a minimum of two hours each week for six months.

For more information, contact Carol Preston or Margaret Goodale at 554-9600, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Organization Grants $50,000 to Neighborhood Park Projects

Butterflies, a bench made of confiscated guns, murals and computers. That is the range of the $50,000 in projects recently funded by Friends of Recreation and Parks to San Francisco's neighborhood parks, announced Michael J. Fleming, president. The grants amend $100,000 already committed to S.F. communities.

These Neighborhood Park Grants are available to groups or individuals interested in improving their neighborhood parks for special projects, programs, events or physical improvements. Awards are between $500-$10,000.

"The projects create a park enhancement, either physical or programmatic, and include a match, either in cash or in-kind goods or services," said Donna Emstson, Friends executive director. "In addition, they serve as a model of collaboration with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, so neighbors build a sense of community around their local parks."

Imaginative grants include: a craft garden to attract butterflies at the Midtown Terrace Playground, where dried flowers will also be used for the nature art program; funds to support the drop-in girls' soccer league (Soccer in the Streets); plantings for the Randall Museum; computer equipment for the Joseph Lee Latchkey Program, programming for Bret Harte School utilizing a newly-constructed amphitheater at Bay View Hill; much needed lighting at South Park; a community bulletin board at Palega Playground; a drinking fountain for Hunters Point Community Youth Park Foundation; benches for the Rose-Page Mini Park (to be reopened in 1999); mural restoration in Juri Commons; recreating the train that once ran through that area; park equipment, murals and restoration of a natural spring for Sunnyside Park; and a memorial bench at Precita Valley, where teenagers Sylvia Menendez and Carlos Hernandez were gunned down last year while sitting under a tree.

The Precita Valley memorial bench in Bernal Heights, which will be produced by Peaceful Streets (an organization that works with gun violence), will be constructed of melted-down guns, which will be surrounded by flowers and a platform of tiles individually crafted by neighborhood children and residents with messages and images.

"This will be the final piece in the renovation of Precita Park at a special location we call the memorial tree. It is there our neighbors pause, remember and enjoy the park," said Gary Richmond, co-chair of the Precita Valley Neighbors.

Another park actively organizing to take back ownership from unwelcome vandals is Sunnyside, where unsafe areas, dirty equipment and gangs have been replaced by work days, renovation, cleanup and neighborhood pride. Friends of Recreation and Parks has granted $10,000 toward its improvements, including a primary mural project, which will express the qualities and character of the individuals in this diverse neighborhood. A second mural will focus on inner strength and will be painted near the basketball court. Spray can artistry, versus paint brush, will be used to create "things of beauty, instead of destruction--the usual perception," said Andrea O'Leary of Friends of Sunnyside Park.

A New Year's Resolution That Can Change a Young Person's Life

When you sit down to make your list of New Year's resolutions, here's one from the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention that can make a world of difference--get involved in a young person's life.

Today's young people are growing up faster than ever. At school, at home, and in their neighborhoods, adolescents are facing pressures and risks never before imagined. These children often confront mixed messages from the media and pressure from some of their peers to use alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. Early adolescence is the most vulnerable age for youth to begin substance abuse and related high-risk behaviors. It is also the perfect time for adults to show a child they care.

Adults can show young people constructive and healthy ways to enjoy their free time. They learn skills, self-discipline, and competence that last a lifetime, and studies show that these young people are much less likely to use drugs or alcohol.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' "Your Time--Their Future" public education campaign encourages adults to act as role models, and guide young people toward structured, positive activities. You can become one of the caring adults who are coaching teams, recruiting interns, organizing civic or cultural programs, and mentoring individual young people.
Here's how you can get involved:

*Share your interests. Volunteering is a chance to participate in hobbies you already enjoy. You can share your interests with a child who is eager to be challenged and have fun. You will help to build skills, give a child something to look forward to, and encourage responsibility.

*Be a mentor. A mentor is a responsible adult who provides a child with support, advice, friendship, reinforcement, and constructive examples to support the efforts of parents. Mentors are people who care, people who listen, people who want to help young people bring out the strengths they already have.

For information on volunteering and mentoring opportunities in your area, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686, or visit the "Your Time-Their Future"Web site at www.health.org/yourtime.

You can help a child stay on the right track and off drugs. By giving just a few hours of your time--once a week, once a month, whatever you can spare--you can have an enormous influence. Get started this year, and make a difference for a lifetime.