benes dias and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo. today the second harvest food bank continues to help the needy. plus, latinos dealing with alzheimer's. this is your "comunidad del valle." ♪ we begin today with the san francisco holiday ice rink. that is coming up. it's brought to you by safeway. with us tad today because it benefits the boys and girls club of san francisco is the president, rob collie.

brian clavano is manager of this great ice rink. welcome to the show. >> thank you. >> tell us first if you will, brian, about the ice rink. when does it run, and how exciting is it? we do have video that we'll show over part of this. >> terrific. we're opening on november 10th. and we'll be running through january 17th. open every day 10:00 a.m. weekends we run a little later but most nights we close 10:00 p.m. >> i know that last year, i believe, it got kind of warm in the bay area during part of the run. did that affect the ice at all? >> like today? >> yes, like today. >> yeah, actually, we keep equipment that would be capable of making a rink four five times the size that we're putting in union square just so that we can assure that the ice will stay frozen on these ridiculously warm days. >> well, let's take a look at that video because -- how long have you been doing it? is it weird watching people ice skating in san francisco? >> san francisco, southern california, we've got rinks all over. we put them out on the beach. venice beach.

yeah, it's a beautiful combination of palm trees and clear skies and skating outdoors. >> how is it the boys and girls club benefits? >> a portion of our proceeds goes to the boys and girls club. again, just the whole aspect of recreation and being outdoors and experiencing this. >> and rob, who are we helping by attending the ice rink? tell bus the boys and girls club. >> the boys and girls club has nine sites in san francisco, and we generally are in the communities with the least resources. so we reach about 16,000 kids a year. every day after school is over 1,200 kids involved in our programs, and they're kids who really need the services. so they'll come after school and they'll be involved in homework help at the club. and if they're involved in a sports team. we do a lot of health services, cooking classes, and all sorts of kids around the city of san francisco and the bay area. that are getting great services through the boys and girls club. >> these are tough times for everybody. we bring a lot of cvos to this

show, community-based organizations. everybody's struggling. this is ideal to get some added help, i guess. >> absolutely. >> and we get help a couple ways. one, our kids have a chance to be down at the rink. we have a big day in which they're all there getting a chance to skate, and that's fabulous. it's just more and more people learning about the boys and girls clubs and seeing our name down at the rink. that's outstanding. and then the proceeds that we get are really, really valuable. you're absolutely right. at this time all community-based organizations are looking for just a little extra support. more and more people need our services at a time when there's less and less dollars being given. >> what would happen to those kids that you help if it wasn't for the boys and girls club? >> a lot of them would be on the streets. especially teenagers. you know, and parents would have to be picking up their kids immediately after school at 2:30. and who really can do that when you're looking to hold down a job? so we keep a lot of parents in a job or in a second job because

they know that their child's going to get picked up by the boys and girls club, either in a van or a safe walk and walked over to the club and they can be at the club another four hours and parents can come pick them up after work. so it really is a critical resource, and by the time a parent picks up their son or daughter and their homework is done, they've gotten a little bit of exercise and they hang out with their friends and they're heading back home to be with their family. >> so there's a way you can help the boys and girls club just by putting on some ice skates. do you have to know how to roller skate before you ice skate? this is coming from a beginner. >> we get many. >> no, not necessarily. as long as you've got your balance about you and not afraid to fall down and get up and try it again. >> what can folks expect at the rink this year? >> oh, gosh. just, again, that magical sensation of skating outdoors in this california weather. whether it's under the stars at night or just bright sunny days. >> what's your suggestion? because you know, it's ice, it's

an ice rink. how should folks dress? according to the temperature outside? >> be sure and wear socks and long pants is our strongest recommendation because you're going to fall. >> all right. well, it's an outdoor rink in downtown san francisco, union square. if you'd like to stop by, tell n it runs again, if you will. >> november 10th through january 17th. >> and there's a web address also for the boys and girls club of san francisco. thank you both so much, and good luck. >> thanks for having us. >> all right. we'll be back after these messages on "comunidad del valle" with some more help on this show. let's see who's next. oh, we're having the second harvest food bank and what they're doing for our community. stay with us. dipped in chocolate ready to eat sweet moments new from pillsbury. in the refrigerated section [ female announcer ] pure, wholesome ingredients make new simply breads and biscuits a delicious addition to the family.

