Alamo • Danville • Blackhawk • Diablo • San Ramon
VALLEY
THE
SENTINEL
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valleysentinel.com
February 2011
VOL 16, NO 2
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
SPOTLIGHT
Mount Diablo Fine Art Photography Book Débuts March 12, 2011 By Staff Writer
Mount Diablo Interpretive Association (MDIA) announces the publication of “Mount Diablo: The Extraordinary Life and Landscapes of a California Treasure,” a fine art photography book showcasing Northern California’s iconic Mount Diablo in 181exquisite color and black and white images and panoramas created by local landscape photographer Stephen Joseph. The first-of-its-kind pictorial débuts at a book signing event Saturday, March 12, 1-3 pm at Barnes & Noble, 1149 S. Main Street, Wa l n u t C r e e k . Renowned for its comprehensive Mount Diablo interpretive guide books and detailed maps, MDIA has taken a bold step
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See BOOKS page 3
If you have never participated in the East Bay Regional Parks Trails Challenge, you’re in for a treat. You get a free t-shirt, maps and booklet, and the best is discovering the rich and diverse parklands that are available for our health and pleasure. Panoramic views, wooded trails and endless places to discover. Check it out and join in!
Washington’s birthday inspires Sentinels of Freedom supporters By Dana Guzzetti
One of the most remarkably successful U. S. veteran support organizations began with a quiet conversation in Danville. Mike Conklin reminds us that George Washington said, “The willingness of young men to enter the armed forces is based on the knowledge of how the veterans before them were treated.” Conklin is Chairman and CEO of the Sentinels of Freedom Foundation. He tells the story of how a few Danville business people became committed to help and mentor veteran and double amputee Manny Mendoza: “We gathered this group of about 15 together here in town. I said, ‘Here is what I am going to do: put a roof over his head, get him in school and help him find a career.’ Dan Coleman got a free apartment. Blue Star moms got furniture. AT&T offered a job and we assigned people as mentors. First
thing you know, we had eight (others).” Conklin describes Manny Mendoza’s adjustment to civilian life as “fantastic.” “He has saved enough to buy his own home and Manny is working on a master’s degree,” Conklin reports. It sounds simple, but the process is more like a community of people adopting a son or daughter, then following through with all of the little necessities of life; arranging for transportation, doctors and physical therapy, career counseling, legal and financial advice and friendship. “Most of these kids are high school graduates. A kid coming out doesn’t have a shot at an entry level job. Those are mostly loading dock positions,” Conklin says. “They have to
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Senior Living page 8
get an education. You have to start in college and start an internship within your first year.” Clearly Conklin’s concern about how difficult it is for seriously injured veterans to not just sit home, but to get their life back, sparked the same heartfelt sense of responsibility in others. He soon realized that he needed to set up a non-profit corporation in order to turn to business leaders for donations of time and financial support. “Once we got started, I called the Chairman of Remax and he offered to pay for a year of education,” Conklin comments. “When they are in school, they can get a corporation interested in them and they interested in a corporation, so they (veteran) can see what the possibilities
are,” Conklin explains. The next step is an internship where the veteran, in spite of their injury can demonstrate that they can handle a job. The Sentinels of Freedom is an integration program, not a treatment program. They take a team approach and look at the corporate side as well as the veteran/team’s side and make it a win-win situation. It is true that some of the injured veterans do need more surgery and physical therapy. Ryan Sykes, who served five tours of duty in Afghanistan, one in North Africa and two in Iraq, was severely injured in a motorcycle accident during a night check in Afghanistan. The Dougherty Valley Rotary
Kid’s Camps page 9
This Month– EBRP “Regional in Nature” guide
See SENTINELS page 11