For a fun, safe Halloween event, children and their parents are invited to Trick-or-Treat on Mt. Diablo Blvd. from Plaza Way (Lafayette Plaza Park) to Dewing Ave, Lafayette Circle and in La Fiesta Square from 4:00-6:00pm on Friday, October 28, 2022. This event is FREE for everyone and recommended for children 9 and under. Come in costume! Don’t forget to bring your Trick-or-Treat bag.

All participating businesses will display a “Trick-or-Treat Poster.” Current information about the event and the list of participants is posted here: https://lafayettechamber.org/trick-or-treat.

Join HealthMarkets Insurance Agency, Insperity, John Muir Health, Mobility Matters, Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Rebecca’s Vault, Shelter, Inc., Unbound Training Co., White Pony Express, and many others as each Chamber is showcasing ten vendor booths.

Tasty treats brought to you by Batch and Brine, Back Forty, Beard Papas, Hot Boys, Wise Girls, and more. Plus, there will be a no host bar.

REGISTER HERE for MIXPO 2022!

Chris is a social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader committed to finding innovative solutions to community-based issues and problems. Currently, Chris is President and CEO of Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which he helped launch in July 2019.  

Music provided by Wendy Tamis, Harpist

Invocation by Pastor Dan Senter, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church

Benediction Rabbi Jill Perlman, Temple Isaiah

Special Thanks to our gracious sponsors: Floral Arts Florist, Lafayette Veterans Memorial Center and Minuteman Press Lafayette.

Learn more about the speaker and the event here: https://lafayettechamber.org/breakfast

Registration is required as NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR. $35 per person

A Friend of the Chamber membership provides a way for community members to support the efforts of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. We are 74 years strong and our mission continues “To promote and maintain a healthy business climate and to preserve and enhance the quality of life in Lafayette.” 

All aspects that make up a community are important to us: schools, residents, churches and synagogues, community organizations, activities, and the city government. Chamber members work with representatives of all these groups for the betterment of our community. A lifetime Friend of the Chamber membership is $150 per family. Learn more here>>

Please consider supporting our various nonprofits. Our October-November Arts Community email blast (many of which are also nonprofits) can be viewed HERE.

Lamorinda Arts Council's Art Embraces Words - October 29 – 2 to 3:30 p.m. Costume Event plus Mocktails & Cocktails, October 30 – 3:00 to 5:00 pm

Shop early AND shop often November 1 through November 15 and support the Lafayette Park Theater Renovation Campaign using the special code PARKTHEATER 2022 at Five Little Monkeys

 Gold Coast Chamber Players concert, Folk Inspired, Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 7:30pm, Don Tatzin Community Hall in the Lafayette Library

 California Independent Film Festival (CAIFF), Orinda Theatre starts November 10

Celebrate the holidays at the Lesher Center!

Diablo Ballet's 29th Season opens November 11-12 

Have an event to share with our community? Add it to our Community Calendar!

Also tag us on social so we can share!

Creekside Commons Main Hall

Learn more - Here 

Pre Purchase Tickets or Donate - Here

The Orinda Farmers' Market is celebrating 25 Years! Join them for their Harvest Festival this weekend!

Organized and managed by CCCFM, a 501c5 non-profit, the Orinda Farmers' Market is a year-round Certified Farmers' Market.  Offering freshly picked in-season product and artisan food by small producers. Buy fresh, eat local, live well. Open Saturday 9am-1pm.

We are gathering tomorrow, Saturday, October 29th, at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon to walk and raise funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research. Please join us! Together, we can end Alzheimer's and dementia. You can register or donate here: act.alz.org/eastbay.

November is National Family Caregivers Month. Join the Alzheimer's Association in honoring family caregivers by leaving a tribute to a caregiver you know at www.alz.org/honor.

Bring your family, bring your friends and enjoy the start of your Thanksgiving Day with the 5th Annual MCC Turkey Trot Fun Run. As you are running/walking the road and paths of the beautiful Moraga Country Club you will be working up an appetite for Turkey and the fixings you will know that you are helping others less fortunate. Your race contributions go to the Food Banks of Contra Costa & Solano Counties. Learn more and register at https://runsignup.com/moragaturkeytrot.

Join Forma Gym this Thanksgiving Morning in Downtown Walnut Creek for our 30th annual Walnut Creek Turkey Trot! Start your day by burning some calories before the big feast, and feel great having a blast while participating in a 100% charity event! We will feature a 5k, 10k, and Kids Fun Runs, coffee provided by our friends at ROOTED COFFEE CO, Warriors Dance Team performance and meet + greet and some incredible sponsor booths.

• Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano

We have raised OVER $850,000 for our benefitting foundations over the 30 years of this incredible event, enriching the educational experiences for nearly 10,000 students at 12 public schools in Walnut Creek. Learn more and register here.

