Seniors' sale to benefit students Seniors' sale to benefit students (November 26, 2004)

Items include handmade goods, piano

By Roseanne Pereira

Joke knickknacks such as envelopes "containing rattlesnake eggs" and other more practical items can be bought at Redwood Villa Retirement Residence's garage sale this weekend.

Proceeds will benefit Refund, a scholarship fund for students working at the 80-resident center. The sale will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the facility, 1981 Montecito Ave.

Items for sale include furniture, housewares and an array of handmade items, including Christmas dolls and ornaments. Other larger items, such as a piano and a refrigerator, come from the now closed Julia Health Care Center, which was located nearby.

Members of the retirement community started the scholarship fund for students who worked at the center part-time because they felt both attending school and working to finance their educations was "real rough-going for them."

Last year, the fund gave out $2,000 to $3,000 in scholarship money to deserving students, said Redwood Villa resident Jean Albro.

Everything on sale was donated to the fund or was handmade by the seniors. Many sale items come from the extra belongings that pile up when retirees first move into the center, "or when they move out feet first," Albro said.

Popular handmade items on sale are needlework and special notebook paper that resembles modern art, made by covering blank paper with melted colored crayons.

Of the residents who created the sale items, Albro said "Not everybody's eyes and hands are able anymore, but those that can help do."
@email:E-mail Roseanne Pereira at rpereira@mv-voice.com

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