Emile to Cook Benefit Dinner for Orphans
at Whitaker Oct. 9
Emile Mooser, center, with Pean Pol, director of the Rainbow Orphanage, at his left, and Emile''s friend and co-donor Janet Dashiel, far right. Woman in pink is a teacher at the orphanage.
Miss out on the Harvest Festival auction for a dinner cooked by Emile Mooser? Here's another chance, and this time all entrants will win.
Eight years ago, after he had sold his restaurant, Emile and a friend visited an orphanage in Cambodia. They were so impressed with the operation, and the work done by its director, Pean Pol, that they immediately contributed support money; and when Emile got home, he began cooking dinners as fundraisers. He has done so ever since.
The kids are all of school ages, and go to school at all levels: primary and secondary at the orphanage, several students in high school and more than a dozen at a university this fall.
The next support dinner will be at Whitaker Hall Oct. 9 (Sunday) at 6 p.m. On the menu: assorted small hors d'oeuvres, lasagna Bolognese, a mixed salad of seasonal greens, pears, dried cranberries, caramelized walnuts, and julienned carrots, with a French dressing. Dessert is chocolate mousse, and a glass of white or red wine is included. The price: $25 for adults, $15 for children
These contributions are tax deductible, and every penny will go to the orphanage, Emile says. "Please make reservations as soon as possible, so I will know what to prepare," he asks. "And please specify how many adults and how many children."
Send checks to :
SKYLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH
P.O. Box 245
Los Gatos, CA 95031-0245
Attention Gerald Alonzo
Rainbow Orphanage children
celebrate in front of girls' dorm
Under Pean Pol's direction, Emile reports, the school has come a long way toward becoming self-supporting, raising ducks, chickens (and eggs), mushrooms, pigs, fish, vegetables, fruit, and rice, both for their own consumption and to sell at the store they maintain in the nearby village.
However Pean Pol reports that extra funds are needed to pay teachers at the school, and to cover school fees, housing and living support for students in high school, in the nearby town, and at the university.
Emile's contributions have already helped build a dormitory for girls (who make up half of the school's population), a building for volunteer helpers, a stable for the pigs, chickens and ducks, and a water filtering system.
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Psychedelic Posters
on Display at Skyland
Jeremy Cole and Kathy Cagan invite everyone to a special, one-time showing of rock posters and "other ephemera" from the hippie daze of 1966-67 at the old Fillmore, Winterland, and Avalon ballrooms in San Francisco, on Oct. 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Whitaker Hall. Refreshments (unspecified) will be provided.
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Altar Flowers
Open dates for donating flowers are October 2, 9, and 23. Please sign up in Whitaker Hall.
robust geraniums -
red, white, salmon, magenta -
flaming into fall
- haiku by John Heyes
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Meditation Moment
Break forth
into exclamations of joy and gladness,
you who serve the Lord!
God is not dead! He is ever our God!
He made us, we belong to Him;
we are His sons and servants.
And His love for us never runs out;
His care and concern for us will go on forever.
Let the world see our manifestations of joy!
Let us lift up our voices in songs of praise,
and surrender our lives
as perpetual offerings of thanksgiving!
Let us bless His name forever!
Leslie F. Brandt
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As always, the salad bar was a big hit.
Festival Sets Record:
Net Sales $
17,780.69
All of that hard work paid off.
The sorting, the packaging, the baking, the preserving, the cleanup, the volunteering, the support troops who fed the volunteers -- when the dust had settled and the last of the leftovers had been hauled away, the results exceeded any previous returns in the decades-old Harvest Festival. There may be some expenses still to account for, cautions treasurer Gerry Alonzo, but for now we can bask in the glow of a net of $17,780.69.
"Yes, we made it to the finish line and were successful! What a great day, so many happy people," exults Renée Pressler, who coordinated the effort. "Thank you to all that worked the
Harvest Festival. Thanks for bringing family and friends to help. This was my learning year but I finally got it; next year will be easier for all. Larry Cooke [previous years' leader, who coordinated the "outside" work of procuring the pods, etc], don't you leave me - I still need you!