Concord Turkey Trot is November 24, 2022! This 5K Run/Walk benefits Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa.  All Lafayette Reservoir Run participants can get a $5 discount on this event by entering code word ‘Lafayette’ at checkout. 

If you have words of encouragement, able to help direct runners, traffic and between the ages of 15-99, we need you! Volunteer shift: 6:30am - 10:00am. To volunteer, go to https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Concord/ConcordTurkeyTrot5k.

For more information and to register, go to www.concordturkeytrot.com

Hospice East Bay is proud to be celebrating our 36th annual Tree of Lights! For 36 years these ceremonies have provided a way for families and friends to honor their loved ones and find solace in the symbolism of light as the names of their loved ones are read. The funds raised by these ceremonies make it possible for us to provide hospice care to patients who are not covered by insurance.

The ceremony for Lafayette will be held on Tuesday, November 15, at 5:30pm.

For more information, please visit http://www.hospiceeastbay.org/community-event/tree-of-lights.

Singers in the Honor Youth Choir come from Cantare’s children’s and youth programs, in which over 3,000 Oakland youth participate in weekly classroom music education and after-school choirs, and a yearly summer camp, 100% tuition free

Tickets and more information for the Holiday Concert are available online at www.cantareconvivo.org, by phone at (510) 836-0789, or at the door. General admission is $40; Seniors, $35; Students, $10. Click here to download a flyer, and please visit www.cantareconvivo.org/health-and-safety for up-to-date information on health safety protocols.

Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise continues to raise funds for the White Pony Express Van Project. Purchase your tickets for their hand-made flower cart at the It's a Wonderful Life in Lafayette event on Sunday, December 4.

White Pony Express needs a new delivery van to expand its reach. Your donation will help us reach our $78,000 goal. See WhitePonyExpress.org for more information about their programs.

Canned food drive: MVPC is helping support our Mission Partner the Bay Area Rescue Mission by holding a food drive this November.

We will have donation locations at the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, Bank of the West, and Loards ice cream in Moraga.

MVPC scoops bags of rice and beans to donate to our Mission Partner in Oakland, Harbor House to use in their food distribution program. On November 6th we will be scooping rice and beans after our Sunday 9:30am services to bless our local Mission Partner.

For over 10 years, our MVPC community has provided a Thanksgiving feast shared by our middle school students and Harbor House families in Oakland. This year, 6th thru 8th graders are invited to share and serve dinner on Thursday, November 17. The traditional Thanksgiving dinner will be provided by Town Bakery & Cafe and desserts will be homemade by MVPC families. To find out how to donate a dinner item, or to donate to the dinner fund, or to sign up your student or yourself as an adult volunteer, visit Middle School Harbor House Thanksgiving.

Help us support our local Mission Partner, Harbor House Ministries, in Oakland this Christmas. Harbor House uses donated gifts in their Christmas Store which allows parents to buy presents for their children at a greatly reduced price. To help, provide new, unwrapped toys and gifts such as balls, games, dolls, books, art sets, etc. for babies, kids, & teens. Please drop these gifts to the MVPC Church Office by December 5th.

You can also shop Harbor House’s Amazon Wish List: https://a.co/4EWNilS. Gifts will ship directly to Harbor House volunteers who will deliver them to Oakland.

You can volunteer at their Christmas store on December 9th or 10th. Please contact [email protected] to sign up or contact: [email protected] with any questions.

Help over 300 low-income families celebrate! Several ways to contribute by Nov. 11: Drop off bags containing 1 of each item listed at Thanksgiving Food Drive - Shelter Inc. to SHELTER, Inc. – OR – contribute pre-assembled food boxes with 1 of each item. We are unable to accept fresh or frozen items. You can also provide a grocery gift card for a turkey, or a monetary donation. All contributions are welcome. Drop off food items at 1333 Willow Pass Rd., Ste. 206, Concord, or mail checks made out to SHELTER, Inc./Food Drive, to: SHELTER, Inc., P.O. Box 5368, Concord, CA 94524. Contact Yareth Rodriguez at [email protected] for more details.

Adopt a low-income family in need by Dec. 12. We believe everyone deserves a warm celebration for the holidays. We have individuals, as well as small and large families, and are asking for 2 to 3 gifts per person from their Wishlist. Gifts should not exceed $100 range and all gifts need to be wrapped and labeled with family last name and ID the person to receive the gift. Sign Up to Adopt a Family!

Looking for meaningful, full-time, hybrid work with generous benefits? Look over our open positions: from program and facility managers, grant writers, case manager, employment specialist, housing navigator and more. See: Careers - SHELTER, Inc.