simply... new from pillsbury. as we've mentioned, the holidays are right around the corner, and the second harvest food bank is always there to help our folks. crystal ulrich is with the second harvest food bank of santa clara and san mateo counties. welcome to the show. >> thank you for having me. >> we always -- we were speaking before the cameras came on that we love doing the turkey

countdown at your facility. tell us where the countdown is and where we need to be. >> we're about 6600 turkeys right now. the goal for this holiday season is 11,500. >> wow. >> yes. >> we do have some video because sometimes if you see the warehouse in san jose the shelves are bare. this is actually from last year. so the warehouse does not look like this. how does the warehouse look? >> a bit bare. but people have been very generous running lots of food and fund drives. we're seeing lots of full barrels coming in but we'd love to send some empty ones out to get filled up. >> tell us about the need. and has it grown in the last couple of years? and who you're helping right now. >> absolutely. right now we're serving about 231,000 folks per month. and that's up about 16% from last year. the need is definitely increasing. luckily -- last year we had an increase in revenue as well. so we were able to meet that need. this year, however, we're down about half a million dollars in

our revenue. so we're really reaching out to the community and asking for their help. >> wow. it's sad to put a face on poverty because when you see the looks in the eyes of these kids who are benefiting by what you're doing you can't help but be touched by it. so it shows how crucial your work is. >> absolutely. thank you. >> tell us about the feeling that you have as an organization in helping those who are in need. >> well, i'll tell you, it makes it easier to stay on those late nights and working on the weekends knowing we're helping to feed those in need. and as we mentioned, the need right now is just tremendous. we're also seeing that the face of hunger has definitely change changed. a lot more folks who have college degrees who have just been laid off. the unemployment rate in santa clara right now is about 11%, which is actually much higher than the national average. that on top of the high cost of living just here.

people have the choice between paying rent, utilities, fuel, medical expenses, school care, and paying for food. so we're happy we can assist them that way. >> and if everybody donated $1, everybody who's watching, everybody who lives in the county donated $1, $1 can go a long way. >> that's right. $1 provides about two meals. when you think about that latte you're buying in the morning, that's enough to provide about ten meals to a family in need. >> and nbc is doing its part in trying to help. we're having a food drive. that's coming up here on november 20th. it's at your bay area safeway stores. i will be at the morgan hill safeway. but the rest of the staff here at channel 11 will be all across the bay area. so stop by your safeway store on that day to make sure that you do donate a turkey. what are we looking for here? non-perishables and turkey? >> non-perishable items. frozen turkeys are great. you can drop them off at the safeway stores, you said. or please come by our warehouses. we have one in san jose and

another in san carlos. and we're happy to accept all donations. >> you mentioned that revenues are down this year.us >> correct. >> we all know, we talked in our previous show about the financial difficulties that everybody's facing. so we probably shouldn't expect kind of a huge increase, if you will, in donations this year because of the situation everybody's in. >> we'll see what happens. we're keeping our fingers crossed. we think the message is there's no amount that's too small. as you said, $1 is enough to provide two meals. so if everyone can give just a little bit, hopefully we'll get everyone fed, especially this holiday season. >> you know what i've noticed is when we're doing reports over at second harvest food bank, is when you have people who you know are not well off, who are themselves maybe on the border of poverty and sustainability, they're coming in and they're donating. >> they are. they are the ones who know what it feels like to be hungry. we don't want the community to experience that. we have a very giving community. like i said, about half of our

revenue comes in from individuals. another quarter comes in from corporations. and the rest comes from our foundations, government, and other sources. >> and i've seen the ciscos and the adobes there volunteering, their employees. so they do a good job of that. again, channel 11, nbc bay area will be holding a holiday food drive november 20th at your bay area safeway stores. you can make a financial donation or you can go by a turkey inside the store and come out and donate it to our baskets that are going to be outside the safeway stores. any final thoughts? >> we just thank nbc and safeway for your tremendous support. and once again, $1, two meals. so please give what you can this holiday. >> thank you very much. good luck. >> thank you. >> and up next on "comunidad del lle," heinlphe t caregivers of latino alzheimer's patients. people! look at you!

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disease. welcome to the show. >> thank you. >> oscar is also on "comunidad del valle" a couple of years ago as a recipient of the la familia award. but now you're back on another topic that is also close to you. tell us about your dad and how he's doing. >> so my dad seven years ago was diagnosed with alzheimer's, and it was a complete shock. sad news and confusion for our family. here is a man who has always done very hard work around manual work, loves to joke around with people, and all of a sudden we receive the news that he had early onset alzheimer's. currently, luckily, he's on medication, that it has helped him slow down the progression of it. but you can definitely see some of the impact of it. memory loss and mood changes. >> really? now, for those who might eventually go through it, what -- how do you -- does he

