News & Notes (11/19/14)
MEETING THURSDAY ON CANAL BRIDGE PLAN
Crews expect to start rebuilding a substandard bridge over an irrigation canal on St. Francis Avenue north of Modesto in about a year. People can learn details at an informational meeting Thursday in nearby Del Rio. The bridge, between Carver Road and McHenry Avenue, was meant to last about 75 years, but is 90 years old, a notice says. Federal money would cover the cost. Thursday’s open house starts at 6 p.m., with a brief presentation expected at 6:15, at the Del Rio Country Club, 801 Stewart Road. For more information, email hotline@buethecommunications.com or call (209) 464-8707, ext. 101.
MJC COLLECTING TOYS, GIFTS FOR FOSTER KIDS
The Human Services Department at Modesto Junior College is collecting toys and gifts for foster children in Stanislaus County. The drive runs through Dec. 11, and the gifts will be distributed to the children at the annual Stanislaus County Foster Parent Association’s Christmas Party on Dec. 15. New, unwrapped toys and gifts for infants through teenagers are needed, with the goal of providing at least one present for each of the 570 foster children being served through the Foster Parent Association. A variety of toys are needed for the younger children, and gift cards are requested for the teenagers. Gift cards can be in denominations of $5, $10, $15 or $20, with suggested places including Starbucks, McDonald’s, Jamba Juice, the Brenden and Regal movie theaters, Target and Walmart. Items can be dropped off at the MJC East Campus in the Business, Behavioral and Social Sciences Office in Founders Hall Room 100, or placed in bins in Founders Hall 160J and 160L. The Stanislaus County Foster Parent Association is a nonprofit organization with a 501(c)3 that was founded in 1987 to provide support to children in foster care. For more information, contact Kimberly Kennard, professor of human services, at (209) 575-6864, or Nick Konner, director of the MJC Foster and Kinship Care Education Program, at (209) 575-6688.
This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 7:24 PM with the headline "News & Notes (11/19/14)."