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April 2012
Serving the Lafayette Community J.F. Kapnek Trust By Fran Miller Dr. Dan Robbins’ first experience with the J.F. Kapnek Trust was in 1988, when he traveled to Zimbabwe at the invitation of his aunt, Dr. Rebecca Polland, then Executive Director of the Trust. During that visit, Robbins became aware of the inequity of global healthcare. He recalls the painful experience of trying to treat a young toddler, convulsing with meningitis. As Robbins worked to resuscitate the child, fellow interns pointed out that there was only one ventilator and it was being utilized. With no capacity to provide intensive care, Robbins was told there was
Lafayette to Celebrate Earth Day By Sustainable Lafayette Mark your calendar for a special event! On Sunday, April 22nd, from 11am to 3pm, Lafayette will hold its annual Earth Day Celebration, when we gather to honor our planet and our community’s efforts to protect the environment. Hosted by Sustainable Lafayette, the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, Lafayette Library & Learning Center, and City of Lafayette, the celebration will include lunch, live music, informative displays, lectures, kids activities, movies, and more. This year the event will be celebrated at and around the Lafayette Library and Learning Center with a festive community picnic held behind the Library and educational activities in the Library. It all starts with great food. Fist of Flour Pizza, Nature’s Bounty, Whole Foods, and the Bookmark Café will all be offering fresh, organic lunch options. Picnic tables will be setup so you can enjoy a tasty lunch while listening to live music by local bands the Gypsy Chix and Dream Posse. Before or after lunch you can check out local non-profits and select vendors that will line Golden Gate Way with informative displays and information, including booths setup by The Urban Farmers, Muir Heritage Land Trust, Lafayette Open Space, WasteDiversion.org, Ecolunchboxes. com, The Solar Company, Kiefer Koops, and many more! For home veggie growers, Moraga Gardens will be selling their wonderful starters, including heirloom tomatoes. On the Library patio, Sustainable Lafayette, one of the event’s hosts, will unveil a showcase of exciting new projects for 2012 and ways that you can get involved. For those with youngsters in tow, the Interactive Kids Center will feature live animals from Lindsay Wildlife Museum, an exhibit from Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, face painting, and earth-friendly art projects. And that’s not all. The winners of the 2011 City of Lafayette Green Awards will be announced, so you can learn which individuals, groups, and organizations have made impressive strides to make our town one of the greenest in the Bay Area. You can also be inspired by short movies and a special lecture in the Community Hall titled Preserving Precious Water
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Devon Bruzzone of Lafayette spent last summer in Zimbabwe, working with children as a volunteer with the JF Kapnek Trust.
no point in trying to stabilize the boy. “I will never forget that moment when I realized that the powers to which I’d been accustomed as a resident at Oakland Children’s Hospital were a luxury,” says Robbins, “and how wrong it was that a seriously ill child in Zimbabwe has so little access to
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A Special Treat By Tina Tankka If you slept in on Wednesday March 28th, you may have missed one of the most invigorating, inspiring music events to have visited Stanley Middle School’s music room. Seven musicians, a trumpeter, alto saxophonist, tenor saxophonist, bass trombonist, guitarist, bass player, and drummer from the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West Commanders Jazz Ensemble based out of Travis Air Force Base graciously shared with the students their “attitude and funk” that spoke volumes to the students and adults in attendance. If there was an Volume V I- Number 4 3000F DANVILLE BLVD #117 award that recognizes chivalry, gallantry, or ALAMO, CA 94507 good will, these messengers of music would Telephone (925) 405-6397 surely sweep the podium. Fax (925) 406-0547 Bob Athayde, music director of Stanley editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Middle School, hosted a pageantry Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher of Lafayette dignitaries. Mayor Carol The opinions expressed herein belong to the Federighi, City Manager Steve Falk, and writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of Lafayette Today. Lafayette Today is not students and teachers of all subjects were responsible for the content of any of the ad-
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