Upfront
Neighborhoods
A roundup of neighborhood news edited by Sue Dremann
NEIGHBORS SAVE LIVES ... During the recent Bay Area cold snap, four homeless people in Santa Clara County died of hypothermia. But about 50 unhoused people in Palo Alto were ushered in local motels, thanks to the efforts of the Midtown Court Neighbors & Friends’ Neighbors Helping Neighbors, said Caryll-Lynn Taylor, who founded the volunteer program. The group quickly assembled an appeal for money to pay for motel stays, especially for older people and young children who were at higher risk. Neighbors Helping Neighbors has a year-round motel program to help people with chronic illnesses and families with young children, but during the freezing weather it included outreach to all 60 people on its roster who live in their cars. The group provided a two-night stay for 50 people starting Dec. 7, using the donated funds, Taylor said. Some of the most vulnerable then were invited to stay in people’s homes. The group also distributed survival items, including travel mugs with vehicle plugins, foot and hand warmers, and emergency and thermal blankets. Neighbors Helping Neighbors is also hosting a holiday food drive through Dec. 21, in collaboration with Midtown Realty. Canned and packaged items can be dropped off in the food barrel in the office lobby at 2775 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Donations for motel stays can be sent payable to Midtown Neighbors & Friends, P.O. Box 113, Palo Alto, CA 94302. YEAR-ROUND SWIM PROGRAM UPDATE ... The City of Palo Alto Parks and Recreation Department is considering an all-year swim program session, potentially at Rinconada Pool. The swim session would be between 3:15 and 4 p.m. for children who are not in the Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics league, Lacee Kortsen, community services manager, said. The city has launched a survey to gauge community interest in the program. Residents can take part by visiting https:// www.surveymonkey.com/s/ VNZ7373. The survey must be completed by Jan. 31, 2014. It must be filled out only once per person. N
Send announcements of neighborhood events, meetings and news to Sue Dremann, Neighborhoods editor, at sdremann@paweekly.com. Or talk about your neighborhood news on Town Square at www. PaloAltoOnline.com.
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Doing good deeds for others and for each other in December is part of the Christmas tradition for the Galbraith family. Upper row, from left: Jacqueline, 11; mother Jessica; father Benjamin; Alexis, 10. Lower row, from left: Zachary, 7; Abigail, 4; Victoria, 6 months; Jonathan, 2; William, 8.
DUVENECK/ST. FRANCIS
Under the tree, a gift for Jesus The Galbraiths and their children celebrate Christmas with acts of kindness
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hen the Galbraith family of Palo Alto unwraps Christmas presents on Dec. 25, the first box they’ll open is one for Jesus. There won’t be a baby blanket symbolizing swaddling clothes, or three gifts from the Wise Men. Inside Jesus’ beautifully giftwrapped Christmas present, there will be numerous slips of paper. Each will list an act of kindness, service and volunteerism a member of the family of nine has done for someone else and for each other since early December. As the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood family gathers around the Christmas tree, they won’t do a power-rush of present opening. They’ll carefully unwrap Jesus’ gift and read each note — “sharing the joy of what everyone has done and how happy it makes everybody feel,” Jacqueline, 11, explained. Benjamin and Jessica Galbraith established this family tradition with their seven children, Jacqueline, Alexis, Zachary, Abigail, Victoria, Jonathan and William, ages 11 to six months. Jessica similarly shared the giving-box tradition with her five siblings while growing up in Massachusetts and
by Sue Dremann Utah. They would open the gift others, they are serving Jesus. box in their parents’ bedroom be“We can give Jesus a present by fore they even went downstairs, serving our fellow men,” she said. she said. Jessica holds up a wrapped box “It’s something I did the whole that looks like a beautiful present. time I was growing up. As adult It has a slit in the top and some slips children, talking about our favor- of paper. The family has two differite things about Christmas, this ent types of service: one is service was it.” to those in the community, includJessica explained how, three ing playing music at Lytton Garyears ago in the beginning of De- dens, donating to a toy drive, parcember, the Galbraiths introduced ticipating in a canned-food drive, the tradition to their children at a helping at the Palo Alto Unified family meeting. School District toy store, bringing “Who gets presents on their soup and cookies to the Ronald birthdays?” she asked the kids. McDonald house, having mission“We do,” they said. aries to dinner, and inviting a new “Yes. Whose birthday are we family to their home. The second is celebrating on Dec. 25th?” service to members of the family. “Jesus’ birthday.” “I encourage them to make “Who gets presents on Jesus’ each others’ beds, write notes and birthday?” leave them on pillows, do each “Hm. We do!” others’ chores, help each other “Maybe we could give Jesus a with homework, give someone present for his birthday this year,” a ‘heart attack,’ where they tape she suggested. hearts all over a person’s car or Jessica reads the scripture verse: bed,” she said. “When you do it unto the least of When they finish their service, these ... ye do it unto me.” the children write it on a slip of She often tells a story about ser- paper and put it in the box. vice from the scriptures: clothing “On Christmas morning, bethe naked, feeding the hungry or fore opening our gifts, we open caring for the sick — a Good Sa- Jesus’ gift and read all the ‘gifts’ maritan-type story — and she tells we’ve given him over the month,” the children that when they serve she said.
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One son’s favorite act is helping to sort toys at the school district’s toy drive, she said. Zachary, 7, knows right off his favorite act of family love: “Snuggling with Mom,” he said. For Alexis, 10, it is playing “Secret Santa.” The children go to Toys ‘R’ Us or Target and purchase toys for kids in need whom they have heard about through their church. Then they secretly leave the wrapped gifts on doorsteps at night. “I feel really happy and overjoyed, and I feel like I want to do them over and over again,” she said. For Jacqueline, the eldest, doing something nice for somebody that might make a difference in their lives brings the greatest joy, she said. On Christmas day, when the box for Jesus is finally opened, reading what her siblings have done is inspiring. “The whole thing is really nice. It gives you an idea of the nice things we can do for other people,” she said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com.