It's never too early to start planning for the holidays! Help a family in need by donating a Holiday Food Box to Monument Crisis Center! If needed, boxes are available for pickup. We will begin accepting donations of Holiday Food Boxes on Monday, November 28, 2022. See flyer for more information, tips and tricks. Thank you for your support! www.monumentcrisiscenter.org

White Pony Express is launching their 3rd annual Star Program with the help of local businesses. This unique holiday program uplifts lives throughout the county during a season where warmth is meant to be shared! Each star is hand decorated and lists a specific item needed by an adult or child experiencing challenges. Your business can display the stars in any creative way you choose. Your clients and friends can select a star and purchase the item listed on the star. White Pony Express will schedule a time to pick up gifts and they will be beautifully wrapped and delivered with love to our neighbors in need. In this way, we can all make the holiday season sparkle a little brighter! To request your Star Program Kit, please contact Mandy at [email protected] or call 925.322.0604 option 4. All of us taking care of all of us! Learn more about WPE at: https://www.whiteponyexpress.org.

BACN is holding a virtual donation drive to assist us in filling our food pantry. When you donate to the Nursery, you help families put food on the table.

You can help by ordering from our wish list at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RFD6OMZ9JJXB?ref_=wl_share

On Saturday, October 29, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Needles and sharps cannot be accepted; only pills, patches, and liquids sealed in their original container will be accepted. Vape pens or other e-cigarette devices from individual consumers are accepted only after the batteries are removed from the devices.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Bring your pills for disposal to the following sites:

Office of the Sheriff Valley Station

150 Alamo Plaza, #C, Alamo

Danville Police Department

510 La Gonda Way, Danville

Lafayette Police Department

3471 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette

Orinda Police Department

22 Orinda Way, Orinda

Office of the Sheriff Muir Station

1980 Muir Road, Martinez

Office of the Sheriff Bay Station

5555 Giant Highway, Richmond

The Rotary Club of Moraga's Nov 1st event of "The Ins & Outs of the College Admissions Process" will be hosted at Moraga's Serbian Church.  Annie Wells will be sharing insights to the college admissions process that is applicable for U.S. accredited colleges & universities.  

This event is co-sponsored by the Acalanes Union High School District.  

Additional details can be found here, https://moragarotaryevents.com, and via the attached.

Register at www.lafayetterec.org.

For more information visit www.cwkf.org.

Tickets for LPIE's Masquerade Gala go on sale November 7th at 9am. Join us to celebrate LPIE’s mission of investing in the superior public education our students need to succeed. In-person festivities will include dinner, dancing, exciting silent and live auctions, and Lafayette’s incomparable spirit of celebration!

We are actively collecting donations for our silent, live, and online auctions. Your donation of airline miles, gift cards, memorabilia, or unique experiences helps raise the funds to keep our Lafayette schools strong and will be recognized in event materials.

For more details visit: https://www.lpie.org/masquerade-gala.

Lafayette Social and Lamorinda Village will be hosting their November Golden Happy Hour at 4:30pm, Nov. 8th at Locanda Positano in Lafayette.

Thanks to Brian Stranko of No-H2O Car Detailing for sponsoring light refreshments for this event!  (All will be responsible for their own beverages.)

Space is limited, so please RSVP at lafayettesocial.com/events. Cheers!

Please join us in celebrating a year's worth of achievements and continuing our mission of preventing teen suicide at A Brighter Day's 3rd Annual Virtual Gala on November 10th at 5:30pm. We’ll have an exciting night full of music performances, live speakers, virtual door prizes, a silent and live auction, and much more!

We are actively seeking donations and sponsorships from our community to help support the success of our Virtual Gala this year. We would greatly appreciate any donations no matter the size. If you are interested in donating, please contact our Event Coordinator, Courtney, at [email protected] or (925) 360-0127.

www.lafayettehillsidememorial.org.

November 25^th – January 8^th (select dates – full calendar of event dates and times is on the website at https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/garden-of-dlights/

 

Right now, our Members have exclusive access to our presale! Tickets go on sale for the General Public on November 1^st.

 

Also coming up, we have our Dry Garden Botany series: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/education/dry-garden-botany-series/

 

Don't miss our Children’s Programs! Learn more at https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/events/category/education/for-children/

For 23 years, the Community Foundation of Lafayette has been committed to raising money for local nonprofits in the categories of Human Services, Seniors, Youth Development & Education and Arts & Culture. This year the Community Foundation gave Excellence Grants to 35 nonprofits all because of its generous donors, sponsors and business partners.

On #GivingTuesday, November 29, join the a global movement as people and organizations work together to transform their communities. Pause from all the shopping and holiday hustle bustle and take some time to recognize the Community Foundation with a donation.

To donate, please click HERE. If a monthly donation or a gift of stock are more appealing, we are happy to accommodate. If you are a business owner and are interested in our Business Partner Program, please visit www.lafayettecf.org to learn more.

