”
My children attend the MACSA after-school program here in
Gilroy, and I just want to send a shout out to one of the
specialists there who runs the program. He’s a great guy who has a
lot of patience and intelligence. He’s just a real nice person that
is on the ball. With the children, he teaches them, keeps them
occupied and helps them with their homework. He really delivers a
great program, a great environment for my children and all the
children there. His name is Matt Rivas and I’d really like to thank
him for the great work he does there, and the other staff as well.
It’s a blessing to have my children there in the program. They want
to go there and are happy to be there.
”
“My children attend the MACSA after-school program here in Gilroy, and I just want to send a shout out to one of the specialists there who runs the program. He’s a great guy who has a lot of patience and intelligence. He’s just a real nice person that is on the ball. With the children, he teaches them, keeps them occupied and helps them with their homework. He really delivers a great program, a great environment for my children and all the children there. His name is Matt Rivas and I’d really like to thank him for the great work he does there, and the other staff as well. It’s a blessing to have my children there in the program. They want to go there and are happy to be there.”
Dear Positive Reinforcement,
We do take occasional shout outs too – that was our one for the year. With all the negativity surrounding the Mexican American Community Services Agency recently and its temporary borrowing of $400,000 from El Portal employees’ retirement funds, Red Phone is happy to hear some positive comments. After all, a mistake at the management level shouldn’t reflect poorly on all the employees.
Rivas, Asuncion Santiago and occasionally volunteers from the high school put together programs for the students.
“The challenge is thinking like an 8- or 9-year-old every day,” Rivas said. ” We just try to keep them busy and keep the people around them busy to keep them out of trouble.”
Working with 15 to 20 kids ages 6 through 13 can be a challenge to get everyone involved, Rivas said. Sometimes they do cooking or art projects where the older kids help the younger kids.
“We try to have a wide range of projects that keep everyone busy,” Rivas said.
So good caller, let’s hope this program can continue no matter what happens to Rivas’ retirement fund.
Rain run-off puts a damper on day
“I’m calling about a house for sale on Mantelli – it’s 1641. When it rains, a lot of water runs off from their side onto my property and two other neighbors’ next to me. It’s a lot of water – it’s like someone is running a garden hose. I tried to talk to the builders, but they didn’t want to talk. Now it’s for sale and I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do. Thank you.”
Dear When It Rains It Pours,
With a month or so left in our rainy season, Red Phone knows its important to stay dry. Code Enforcement Officer Scott Barron said that usually drainage issues are a civil matter. As a result, there is not much the city can do. If you’ve been unsuccessful in contacting the owner, maybe there is a temporary solution you can try such as putting up some type of barrier to block the water on your end. If anyone has had a similar problem that they were able to solve, please let Red Phone know.
Watch out for the masked bandits
“Talking about raccoons, I was getting ready to e-mail you guys in regards to the raccoon problem in Gilroy. I live near Sixth Street and Miller Avenue. This week alone I have seen raccoons three out of five days this week alone. This has happened around 5 a.m. on Sixth Street, Eighth Street, Miller Avenue and Orchard Avenue. They have been in packs of two and three and fairly large size. Thanks for hearing me out.”
Dear Trash Protector,
Well, Daniel Boone would be happy to hear that. But unless you plan on making a coon skin hat, you probably should avoid the furry critters. Even though they appear friendly, they are still wild animals. In no case should you feed them. Animals occasionally come down from the hills west of Gilroy and usually don’t pose a problem. But if you notice an animal that appears to be acting strangely or is dangerous, you can report it to the police at 846-0350. If the animals continue marching into Gilroy, you may need to call Stephen King.
