The Willy Woggle Circus is coming to Martinez in a few weeks with jugglers and stilt-walkers to raise funds for a great cause. All proceeds from the performance will support RES SUCCESS, an organization that has been providing care services for adults with developmental disabilities in Martinez for more than 10 years. Take your kids!

Fun for a cause

"Alice in Woggle-land," a production by the Willy Woggle Circus, will include wonderful performances by the Tatsumaki Taiko Drummers, acrobats, dancers, jugglers, stilt walkers, and more.

Carnival games, a dunk tank, face painting, and food and drinks will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the drummers at 6:30 p.m. and the Willy Woggle Circus at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at the John Muir Amphitheatre, 99 Tarantino Drive at the Martinez Marina.

This will be the biggest production yet from the Willy Woggle Circus company, which will generously perform the benefit event to support RES SUCCESS (Redefining Educational Services), which provides day service programs for adults with varying degrees of developmental disabilities.

Gina Gargano, one of the performers who is a resident of Oakland, is the sister of Anthony Gargano, clinical associate at RES. When RES began to pursue the need to develop an additional fundraiser due to budget cuts, Anthony asked Gina and the circus if they would donate their services to put on a pro-bono show for the

Circus sponsors include RES SUCCESS and Westamerica Bank. Thanks also to local circus performers Abigail Baird, Andy Cook, Gina Gargano, Malaika Olympia Clark and Danielle Butler, all from the Oakland area. Andres Mendez Design donated artwork for the event.

For more than a decade, RES SUCCESS has offered an enriched environment for adults with developmental disabilities. Through intensive behavior modification therapy, individuals learn to replace disruptive behaviors with more appropriate life skills. The program currently serves about 160 students each year.

Ian G. Bremner, executive director and founder of RES SUCCESS said, "The past eight years of budget cuts have hit services for individuals with developmental disabilities extremely hard. RES strives to operate programs that exceed expectations and enrich the lives of our participants.

"The Alice in Woggle-land fundraiser is an exciting new way for us to reach out to our community and raise funds to keep our services running at their fullest potential," he said.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids and can be purchased at the door the night of the event. For more information or advance tickets, contact RES at 925-229-8228. RES is selling tickets via cash or check from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by mail via check at 706 Main St., Suite B, in Martinez.

Tickets will be available at the door the night of the event. Group rates are negotiable. For more information, visit www.ressuccess.org.

'1,000 Inventions'

One night only! The Pleasant Hill Library will present a free "Night of 1,000 Inventions" at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, at the library, 1750 Oak Park Blvd. in Pleasant Hill.

The library will become an inventor's laboratory filled with robots, rockets, and remote-controlled sharks! There will be smart cars, solar-powered insects, marble machines, a keyboard to dance on, and more. Kids can make their own inventions and take them home with a certified Night of 1,000 Inventions patent card.

The Night of 1,000 Inventions was inspired by submissions from local children to the library's "Idea Box." All summer, kids submitted ideas to a crazy collection contraption in the library. So far, the library has collected more than 1,000 submissions. Every idea gets posted to the Idea Box website, where kids and families can pick their favorites.

The Idea Box unlocks the imaginations of youth, and shows them that their ideas can change the world.

The Idea Box is supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Visit http://guides.ccclib.org/IdeaBox to see a video of the collection contraption, and see hundreds and hundreds of amazing idea submissions from kids.

Warm wishes

The answer is ... six years, 1,000 blankets and half ton of yarn!

The question ... How do John Muir Medical Center's Walnut Creek volunteer group, "Yarns R Us" keep busy?

Yarns R Us founder and John Muir-Walnut Creek volunteer Beverly Riggs was walking through the medical center one day and observed several volunteers doing needlework. Bev spoke with volunteer Katie Moore who told her they were making lap blankets that were being delivered to patients' rooms.

A meeting was held to see if anyone wanted to form a group and those 15 attending answered with a resounding yes. As with many of Bev's endeavors, she folded volunteer Barbara Neale into the mix, and Yarns R Us has been going strong ever since.

Currently, around 70 ladies knit and/or crochet on the Yarns R Us team to provide lap blankets to patients with a longer stay, as well as those in need at John Muir-Walnut Creek.

The blankets are distributed through Pastoral Care and through the volunteer office. Members donate their time, acrylic yarn, and expertise to knit and/or crochet soft and cuddly 30 x 30-inch or 36 x 36-inch lap blankets.

Each blanket is a true original that helps calm patients, provide therapy and warmth. Blankets vary in color and pattern, but every single one has a look of its own. Some have vivid, bold colors with patterns, while others use variegated muted tones for a soft nubby snugglie. No matter, patients are in for a treat if they receive one of these lovingly made lap blankets.

The Yarns R Us group meets bimonthly at the Women's Health Center in Walnut Creek from 9 a.m. to noon. They are always seeking new members who can work from home and/or attend the convivial meetings. Donations of acrylic yarn are also greatly appreciated.

Contact Barbara Neale at 925-939-3597 or Beverly Riggs at 925-829-4188 for details on how you can help this wonderful program or join in the fun.

Summer Safety

The Irvin Deutscher Family YMCA in Pleasant Hill held its Splash Safety Day on July 14, to inform families about summer safety. In addition to general information, there were specifics about how to be safe around the swimming pool. while riding in a boat and playing on the beach. Of course, sun protection is a must.

Representatives of the police and fire departments, paramedics, U.S. Coast Guard and the local Community Emergency Response Team were also on site for demonstrations and to answer questions.

Art exhibit

Concord resident and award-winning watercolorist Julie Limberg, a member of the California West Fine Artists, will be featured at the Lindsay Dirkx Brown Gallery, 12501 Alcosta Blvd. in San Ramon, from Sept. 2-27. All are cordially invited to meet the featured artists at the opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 8. Admission is free.

Other California West Fine Artists represented will include Elaine Burman, Pamela Della, E. Jeanne Kapp, Geri Keary, Loreta Landucci, Catherine McCargar, Nancy Partovi and Dori Sassin. Many are former students of the renowned artist Jade Fon, who died in 1983. Paintings in oil, watercolor, acrylic and mixed media will be on exhibit.

For more information, call 925-973-3200 or visit: http://jadefonpainters.blogspot.com.

"Good Neighbors" is compiled by Faith Barnidge. Send club and organization news, Scouting items, notices of awards and other submissions to goodneighbors@bayareanewsgroup.com.