Profiles
by Around Dublin Team on August 6, 2010 | 
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Granada High School senior Mandy Bakker is a star student with a combined GPA of over 4.0. Not only is Mandy successful in the classroom, she has also won the title of Miss Bay Area Teen 2011 recently. Mandy is now on a mission to represent the Tri-Valley and become Miss Teen California later this year in November. The Tri-Valley is comprised of Danville, Livermore, Dublin, San Ramon, and Pleasanton.
Mandy is applying to colleges with the goal of majoring in Food Science/Nutrition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or North Carolina State University. Mandy also plans to participate in competitive cheer leading or diving in college. Mandy explains, “I want to go into the food/nutrition industry because healthy living is very important to me. I want to be a role model to all kids trying to be healthy and live their lives to the fullest.”
Mandy knows about living life to the fullest as she has earned Varsity letters in cheer leading, diving, and track & field every year at Granada High School so far and participated in competitive gymnastics for 12 years.
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by Around Dublin Team on June 29, 2010 | 2 Comments | Topics: Announcements · Profiles
Artist Cliff Garten has been approved by the Dublin City Council to create a conceptual design for public art at the BART Station entry within the Dublin Transit Center. The artist will be unveiling his design for the BART location and welcomes the public’s opinion. The design will be on display for two weeks and comment cards will be available.
Garten is the founder of Cliff Garten Studio in Venice, CA. Garten’s practice integrates architecture, landscape and engineering as means of positioning his sculpture in the public realm. By connecting people to places and infrastructure through social history, ecology, and material, Garten’s work locates the latent potential in every public place and situation to become more than the specific functions it appears to perform. Sculpture and landscape, function and form, like public and private experiences are never distinct, but exchange places throughout the day.
Garten received his Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design and his Master of Landscape Architecture with distinction from the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. Garten is the recipient of two Individual Artist Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation Fellowship for Individual Artists, the Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship, and the Jerome Foundation Travelling Artist Grant. The American Society of Landscape Architects has cited many of his works for design excellence.
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by Around Dublin Team on April 30, 2010 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Profiles
Located on Gleason Drive in Dublin, CA, Tri-Valley Animal Rescue (TVAR) is a nonprofit, all volunteer organization whose mission is to end the unnecessary euthanasia of homeless animals. TVAR cooperates with area shelters and rescue groups, primarily the East County Animal Shelter in Dublin, to provide homeless animals with socialization, foster homes, medical care, and the opportunity for another chance. Among these wonderful animals are Clyde and Augie.
Clyde is an extremely loving short-hair Orange Tabby. Although Clyde arrived at the shelter under the disguise of being a “stray”, he was already neutered and obviously familiar with the pleasures of being petted and being the center of attention. Clyde just needs a new family who will appreciate him for the wonderful cat that he is. Clyde is neutered, vaccinated, tested negative for FeLV and FIV. He has been treated to prevent worms and fleas. Once Clyde is placed with his new family, TVAR will provide a free dental with a local veterinarian to shine up Clyde’s pearly whites. He’s currently available to meet prospective families at the Dublin’s Petsmart.
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by Around Dublin Team on March 5, 2010 | 1 Comment | Topics: Announcements · Profiles
As one of the oldest animal welfare organizations in the United States, the East Bay SPCA has been concerned with animal welfare for over 135 years. It has been providing shelter, health care, and adoption services for unwanted animals since 1874. The East Bay SPCA is committed to finding homes for adoptable cats and dogs, providing affordable veterinary and spay/neuter services, and educating the public on responsible pet ownership. It serves Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and operates two Adoption and Education Centers, two Spay/Neuter Surgery Centers, and a full-service Veterinary Clinic. The East Bay SPCA’s facility on Gleason Drive in Dublin, CA, houses both an Adoption Center and a Spay/Neuter Center. Many wonderful animals are currently waiting for the right home in the Dublin facility.
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by Around Dublin Team on December 4, 2009 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Profiles
Chase Community Giving is asking Facebook users to help make a powerful impact in their local communities. From November 15, 2009 to December 11, 2009, Facebook users can vote for any Charity that is part of the Chase Community Giving Facebook application. The 100 eligible Charities with the most votes during this period will receive $25,000 from Chase and have the opportunity to submit an explanation of how it would use a $1,000,000 donation from Chase.
From January 15, 2010 to January 22, 2010, Facebook users may vote for any of the top 100 Charities through the Chase Community Giving Facebook application. The Charity with the most votes from this period will receive $1,000,000 from Chase. Chase will also donate $100,000 to each of the five runner-up organizations.
Some of the local non-profit organizations the Around Dublin Team has voted for are listed below. To our surprise, we were not able to pull up Murray Parent Faculty Club and Fallon Parent Faculty Club through the Chase Community Giving Facebook application.
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by LeeAnne Jones on September 29, 2009 | 1 Comment | Topics: City Hall · Profiles
When Tim Sbranti was in fifth grade, the playground rules suddenly changed, and the kids weren’t too thrilled with the new ones. “So, I filed a grievance,” he says. “I got a petition signed by the other fourth and fifth graders, and the principal sat down with me to discuss it.”
