July 26, 2007

‘Family Matters’ seminar series at Almaden Community Center

Members of South Hills Community Church speak on family issues

By Christina Brown
Times Intern

South Hills Community Church is presenting a yearlong seminar series for the Almaden community. Under the theme “Family Matters,” church members are offering seminars at the Almaden Valley Community Center.

“We recognize that Almaden is a very family-focused community,” said Sue Dennison, Evangelism Ministries director at the church. “We felt that with so many gifted professionals in our congregation who are investing their lives in issues concerning families, the new community center provides an ideal venue where they can offer their expertise to the wider community.”

Starting in February, the series began with Cary Matsouka, superintendent of Saratoga and Los Altos School District, speaking about “Preparing your Students for College.” During his two presentations, he brought up a variety of issues regarding the college admission process, including what high school classes to take, information about standardized tests and how to determine which school is right for your child. About 40 people attended to learn from his experience.

In May, Polly Matsouka discussed the challenges of raising multi-racial children. She spoke from experience as she is Caucasian and her husband is Japanese, and she is also a marriage and family counselor. She touched on issues that come up either from marrying across cultural barriers or adopting a child of a mixed background.

On Wednesday, July 25, Steve Grizzle spoke about communication and problem solving skills for couples. The next scheduled speaker is Deborah Paselk, director of Cornerstone Preschool in Almaden. She will lead a seminar on how to raise children according to their unique personalities and characteristics.

The fall schedule has not been finalized, but it appears there will be a seminar in October likely featuring Polly Matsouka and Dr. Susan Cha discussing second generational issues for immigrant parents. Just before Thanksgiving there will be a seminar on how to handle grief during the holiday season with Carol Johnson, past director of bereavement services at Hospice of the Valley.

Contact the Almaden Com-munity Center at (408) 268-1133 for information about times and location.