Preserving the Past and Shaping the Future
Monte McClain

If you have ever driven by Maxwell Park, on Allendale Avenue just off High Street, you may have seen groups of children and adults playing in the yard of an old house. Gail Murphy is the director of Peter Pan Cooperative Preschool, located in that house.

Allendale Elementary School students and adult friends pose with their new backpacks. Backpacks were a gift from Wells Fargo Bank and distributed with the help of Project Lend A Hand.
Photos by Marta Viteri, Allendale Family and Community Coordinator .

MacArthur Metro Needs Your Donations
Sheila D'Amico
Dear Readers, The MacArthur Metro needs your financial support. Will you be a Money Honey or a Friend? For almost 20 years, the MacArthur Metro has been a reader-supported community newspaper that links the neighborhoods from Fruitvale Ave.

What I Witnessed: Dimond's History through the Eyes of its Most Famous Tree'
the Champagne Oak, as told to Dennis Evanosky

I'm not sure how you came up with your measurement of time. You count years; I grow rings. A few years ago, my time was up, and now I lie like a beached whale near where I lived. Someone put a plaque next to me. "The Champagne Oak," it reads.

Orchids and Onions
Sheila D'Amico

Would you like to write the Onions and Orchids column? Contact the editor at metroreaders\@earthlink.net.
Orchids to Ruth Villaseñor of the Dimond Merchants Association for installation of the Dimond directory kiosk on Fruitvale Ave. near the entrance to Farmer Joe's.

Araina Richards to Receive OPD Award
Sheila D'Amico
ﾊ Police Service Area (PSA) Five's Lt. Sharon Williams tells us that Neighborhood Services Coordinator (NSC) Araina Richards will receive the Oakland Police Department Unit Citation Award. Araina serves as the NSC for Maxwell Park, Melrose High .

Safe Routes to Schools Family Cycling Clinic
Melanie Grubman

Riding a bike is no longer just about staying upright on two wheels. As many parents know, teaching kids to ride bikes merely begins with balance. On today's roads, kids and adults need to master skills before hitting the streets for a bike ride.