This past year, we experienced more compassion and generosity than ever before, all because of you. Give today and help us continue supporting local nonprofits that elevate, support and care for so many!

Can you spare 2-4 hours every week or two to help Lamorinda older adults age 60+ get to a medical or personal appointment, the grocery store, or to run an errand? The Lamorinda Spirit needs volunteer drivers. Please email Riki at [email protected] or call 925-284-5546 to learn how you can help.

If you know older Lamorinda residents age 60+ or people with disabilities who need transportation to destinations in Lamorinda, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek, please suggest they email [email protected] or call 925-283-3534. We love to help older adults get out and about; and we love to say, “YES” to ride requests! 

Paid Positions: If have a good driving record and enjoy talking to people, you may find a good fit as the paid ($21 an hour) Lafayette Downtown Shuttle Driver, driving a downtown loop for four hours on 1-3 days a week. We are also in search of a second Dispatcher to take ride reservations 1-2 afternoons a week, communicate with passengers and drivers, and determine the route. This position pays $21 an hour and requires moderate knowledge of Excel, map programs, and email. For more hours, these positions can be combined. Please email Riki at [email protected] or call 925-284-5546 to learn more!

After-School Program Volunteers Needed: We are looking for volunteers to provide academic and mentoring support for the children in our Pittsburg and Concord after-school programs. We ask volunteers to commit to one afternoon per week (Monday-Thursday) through the end of the semester at one of our four sites: Pleasant Hill, Concord, Pittsburg, or Bay Point

If you are interested in becoming a Homework Club volunteer tutor, please complete our interest form: https://www.hopesolutions.org/volunteer-interest.

https://www.hopesolutions.org/volunteer.

If you have any questions about our opportunities for involvement, please contact Sandibel Arnold at [email protected] or call (925) 788-3676.

Friends Corner Book Shop offers a wide variety of gently used books in dozens of topic areas for your shopping pleasure. 

Interested? Send an email to [email protected].

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Contra Costa County is a nonprofit organization that recruits, trains, and supports volunteer advocates as a powerful voice for the best interest of abused and neglected children living in foster care during the court process, in order to help every child ultimately thrive in a safe, stable, and permanent home.

If you have a background in teaching or tutoring, have approximately 6-12 hours a month to give, and are interested in learning more about the CASA Tutor Program, we invite you to email [email protected] and to join us at an upcoming Informational Session.

Trust in Education is a nonprofit based in Lafayette since 2003. TIE helps Afghan families rebuild their lives with programs that have helped farmers plant fruit trees, build schools and bridges, translated over 1000 Khan Academy educational videos into the local language for TIE's computer libraries in Kabul, and much more. With a focus on education and educating Afghan Girls, TIE has an ongoing Student Sponsorship Program. TIE is directly supporting Families with our new Family Sponsorship Program, Cost: $1,200 per year or $600 for 1/2 a year for a shared sponsorship. $100.00 per month paid to the family each month with NO fees applied to administration costs. 

To find out more about our programs or to make a donation, please visit our website: www.trustineducation.org

Interested? Please contact [email protected] or reply to this email.

As a reminder, John Muir Health contracts with most major health insurance plans such as Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, Humana, United Healthcare, and more. Visit the John Muir Health website Accepted Insurance Plans for more details.

We are also located throughout the Bay Area. To see a full list of our locations, click here.

In case you did not already know, the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Building is home to the largest variety of events in Contra Costa County! From Weddings, Mitzvah’s, business meetings, to Celebrations of Life, the Veterans Building hosts those type of events and more. 

Since reopening after the Covid shutdown, the Veterans Building is once again THE place to rent for your next event – and NO you do not have to be a Veteran to hold your gathering in our beautiful facility. Not only can you hold your event in the building, but we can help to make it all happen with suggestions for a caterer, decorations, or a DJ or musicians to make your party downright memorable. To take a site tour or get more information, please contact our Building Director Eileen Lawrence at 925-283-1153 or at [email protected].

Support mental health in our community with BeingwellCA! To find more contact us at [email protected].

Since 1999, Assistance League® of Diablo Valley’s Scholarships Program, has provided financial and emotional support to Contra Costa residents who are high school, community college and university students as well as returnees to the academic community. In 2022, $206,000 was awarded to 53 honorees, each of whom expressed a desire to advance through education by maintaining a designated grade point average, volunteering in campus and community projects and charting an academic timeline.

At applicants’ request, a fill-in enabled applications form will be provided for each scholarship. To learn more, please visit assistanceleague.org/diablo-valley, and press the Scholarship Applications command at the top, center of the screen. 

511 Contra Costa is a county-wide program that strives to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality by providing the public with information, resources, and tools that promote mobility options beyond driving alone. To learn more about all the county-wide programs and incentives, please visit https://511contracosta.org.

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