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NEW CAL. AVE. MEETING ... The Feb. 17 meeting for the California Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project, Phase II was cancelled due to the tragic plane crash in East Palo Alto and resulting Palo Alto power outage, but the rescheduled public meeting will take place on March 16. City staff will present concept plans for trees, benches, bike racks and reconfiguring crosswalks and the roadway. The meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. at Escondido Elementary School, 890 Escondido Road.

TWO TICKETS TO HAITI, PLEASE ... Duveneck-St. Francis resident Lenore Cymes is looking for a generous volunteer with a private plane to take donations to Haiti . Cymes has run charity-collection efforts from her carport for years, gathering clothing, blankets and other belongings to help relief efforts after worldwide disasters. In every crisis, she has found an organization that will take donations, but "this time they're not taking anything," except for money, she said. Donors with an available aircraft can contact Cymes.

WHY WE NEED NEIGHBORS ... Midtown Residents Association Vice Chair Annette Glanckopf recently mailed residents a copy of an essay on why neighbors are integral to good health and a long-lasting life, by St. Paul, Minn., writer Jon Spayde. "Why We Need Our Neighbors" cites clinical findings that people with few social connections are more likely to die of every kind of disease and are even 4.2 times more likely to contract the common cold. There could be an ounce of prevention in that borrowed cup of sugar. The article can be found at www.care2.com/greenliving/why-we-need-each-other.html.

LESSONS LEARNED ... Annette Glanckopf, Midtown Residents' Association emergency prep chairwoman, and Lydia Kou, Barron Park Association emergency preparations coordinator, have created a list of need-to-know resources of what was needed and worked in the aftermath of the Feb. 17 power outage . Called "Neighborhood Lessons Learned," the list is available at the Palo Alto Neighborhoods website, www.paneighborhoods.org.

PREPPED FOR THE NEXT DISASTER? ... Neighborhood leaders say it's time for blocks of neighbors to step up their preparedness. Palo Alto Neighborhoods and the City of Palo Alto are sponsoring Block Preparedness Coordinator training including damage assessment and communications for disasters. The two-part training will be held at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation: March 18: Clark Building, first floor education room; March 24: Jamplis Building, third floor, education conference rooms A and F; 6 p.m. introduction to BPC program; 7 p.m. damage-assessment training; 8:15 p.m. communications. RSVP epvolunteers@paneighborhoods.org.

Send announcements of neighborhood events, meetings and news to Sue Dremann, Neighborhoods editor, at sdremann@paweekly.com. Or talk about your neighborhood news on Town Square at www.PaloAltoOnline.com.