🌱 Patch AM: How a near-tragedy led to safer swimming for neurodiverse kids

Hello Menlo Park! Here's our latest buzz. Let's get into it. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• How a near-tragedy led to safer swimming for neurodiverse kids

Also on today's calendar: Crossing Over with Psychic Medium John Edward live in San Francisco, CA! and 4 more events.

Today's riddle: I quit my job as a banker. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Friday: Cloudy, a little rain; breezy, with a high of 63 and low of 56 degrees.
• Saturday: Rain; breezy in the afternoon, temps: high: 65, low: 53.
• Sunday: Breezy with rain at times, with a high of 59 and low of 49 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Drowning, leading cause of death for autistic children; YMCA hopes to expand a water safety program (record-bee.com) — Menlo Park families may be interested in a YMCA of Silicon Valley water-safety program designed specifically for neurodiverse kids, inspired in part by an educator now working in the Menlo Park City School District. The initiative, based at San Jose branches, offers free, adaptive swim instruction to help autistic children like 9-year-old Lucas gain confidence and life-saving skills around water.
   

📸 Around Menlo Park

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Menlo Park

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Friday January 9

• Crossing Over with Psychic Medium John Edward live in San Francisco, CA!
  The Westin San Francisco Airport, 1 Old Bayshore Hwy, Millbrae
  7:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Saturday January 3

• Saturday Board Games Day
  Downtown Branch Library , 270 Forest Avenue , Palo Alto
  10:00 am
• Family Storytime With Stay and Play!
  Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
  10:30 am
• Maker Exploration for Families
  Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
  11:00 am

Friday January 9

• Lunch and Learn Series - Eat Healthy and Care for the Earth
  Local Restaurants
  11:30 am

Saturday January 10

• External Event: FOPAL Book Sale
  Children's Library , 1276 Harriet Street , Palo Alto
  9:30 am
• Artist Patricia Nojima at Gallery House
  826 Santa Cruz Ave , Menlo Park
  6:00 pm

📣 Menlo Park Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Friday January 2

• Bilingual Storytime / Hora de Cuentos Bilingüe
  East Palo Alto Library , 2415 University Avenue , East Palo Alto
  10:30 am
• Family Storytime
  Foster City Library 1000 East Hillsdale Boulevard, Foster City, CA 94404
  10:30 am
• Sewing Machine Basics Jr - Winter Break - Fleece Buff/Hat
  Foster City Library 1000 East Hillsdale Boulevard, Foster City, CA 94404
  1:00 pm
• Free Meals at the Library / Comida gratis en la biblioteca
  East Palo Alto Library , 2415 University Avenue , East Palo Alto
  3:15 pm

Saturday January 3

• Meditation with Sara
  Palo Alto City Library , 1213 Newell Road , Palo Alto
  10:15 am
• Family Storytime With Stay and Play!
  Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
  10:30 am

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Menlo Park PatchAM possible:

• Samaritan House — (650) 347-3648
  Fighting Poverty. Lifting Lives
• The Harker School — (408) 345-9200
  Magic Happens at Harker
• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
• Atherton Inn Bed & Breakfast — (650) 474-2777
  Luxury five room boutique hotel w/FULL breakfast
• Amara — (650) 486-1703
  A California cuisine restaurant with mediterranean leaning.
• Cool Aid Air Conditioning and Refrigeration — (800) 266-5243
  Voted Best HVAC & Refrigeration Company in the Bay Area

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Garage Door Longevity 101 in San Francisco to San Jose, and How it Differs From City to City —Aaron Smith Read on Patch

• Portrait painting for your pets
  Just had this portrait of our new puppy Mango painted by a local pet artist Dennis His name is Dennis Nugent. Please contact him at dnfly48@yahoo… (Nextdoor The Oaks)
• We had a fantastic experience with @cuttingedgedesign&build .
  This is our second time using them and from start to finish, their team was professional, efficient, and clearly skilled at what they do. They… (Nextdoor West Menlo Park)

• Veterans Staffing posted a job opening for Security Officer - Government Patrol Driver in Menlo Park. Apply here.
• CBRE Group posted a job opening for Real Estate Associate in Menlo Park. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Menlo Park here.

🗞 Nearby News

East Palo Alto

• What $1M (and under) gets you on the Midpeninsula (paloaltoonline.com)

Atherton

• The 10 Most Expensive U.S. Zip Codes of 2025 (cottagesgardens.com)
• What caught InMenlo readers' attention in 2025? (inmenlo.com)
• Why Silicon Valley's Mid-Tier Luxury Buyers Are Stalled (bakercityherald.com)

Stanford

Ok Menlo Park! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I just lost interest.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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