We are very excited to celebrate the 7th annual Grandparents of the Piedmont Schools Cocktail Party on Sunday, April 1, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 64 Sharon Ave. in Piedmont, the home of Sheldon and Janet Crandall.
The purpose of the club is to gather together proud grandparents of Piedmont school students from as close as the Bay Area to as far away as South Africa to have fun, get to know each other, and enjoy the camaraderie they once enjoyed while their own kids were growing up, but this time, through their grandchildren.
One of the clubʼs main endeavors is to sponsor the Spring Fling which raises crucial funds for the three elementary schools in town. This yearʼs Spring Fling, Great Gatsby, will be held on May 5 at the Rotunda Building in downtown Oakland.
Back in 2006, Piedmont grandparents Maria and Bill Canizales, along with their daughter and son-in-law Vicki Canizales Diaz and Roberto Diaz, created the Grandparents Club. They graciously hosted a cocktail party at their lovely home, inviting grandparents of Piedmont elementary school students.
Not only did they all have a great time, but they raised money to help support the schools. They chose to donate it to help underwrite the Spring Fling.
Over the past seven years, other grandparents of Piedmont have hosted the cocktail party, such as Sue and Tom Smegal and Joyce and Dick Hart, keeping this new and wonderful tradition going.
The Grandparents Club continues to grow in size and has been able to donate to the Spring Fling each year.
This year, the Grandparents Club has decided to open up its membership not only to just grandparents of elementary school students, but to grandparents of students in any of the Piedmont schools, past or present.
The 2012 Grandparents Club Cocktail Party Committee met last weekend at the Crandalls home to start planning for their annual event. The committee members are Stacy Ewing, coordinator and Havens representative; Margaret Ann Chandler, Havens grandparent representative; Katy Kobal and Diane Halden, Wildwood representatives; Lucia Horner, Wildwood grandparent representative; Jen Wilson, Beach representative; and Valerie Garry, Beach grandparent representative.
Later, all of these three-generation Piedmont families came together to kick off the planning of the event. The photo includes, beginning from left, Jane Walker with daughter Diane Halden and granddaughter Shari Lynn Halden; then Janet and Sheldon Crandall with daughter Stacy Ewing and grandchildren Brett, Scott and Wyatt Ewing; then Valerie Garry with daughter Jen Wilson and grandson Thomas and Kurt Wilson; then Lucia and Jeffrey Horner with daughter Katy Kobal and grandchildren Jeffrey and Drew Kobal; then Ann and Clive Chandler with daughter Margaret Hiller and granddaughters Megan and Genevieve Hiller.
The Grandparents Club welcomes new members regardless of where they reside, as long as they have or have had a grandchild at a Piedmont school. There is no financial obligation to join the Grandparents Club, and the cocktail party is complimentary.
For more information and to receive an invitation to the April 1 Grandparents party, call Stacy Ewing at 510-652-5107 or email her at stacyewing@aol.com.