recognize you still right now, or at that point is he still kind of in the early stages? >> he is still in the early stages. thank god that he is. so he still loves to garden. he's very active. he loves the outdoors. but we definitely have to be very careful that he doesn't go out and do things on his own, wander. in the past he would want to go to church all by himself, just walk, and he certainly can't do that. >> does he know he has it? >> yes, he does. now he does. at first -- and one of the things i think with our family and probably within latino families is we didn't understand the disease. we didn't know how to explain it to my parents, to other family members, so we kept it to ourselves. and you know, growing up you just hear oh, [ speaking spanish ], he's old. they forget those things. but now as we've gotten help from the alzheimer's association and gotten to really understand ourselves the disease, my dad

does know and our family knows. >> okay. est esther is with us also. we do have video. she does training for latino caregivers. like oscar is a latino caregiver. he mentioned shock and numbness. i guess that's the reaction. >> it is very common for people to have that. a lot of people go through this process of being in denial in the beginning. and it really for this disease is an ongoing process because many times people will become aware of a change in their loved ones, in their family member, and then they'll come to terms with that, and then another progression or another loss comes around, and then they have to deal with that change as well. so it's a continuous loss. and that's what makes this disease particularly difficult for people. >> tell us about this particular training. we had some video of it earlier. tell us what you're doing there. >> well, the cuidando con respeto program, it's a two-day course for four hours.

so in total eight hours. we try to teach what the disease is all about, how to deal with some of the more difficult behaviors, how to really understand what's happening in the brain and how that affects behavior and also one of the most important things which is the caregivers to take care of themselves. about 60%, i've said this before, about 60% of the people who are providing care, family members providing care, are suffering with depression. >> and that's amazing. did you see any of that? or did you see anybody on the verge of going through something like, that oscar? because i can't imagine how i would react. >> well, you know, with my -- both my parents live with us. and also my brother and his family live with us. so we have three families living together to help care for my parents. and it is stressful. my mom does suffer from depression. for myself personally it takes a toll physically and emotionally. >> but you've got to be strong. >> that's right. you do have to be strong.

and that's why organizations like the alzheimer's really serves as the backbone for us caregivers to provide us that pillar of support. >> what did that do? how soon did you seek their help and how did it maybe ease or relieve things for you? >> i actually -- the alzheimer's association is located in mount view. and i saw them on el camino. they since moved. but saw them there. didn't really know what the alzheimer's did. and about a year and a half ago, my father participates in a program called memories in the making, which is an arts program that the alzheimer's runs. and they invited my father to come and speak, share our experience, and also share some of his artwork. and so through that program i got to know and understand more of the services that the alzheimer's provides, and it is a wealth of services. >> yeah, how vital is that help? >> it is very critical. i wish that we would have come

to the alzheimer's association from the onset. because they would have certainly saved us some of the stress and provided us even more resources. and quite frankly for us, the family, to be able to understand how to deal with the disease and care for someone that has it and interact amongst family members. >> is that one of the critical points of having a family member, is do we tell them? when do we tell them? >> well, in the beginning there's a denial process for some people. in the beginning stages of the disease, that's when the person will be aware of their memory. they'll remember that they don't remember. however, as the disease progresses, the person won't remember that they don't remember. so therefore, many times we recommend that people do not remind them that they're not remembering because it just adds stress, it makes them depressed, and it's really like -- you know, they don't see it. it's almost like you're lying to them because they -- it's not part much their consciousness. >> you might be making matters

worse and bringing in other symptoms. the alzheimer's association, there is their web address. they're here in northern california. feel free to give them a call. oscar, any final thoughts from you? >> well, i just encourage any caregiver that is taking care of someone with alzheimer's to seek help from the alzheimer's association. this is their website. there's a plethora of workshops, even workshops in spanish or other languages. it is quite a bit of support. >> all right. well, thank you so much for your work. >> thank you. >> and good luck. >> thank you. and up next here onav "comunidad del valle," the valdez mass institute. stay with us. strawberry toaster strudel. [ music ] see the difference? pillsbury toaster strudel, the one kids want to eat. wiin fabut we lost day. ♪ no, ♪ we're t kids in ameca ♪h, o oh ♪ we're the kids inmerica ♪h,h, oh

the valdez mass institute continues to prepare our students for the rigors of math in high school and in college. with me today are leon norrington. he's an instructor with the valdez math institute. maria narand sachlt a former student and reently had two of her kids attend the institute. and elizabeth chacon is

currently -- attended the institute. she's an eighth-grader. she will be going to oak grove high school in san jose. thank you for joining us on "comunidad del valle." >> thank you. >> tell us what you got out of it, maria, from the institute. >> when i attended? >> right. >> i attended when i was a junior in 1982, and i actually had mr. valdez. >> wow. >> be my instructor. so he was amazing and he was inspirational. and he was absolutely all about pushing the children to move forward to go on to school. and i ended up going on to a four-year school and getting my master's. >> was that the difference or was that part of the difference? >> no, absolutely. i took trig no, ma'am tri from him. and he had a passion in inspiring students. he was instrumental in me moving on. >> can math be fun, mr. norrington? >> yes, sir. >> tell us how.

