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September 2019 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 1
& SEPTEMBER 2019
ALAMO DANVILLE NEWCOMERS WELCOMES ALL
By Fran Miller
From book groups, to Bunco nights, to golf and hiking outings, Alamo Danville Newcomers offers innumerable events and activities to fill those empty calendar pages. The club is a beautiful way for both new community
Canine Companions Service Dogs are expertly trained to do a wide range of tasks. Photo courtesy of Canine Companions.
EAST BAY MIRACLES PART II: CANINE COMPANIONS AT WORK AND PLAY
Members of Alamo Danville Newcomers participate in an outing to Fairfield’s Jelly Belly Factory.
By Jody Morgan
East Bay Miracles is a phenomenally functional family of four-legged and two-legged friends. As the local chapter of the national non-profit Canine Companions for Independence, East Bay Miracles provides the entire clan of Contra Costa and Alameda County volunteers, graduates, See Newcomers continued on page 16 and dogs with personal connections that balance working together with playing together. Partnering again with Boo, Bark, Brews, & Bites for LOAVES AND FISHES By Fran Miller DogFest in Oakland’s Jack London Square on October 26th, East Bay It’s no secret that a diet filled with nutritious food is important for one’s Miracles gives dog lovers of all ages a chance to enjoy a fun-filled day health. Many Contra Costa residents are fortunate to enjoy ‘food security,’ while contributing to the fundraising effort essential to enabling Canine meaning they have plenty of food to provide the nutrition necessary to live a Companions to continue placing highly trained assistance dogs free of charge with children, adults, and veterans. Sharon Mosbaugh, founder of the East Bay Miracles chapter, is raising her fourth generation of Canine Companions pups with the help of the line’s matriarch, Patina Rose. Rose always lets the new mother, now her great granddaughter, spend two weeks bonding with her litter before stepping in to offer experienced care. Long retired from active service, Rose epitomizes the dedication that characterizes members of the East Bay Miracles family. Cheri Van Pelt became a Canine Companions puppy raiser in 1999, eight years before East Bay Miracles was established. With two decades of experience caring for puppies destined for advanced education as assistance dogs, Van Pelt has added the role of head puppy trainer for the chapter to her volunteer resume. She holds puppy classes in the Danville healthy and active life. But not everyone in Contra Costa County has enough Grange on Saturdays two or three times a month. She notes, “In puppy food. According to California Food Policy Advocates, more than half of adults class we have puppies of all ages, so each puppy is worked at a level that in low-income households in Contra Costa County regularly run out of food. See Companions continued on page 10 “Food is the most fundamental need, and not everyone in Contra Costa members and those who have long lived in the area to make new friends. With a membership of approximately 350 of varying ages, the club’s sole purpose is to enrich the lives of its members, and to foster new and lasting friendships.
See Food continued on page 24
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Volume XIX Number 9
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