While not all the new playground rules were reversed, some details were negotiated, and Dublin’s future mayor got his first taste of making change in a community.
Sbranti has a relaxed but jovial personality. He greets several people by name as we order coffee at Peet’s on Tassajara, just a few blocks from where Sbranti lives with his wife, Stephanie. As he shares about his life growing up in Dublin, it’s easy to spot the pivotal moments and experiences that helped shape him into a leader.
Due to changes within the district, Sbranti attended three elementary schools without moving: the original Fallon (where the district offices are now located), Murray, and Frederiksen (when it transitioned from a junior high to an elementary school). By the time he reached Wells, he knew most of the students in his grade. As a student at Dublin High, Sbranti was editor of the school paper, a basketball and tennis player, and student body president—during which he helped create the student representative position on the school board that still exists today.
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by John M. Zukoski on September 21, 2009 | No Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Profiles
So you think you can dance? Does your child want to dance with the stars? Around Dublin can help you or your child get started for free (details below)!
Spotlight Arts Academy of Dance and Music is the premier performing arts school in Dublin. Spotlight Arts Academy is located at 6979 Sierra Court and offers a full range of dance classes such as classical Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Kinder-dance, Lyrical, Musical Theater, Pilates, Poppin’ & Lockin’, and Break-dance. Students of all ages and skill levels are welcome to Spotlight Arts Academy.
Spotlight Arts Academy award-winning Owner and Artistic Director Naja Gentry has danced with Paula Abdul, toured with MC Hammer, has been a member of both the Golden Warrior Girls and 49ers Gold Rush cheer leading teams, and has provided dance instruction for students throughout the United States. Naja believes that performing arts instruction should be accessible to all students.
This is why Spotlight Arts Academy works with parents and students to offer carpooling/ride sharing programs, a study area for kids to complete homework before dance practice, limited class sizes, and extremely reasonable tuition rates as low as $7.50/class.
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by John M. Zukoski on March 21, 2009 | No Comments | Topics: Profiles
The Dublin Rotary Club provides service to residents of all ages in the local and international communities. Dublin Rotary’s service to the senior community of Dublin has been especially prolific. Here are just a few of the services and programs sponsored by the Dublin Rotary Club that benefit the senior community:
Smoke Alarm Maintenance and Replacement – the Dublin Rotary Club and volunteers from Dublin’s high schools will be replacing smoke alarm batteries smoke alarm units in the homes of seniors throughout Dublin on April 25th starting at 9am.
Wheelchair Donations – the Dublin Rotary Club most recently donated a wheelchair to the Dublin Senior Center to assist non-ambulatory visitors that want to take full advantage of all the fantastic programs that the Senior Center has to offer. The picture to the left was taken of a gentleman that took advantage of the wheelchair on the same day of the donation.
Host Special Lunches for Seniors – the Dublin Rotary Club hosts a special theme lunch every second Thursday of the month at the Dublin Senior Center. The most recent lunch had a St. Patrick’s Day theme and was accompanied by live Irish music. The Dublin Senior Center serves the best corned beef and cabbage that you’ll find this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Dublin Rotary Club is just one of many service organizations that help make the fabric our community strong.
by John M. Zukoski on March 6, 2009 | No Comments | Topics: Profiles
As a testament to the saying that “Dublin is the heart of the Tri-Valley”, many Dublin residents participate in service organizations that provide funding for schools, community events, and vaccinations and clean water resources in developing areas throughout the world. Here are just a few of the service organizations in Dublin:
Dublin Rotary Club
The Dublin Rotary Club is often called the “world’s friendliest Rotary Club” and is involved with many local and international projects. A few local projects include free child fingerprinting cards for parents in partnership with Ilene Misheloff‘s parents, high school students of the month recognition program, free dictionaries for 3rd graders, serving lunch at the Dublin Senior Center, smoke alarm replacement for senior citizens, and Valley High library improvements. International projects include funding for the eradication of polio and building systems to provide clean drinking water for developing areas. The Dublin Rotary Club meets every Tuesday for lunch at the Dublin Radisson Hotel. Please contact Stacey Shurson at stacey@iiwbrokers.com for more information.
Dublin Host Lions Club
The Dublin Host Lions Club is probably best known for their sponsorship of the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade. However, the Dublin Host Lions Club also provides scholarships for Dublin’s graduating High School Seniors, a Pancake Breakfast on the day of the Dublin High Senior Picnic, and cooks Tri-Tips for the Dublin High Homecoming Football game. The Dublin Host Lions Club meets at Carrows every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at 6:45am. Please contact Steve Jones at steve6gd@yahoo.com for more information.
Dublin/San Ramon Women’s Club
The Dublin/San Ramon Women’s Club is dedicated to community improvement with fundraising and volunteer labor to support our local schools, children’s charities, conservation projects, services benefiting the homeless, veterans, healthcare, historic preservation foundations, and much more. The Dublin/San Ramon Women’s Club meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month. Please contact Barb Ellul at dsrwcmail@gmail.com for more information.