"Please remember we serve a sit down lunch on Tuesdays [this year produced by Debra and John Hultgren]. Everyone who helps, including the hard-working men, gets to share the company of great workers! Thanks again to all for helping with the Harvest Festival."
Deana Arnold accepts goodie from daughter Kaelie at pastry table
Photos by Carol Greene
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Harvest Festival Numbers
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Income
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Miscellaneous Donation |
400.00 |
|
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Lunch donation |
465.15 |
|
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Total Contributed support |
865.15 |
|
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Booth Donations |
|
|
|
|
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Accessories |
378.00 |
|
|
|
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Auction |
7,264.77 |
|
|
|
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Auction Wall |
2,357.60 |
|
|
|
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Bakery |
1,108.76 |
|
|
|
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Books |
760.45 |
|
|
|
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Children |
46.50 |
|
|
|
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Clothes |
814.40 |
|
|
|
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Coffee |
37.63 |
|
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Dollar Bag |
56.45 |
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Housewares |
337.00 |
|
|
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Jams & Jellies |
1,006.00 |
|
|
|
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Jewelry |
182.00 |
|
|
|
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Luncheon |
931.00 |
|
|
|
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Odds & Ends |
296.86 |
|
|
|
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Plants, Garden & Produce |
919.28 |
|
|
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Rummage |
148.49 |
|
|
|
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Sporting |
308.20 |
|
|
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Toys |
233.55 |
|
|
|
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Workshop |
193.75 |
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Total Booth Donations |
17,380.69 |
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Total Income |
18,245.84 |
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Expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
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Luncheon |
365.15 |
|
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Other |
100.00 |
|
Total Expenses |
465.15 |
Harvest Festival Net
|
17,780.69
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Who says no one reads any more?
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Postscript - What about Next Year?
No Harvest Festival would be complete without a look at what went wrong - or right - with the current one, and what can be done to make next year even better.
That happened after church Sept. 18, when a half-dozen veterans of the Festival prep gathered in Whitaker Hall with Larry Cooke and Renée Pressler to hash it all out.
Renée urged the recruiting of more volunteers to help with the sorting, a suggestion that was balanced by its counterpart, "less sorting"; both of these found support in the group. Some urged an earlier start on jam and jelly making, to avoid a September rush when many fruits had passed their prime.
Recruiting volunteers, it was noted, is squeezed between having an aging church population and the fact that younger members have jobs and can't easily help on weekdays (leading Renée to inaugurate Saturday activity). Attraction of more helpers was supported by a suggestion for appointing individual "captains" for the different sections, who could then actively recruit their own helpers rather than wait for both leaders and helpers to sign up on the lists in Whitaker.
Perhaps the most radical idea was to
abandon the Harvest Festival completely and revive the annual Skyland Mountain run as a source of income. This suggestion invoked much dismay, and was abandoned.
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NOTE from your treasurer:
Harvest Festival was a big success both to our community and our finances. Net donations minus expenses of $17,780 is a record. There may be some expenses still to be submitted.
P
ledge income is
still lagging
behind pledge commitments
, even after receiving a lump sum gift to finish one pledge
. If you are able, please attempt to keep your pledge gifts current.
We are now able to accept credit card payments for pledge, general, and special offerings, if that is more convenient than check or cash. See either Jan or myself after service for these transactions.
Here are our operating finances for
September
2016 as of
Sept
27:
September
2016 | Jun 1,2016 to
Sept
27
Actual Planned | Actual Planned
Income
$ 33,734 $ 28,733 | $ 81,640 $ 80,754
Expenses $ 22,056 $ 22,357 | $ 62,676 $ 64,168
Net $ 11,678 $ 6,376 | $ 18,964 $ 16,586
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