Boulevard Bites

by Sheila D'Amico

### Brookdale Discovery Center Director Rich Bolecek tells the Metro that his two workers from the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program are some of the best workers he ever had. I found Alejandra Ramirez, a senior at San Leandro High, helping Burckhalter School fifth grader Samantha Vasquez create a bowl on a pottery wheel. Frank Williams, a senior at Excel, a small school at McClymonds, was helping fifth graders Emari from Allendale and Demariea from Lakeview to create sleds to slide down the hill behind the Center. Ramirez and Williams are making such a good impression on Rich that he wants to be sure employers know what assets these employees can be to a business or a nonprofit organization.

### "Graffiti Buster" Jo-Ann Maggiora Donivan has been cleaning up graffiti in the Laurel for more than a year. Now she is looking for volunteers to help her spruce up the Laurel for the World Music Festival. If you have an hour or two on August 4 or early on August 11, you can volunteer to help. E-mail Jo-Ann at jjdon\@pacbell.net

### More stories related to Jungle Hill in this month's Metro can be found in our online archives. The development of Jungle Hill was the subject of columns by Kris Wagner over several months during 1996 and 1997. Metro archives are a good place to start if you are researching Laurel and Dimond community activity. Go to www.macarthurmetro.org. Search by keyword or by issue.

### When you are at the music festival or the next time you are shopping or dining on the Blvd. or in the surrounding areas, why not let the merchants know you appreciate their presence? They are the optimists who arrive and leave work when the streets are empty. They are turning the business districts into places where we want to go. Thank them, oh, and buy something, too.