La Jolla News Nuggets April 16-22

Viking Junior wins science awards, ‘Women of Dedication’ lunch raises $200,000 for Salvation Army...and more

Diane Keaton visits La Jolla for speech and book signing

Actress and author Diane Keaton was in La Jolla April 9, speaking and signing copies of her new book, “Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty,” in the Museum of

Contemporary Art San Diego’s Sherwood Auditorium. The event was sponsored by Warwick’s Bookstore, Words

A!ive and U-T Talks. The actress, who has appeared in Woody Allen films from

“Sleeper” to “Annie Hall,” “The Godfather” series and “Something’s Gotta Give” slipped off her boots, got comfortable and shared anecdotes about the famous men in her life, and others who have inspired her.

Asked by Ashley Gardner, executive director of the Women’s Museum of California, if she considers herself a feminist, Keaton quipped, “I never thought of myself as feminist. ... A feminist, I think, really means that you make that your life’s mission and you work at it harder than I work at it, but I’m glad to reap the rewards and the benefits.”

Luncheon raises $200,000

The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary’s Women of Dedication luncheon April 7 at Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel produced $200,000 for the Salvation Army of San Diego County.

Four La Jolla women were honored for their longstanding record of community service during the event: Vicki Baron, Diane Annala Chalmers, Micki Olin and Doreen Schonbrun.

It was also announced that La Jolla philanthropist and community activist Sherry Ahern will co-chair next year’s luncheon with Susie Spanos and Susan Oliver. For the past two years, Ahern was the event’s sponsorship chair.

School rummage sale April 26

La Jolla Elementary School fifth-graders will host a rummage sale fundraiser, accepting unwanted household items in good

working condition — big or small — a few days before the 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 26 event in its auditorium, 1111 Marine St. E-mail Brenda Watson teamwatson4@sbcglobal.net or Pam Allen pandballen@yahoo.com with any questions.

Viking junior wins science awards

Chloe Kuo, an 11th-grader at La Jolla High School competed at the 61st annual Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair and won first place for her research on a hands-free, voice-activated control system for manual wheelchairs. She also won the 2015 Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association (AFCEA) Sweepstakes Award, one of eight prizes.

After experiencing firsthand how difficult it was to play wheelchair tennis, Chloe conceived ways to improve the performance of the specialized wheelchairs used in the sport. Her solutions are potentially transferable to conventional manual wheelchairs, whose design has not changed much in 75 years. Chloe presented her research to the San Diego County

Board of Education, where she received an award for academic excellence. As a result of her first place finish, she will represent La Jolla High School at the upcoming California State Science Fair in Los Angeles. Chloe said she thanks her physics teacher and advisor Martin Teachworth for his encouragement.

Chloe was also the recipient of the 2015 Fred H. Rohr Award from UTC Aerospace Systems, which came with a $2,000 prize. Four professional societies — Society of American Military Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, Association for Women in Science, and the Journal of Youth in Science — have awarded her prizes as well.

Waters Fine Catering launches meal delivery in La Jolla

Waters Fine Catering, which offers fresh-made meals from local, organic and sustainable ingredients, has chosen La Jolla as its first market for delivery to homes or offices. “Doing Waters Delivers has always been a dream of mine and because of the customer demand in La Jolla, it was such a natural fit to start there,” said owner Mary Kay Waters of the April 6 launch. There is a $50 minimum and a $5 delivery fee and items must be ordered two days in advance. The menu at delivery.waterscatering.com changes daily and can accommodate allergies or dietary restrictions.

Support elephant preservation at California Pizza Kitchen event

On April 21-22, the California Pizza Kitchen at 3363 Noble Drive in La Jolla will donate 20 percent of its sales to Asian Elephant Support (AES), an organization devoted to the well being of the Asian elephant. Patrons can visit asianelephantsupport.org and print a flyer that indicates they would like 20 percent of their total to be given to the St. Louis-based AES. With AES’s support, wildlife veterinarians are able to respond quickly in emergencies, with supplements for orphaned elephant calves, and with tools and medicines required for adult elephants needing urgent care.

Sheriffs sport ‘zero tolerance’ on distracted driving in April

This month, drivers caught violating California’s cell phone laws by using a hand-held device behind the wheel will be cited with a minimum fine of $161. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, there were more than 426,000 hand-held cell phone and texting convictions in the state in 2013. More than 57,000 tickets were issued in April alone. New teen-age drivers can learn how to drive responsibly by taking a two-hour “Start Smart” class, details at sdsheriff.net/startsmart

Free mental health-aid training

Mental Health First Aid of San Diego will offer a free eight- hour training session to teach participants how to help people developing a mental illness or in a crisis. It will cover the risk factors and warning signs of mental health and substance-use problems with a five-step action plan to help people get the care they need in their community. To book a session, contact rmorrison@mhasd.org