Nearly 20,000 to Participate in Silicon Valley Turkey Trot

Seventh annual event in San Jose benefits several charities, including Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

Prior to sitting down to a Thanksgiving Day feast, thousands of people will walk, jog and run in this year's Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in San Jose on Thursday morning. Nearly 20,000 participants—up from 14,100 last year—have registered so far to run, walk or push themselves in wheelchairs in the seventh annual Turkey Trot, sponsored by Applied Materials. "It's starting to become a family tradition," said Patricia Vera, a spokeswoman for the company. "It's not just for professional athletes. It's for the average family who want to spend some quality time together." Since it began in 2004, the program has raised more than $1.5 million for local charities. Last year the Turkey Trot raised $450,000 and organizers have a goal of raising $500,…

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Outdoor Connections

Furry Friends

Volunteers and their pets visit people of all ages at local health-care facilities.

"We're licking loneliness" is the motto held by the all-volunteer Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy Services, a registered non-profit organization serving Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.  Once a month, several of its numerous volunteers bring their pet dogs to visit the elderly nuns at the Convent of the Holy Names in the hills above the Los Gatos Library. The religious women's faces light up when they see the animals. As eager hands pet the well-behaved pooches on their heads and backs, the volunteers and some of the nuns engage in lively conversations, further brightening the residents' day. A variety of pet therapy organizations exist around the world because scientific research has shown that interactions with friendly…

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