PIEDMONT
The Piedmont Education Foundation (PEF) was to present a check for $3,015,704 — from its most successful campaign ever — to the Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education on Wednesday of this week.
Funds are the culmination of PEF’s fundraising campaign from the 2019-20 school year. Launch of the new Giving Campaign was on Tuesday with a roving “popsicle truck” as kickoff featuring free treats safely distributed to kids and adults alike. The nonprofit PEF organization is committed to helping Piedmont schools and will mail out donation requests soon. Visit the Giving Campaign website to donate at piedmontedfoundation.org/donate/giving-campaign.
— Linda Davis
OAKLAND
$10K grant funds hills fire prevention work city not doing
A crew recently felled trees in the Oakland hills to reduce the risk of fire near homes. The work took place in the area next to the Redwood Bowl Staging Area, just south of the Chabot Space and Science Center (the closest address is the Metropolitan Horseman’s Association building at 10060 Skyline Blvd., in front of the parking lot).
Thick overgrowth is one of the primary factors fueling California’s mega-fires of recent years and is most dangerous in the “wildland/urban interface,” such as the area where the crew was working. Even though the fuel load is thick near homes, officials with the city of Oakland say the city doesn’t have enough funding to address it. This work was paid for with a $10,000 grant from the California Fire Foundation, a nonprofit that supports firefighters and their work. The nonprofit area group Friends of Sausal Creek applied for the grant.
— Wendy Tokuda
School libraries group hosting Author Chats in October
Friends of the Oakland Public School Libraries (FOPSL) is hosting a series of Author Chats each Thursday in October featuring Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Egan, chef/activist Alice Waters and Oakland authors Dashka Slater, Terry Shames and Nancy Davis Kho.
Tickets are $25 each or $100 for the series, with proceeds helping to purchase e-books for school libraries. FOPSL is also hosting an online silent auction with items from Oakland’s best restaurants, retailers and artisans. For more information, go to fopsl.org/tickets. The Rogers Family Foundation and The Gunderman Group Realtors are sponsors of the events.
— FOPSL
Celebrate Oakland Cocktail Week in Montclair Village
Working from home or dining out has gotten better with the coming of Oakland Cocktail Week, expanded to an entire month this year. From now till Oct. 11, celebrate Oakland’s unique cocktail offerings from across the city and in Montclair Village with the Montclair Village Association (MVA).
With curbside pickup or delivery available, remember you can get cocktails to go, enjoy Italian Colors’ cocktail of the day, take-and-shake and their diverse menu selections on their patio or in the comfort of your own home. Served in a wonderful take-home mason jar, just add ice, shake and enjoy. If you’re feeling extra-fancy and want to do it yourself, Crown Wine & Spirits has an immense variety of spirits to perfect your bar tending skills or deliver the ultimate concoction to impress guests in your bubble.
Looking for inspiration, or just want to show off? Farmstead Cheeses & Wines owner Jeff Diamond has created the Facebook Group “Cocktail of the Day” for mixologists of all levels to get into the spirit.
— MVA
PIEDMONT
Beach Playfield reopens with strict rules, limited hours
Officials at the city of Piedmont’s Recreation Department understand that now more than ever we all need to get out and be active in our parks. That’s why the city decided to reopen Linda Beach Playfield to the public on Monday this week.
The department asks you for your help in keeping this neighborhood park open and safe for all users by wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing and not sharing sports equipment with members outside your household. Only one entrance, located on Linda Avenue under the Oakland Avenue Bridge, will be opened for park access. During public use hours, a park ambassador will be at the entrance and will remind users of and enforce COVID-19 safety requirements. Linda Beach Playfield is open for public use Monday through Friday from 10:30 am to 3 p.m., Saturday from 3 p.m. till dusk and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Linda Beach Playfield will also be used by the Recreation Department and youth sports organizations at times other than those above by permit only. No public use is allowed outside of the times above. Please contact the Recreation Department at 510-420-3070 or prd@piedmont.ca.gov with questions.
— Piedmont Recreation Department
OAKLAND
Senior community’s beloved music program returns
For more than 35 years, a hallmark program at the Piedmont Gardens has brought renowned musicians from around the world for weekly jazz, folk or classical performances at the senior living community on Oakland’s 41st Street. After a brief hiatus, the program is once again entertaining community music lovers, but all from the comfort of their living rooms. In August, Bay Area classical pianist Ian Scarfe started the “Sundays at Three” series.
Every other Sunday at 3 p.m., he and special guests perform over Zoom for residents. The hour-long performances and discussions of classical music icons such as Mozart, Gershwin, Franck, Brahms and others have been a huge hit and a welcome return to normality.
“Residents were all very happy to hear the music again,” said Reena Gonzales, the community’s resident services director. “One resident said the music massages her heart and soul.”
The music program at Piedmont Gardens is unique — funded partially through an endowment, residents also hold internal fundraisers to help cover the cost of many performances throughout the year. With such high demand, Scarfe has moved to weekly performances for Piedmont Gardens residents in September. With September designated as Classical Music Month, are you interested in virtually attending a performance and learning how this revered program has fed the souls of generations of Piedmont Gardens’ music lovers? If so, please contact Ben Green at bgreen@glynndevins.com.
— Piedmont Gardens
Lyft expanding Jobs Access Program for the unemployed
San Francisco-based ride-share company Lyft has announced that it is expanding LyftUp’s Jobs Access Program, a program initially launched last October that offers free or discounted rides to people making their way through the employment pipeline. The program’s expansion is meant to support the economic mobility and recovery of the tens of millions who are unemployed or underemployed, especially in communities of color, as job opportunities start to become more available. In Oakland, Lyft will work with Goodwill and United Way to distribute ride credits to individuals in their communities to help them access opportunity and mobility.
The expanded Jobs Access program includes access to bike-share, in addition to ride-share, for the first time. It also includes a new digital hub to make it easier to take action and to get access to rides if you need them, connecting individuals with the option to donate-a-ride to Goodwill or United Way to help support services and transportation needs. For more details about the program, visit lyft.com/blog/posts/jobs-access-program online.
— Lyft
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