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Published on 05/05/1999 All articles from this issue

'Partners' lunch shows how well adults and kids mix

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By Charles Dahan

Special to the Town Crier

The Los Altos Rotary Club held a volunteer recognition luncheon for participants in its Partners for New Generations program on Thursday, April 29, at the Elks Club in Palo Alto.

Partners for New Generations is the result of the Rotary Club's goal to create an organization to break through the communications barrier between children and adults. To do this, organizers match agencies and volunteers with individual students and schools in Mountain View and Los Altos. The organization has been in existence for only three years, but it has already dramatically changed the lives of hundreds of young people in grades K-12.

The luncheon recognized the over 130 volunteers who have participated in the program, which acts as an umbrella organization for member groups and agencies as Generation Connection, Juvenile Probation-Diversion, Mountain View/Los Altos Police Department, Child Advocates, El Camino YMCA, Friends for Youth, School Library Reading Volunteers, Partners in Education, Safe Place/Casa SAY, and eight other participating groups.

"Kids are our future, and we need to keep in touch with them," said Officer Ken Leal of the Mountain View Police Department.

He added that prevention and intervention is the cheapest and most efficient way of communication and works best for the community. "We need to get the trust of youth today and make them feel comfortable in an academic setting," Leal said.

The Mountain View Police Department also sponsors prevention and intervention summer camps that help students stay out of gangs.

Partners for New Generations designated Mike Ahern, from the Alta Vista Continuation School as "Teacher of the Year - 1998."

Referring to the program, Ahern indicated that "There are success stories here, and they give the kids another chance. Volunteers help a lot at Alta Vista and the Rotary should be thanked for its support."

Mary Whyte represented the Child Advocacy Program, whose goal is to prevent the cycle of abuse. A Partners volunteer working with this program is trained and matched with a needy child to act in the best interest of that child in moving though the court process. "We serve over 1,000 children, and have a waiting list of more than 300 children," Whyte said.

Rotarian Cindy Luedtke, acting chairwoman for Partners for New Generations, is herself a volunteer. "I have two children of my own, and I want them to become part of our community," Luedtke said. "I really enjoy having the opportunity to volunteer through Partners because kids are our future."

Partners for New Generations members are looking for volunteers. Volunteers are needed both during school hours and after school.

For more information, call (650) 562-1195, ext. 2.

Clyde Noel contributed to this story.