Alameda briefs: Donations sought for student mental health services
The Alameda Education Foundation is sponsoring a confidential, complimentary care program for the school district.
ALAMEDA
Mental health care services for Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) students are a high priority. The district’s surveys have found that stress, anxiety, sadness and depression are the most common challenges that district middle and high school students face.
The California Healthy Kids Survey found that that 21% of seventh-graders, 26% of ninth-graders and 36% of 11th-graders reported chronic sadness. Related to depression, 15% of seventh-graders, 14% of 11th-graders and 16% of 11th-graders had considered suicide. AUSD 2021-22 intervention data further states that 34% of the students were referred for social-emotional needs, with 21% needing help for anxiety and 13% for help with depression.
The Alameda Education Foundation (AEF) is committed to supporting mental health care services by sponsoring Care Solace (caresolace.com/site/alamedafamilies), a complimentary and confidential care coordination service available for AUSD students, staff and families. All of every donation made to the AEF this holiday season will go to support vital programs like Care Solace and other vital programs.
When you donate to AEF, you help bridge the equity gap and support learning opportunities for all Alameda students. To donate online, visit bit.ly/41oalKg. To donate by check, mail it to AEF, P.O. Box 1363, Alameda, CA 94501. Contributions can be doubled through participating companies’ donation matching programs.
— AEF
Enjoy New Year’s Eve gala fundraiser aboard USS Hornet
The USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum will host a New Year’s Eve gala fundraiser aboard the ship from 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. Jan. 1. All proceeds will benefit the museum’s education department and restoration of the ship and its various onboard aircraft.
The event will feature live music from Big Band musicians 3 O’Clock Jump and the Nick Rossi Swing Band. There will be a silent auction, food and beverages for purchase, a countdown to midnight and more.
The hangar bay will be heated with three dance floors and tables and chairs throughout. Parking will be free, black ties will be optional and vintage wear is encouraged. The floating museum is docked at 707 W. Hornet Ave. in Alameda. For more information or to buy tickets, visit bit.ly/hornetnye2023 online.
— USS Hornet
Remote public comment discontinued at council meetings
To enhance civic engagement by creating a civil, respectful and welcoming environment for all participants, public comment at City Council meetings is only allowed now from in-person speakers in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
After multiple remote speakers at a recent meeting made public comments containing disparaging remarks and hate speech during an “Oral Communications, Non-Agenda” council meeting item, Alameda since Nov. 21 has followed the lead of several other Bay Area cities by discontinuing remote public comment on these items.
For all other agenda items, including the consent calendar and regular agenda, Alameda citizens can speak in person or remotely via Zoom, following instructions posted at the top of each agenda (alamedaca.gov/agendas).
City officials believe this change reflects their continuing efforts to create a community that reflects the city’s of motto of “Everyone Belongs Here.” For details online, visit bit.ly/46KSlv0.
Fruitvale Bridge traffic to be affected by work in Oakland
The “Fruitvale Alive!” pedestrian safety project is ongoing on Oakland’s Fruitvale Avenue (which becomes Tilden Way and then Lincoln Avenue in Alameda) and is expected to continue through the winter 2024-25.
While Fruitvale Avenue will remain open to through traffic, Oakland construction and lane closures will directly impact Alameda’s neighborhood around Tilden Way. The cities of Alameda and Oakland are working together to coordinate traffic impacts around the Miller Sweeney/Fruitvale Bridge. Please expect delays, use alternate routes whenever possible and budget extra travel time if you plan to travel through this area.
Fruitvale Avenue between East 12th Street and Alameda Avenue in Oakland is a critical gap in Oakland’s bikeway network. This stretch of roadway connects Alameda residents with the services, amenities and public transit around Oakland’s Fruitvale BART station.
The “Fruitvale Alive!” project will install a sidewalk-level protected bike lane, create a new connection to the San Francisco Bay Trail, widen sidewalks, install lighting and close two “slip lanes” at the south side of the corner of Fruitvale Avenue and East 12th Street (where cars make fast turns). For more details, visit oaklandca.gov/projects/fruitvale-alive online.
— city of Alameda
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