because we in journalism i think we got into journalism because math wasn't our strong suit. i guess i should speak for myself only. >> right. when you have students in the valdez program for 7 1/2 hours and it's constant math, as a teacher you must do something to bring math to be alive, you know, for students. so valdez is -- jose valdez's philosophy has always been that math is not difficult and math can be learned if it is taught properly. so as a teacher i've always been -- highly looked up to him because i've learned much for him -- from him even though i've only known him just for -- actually, i've met him for one year in '99 before he passed. but from him i learned that you can make math become real by having students do different types of projects and by having them to work to get the motivation from the inside. >> a lot of us say we're not good at math. is that because we don't want to do it and that's just an excuse we're using, that we're not good

at it? >> sometimes. it all depends on how students were taught early on. >> okay. >> so early on if they haven't been taught it, you know, well, then it's that phobia because you move on to the next grade level but now you're behind. so that's where the phobia kicks in. >> and elizabeth, what are you going through right now? what was it like for you to go through the institute? >> it was -- like you're on a college campus and you met a lot of new people and you learned a lot of new things. yeah. >> what perception of math did you have before, and then after what perception do you have now? >> well, before it was kind of like boring, like math. and then after going to valdez you really like see how it works. and you have a lot of good teachers, and so you learn it better and you understand it more. >> is math fun for you now? >> i think so, yeah. it is. >> what do you want to do when you're grown up? >> me? >> yeah.

>> i kind of want to be a business major. but yeah, math is important. >> can you imagine hearing that, that somebody at the eighth-grade level wants to be a business major? the institute must have had something to do with that. what do you think, maria? >> absolutely. it really does inspire students, and it helps them believe in themselves. and you know, my daughter participated this summer, and now she's tutoring her friends. >> wow. >> so she took algebra 2, and she's helping her friends. >> and mr. norrington, you've been there for 14 years. what have you seen from students who went through the program? 14 years later have they come back and said i can't believe what it's done for me? what kind of success stories have you heard about it? >> oh, yes. we have students that -- valdez has been around for 23 years, and so we have students in every occupation that you can think of. currently, we have a foundation where many of those students have returned to give back to the program. we were once funded through --

but the valdez now has a foundation where parents, friends, everybody, they contribute to keep valdez's dream alive. >> did you ever imagine, maria, that your kids would follow in your footsteps and go into the institute? and was it a no-brainer for you to send them there? >> it was actually very exciting to know that the program was still around and that my children were going to benefit, have the same experience that i did. and my son had mr. northton this summer, and he absolutely loved him. he had so much fun. and that's what he would come home -- a lot of homework every night but he came home saying that it was just so much fun, that he loved it. and both of them were a little reluctant when we signed them up at the beginning of the summer, and there was an immediate transition within the first week. >> and elizabeth, what do you think, what kind of a difference do you think it's made for you? >> for me? well, it actually puts you ahead in class. like you understand it more. you're more familiar with it. and it helps you a lot. >> you're raising your hand a little more hñvq @&hc& >> yeah. >> and you're sitting at the front of the class?

>> yeah. actually, yeah. >> what's it like, mr. norrington, briefly, if you would, to hear those words from a student who went through the program? >> i think it's wonderful. a lot of students, they do believe that math is not attainable. but as maria said, that her sons, you know, they changed after we -- and it's just that idea of being successful and for doing the work. and with valdez having students for 7 1/2 hours, you're going to be successful there. >> 7 1/2 hours of math all day. >> correct. you have a teacher, and you have two wonderful program assistants that will help to make sure -- ensure that each student's successful. >> well, congratulations to both of you, and good luck to you. >> the valdez math institute. there's the web address for more information. log on to the website. i did today. it's full of great information, and it's easy to access. good luck. and now here's what's happening in your comunidad. ♪

♪ ♪ here are those sbrauti inin ini celebrating a special day. and here's our address for next week's saludos. pick up a copy of the newspaper and support your local biweeklies all across the bay area. we thank you for sharing your sunday with us once again. next week on "comunidad del valle" los tigritos del norte. the sons of los tigres del norte.

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