Camille Thom, 12, of Danville and her entire family took part in a special ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland's new Outpatient Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging facility in Walnut Creek. She and her family, including parents Roland and Nicole, younger brothers Carter and Ashton, and grandma Sylvia, got a sneak peak, as medical director and pediatric anesthesiologist Jonathon Clarke, MD, led them on a tour. The facility opened its doors to patients in mid-August, offering same-day surgery and a state-of-the-art MRI just for kids.

The staff thanked Camille and her family for their fund-raising efforts which helped with the purchase of the 3.0 tesla MRI. Ever since Camille had surgery at Children's Hospital Oakland in 2004 to remove a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball, she and her family have been raising money for the facility with lavish Halloween parties. Camille, who has a rare medical condition called neurofibromatosis, hopes to use this cutting-edge technology three times a year so Children's medical experts can closely watch for re-occurring tumors.

Blackhawk Veterinary and Grooming announced that Dr. John Andersen, formerly of Alamo Animal Hospital, has joined its practice. Andersen, a Danville resident, has practiced in the Tri-Valley area for more than 30 years. Blackhawk Veterinary and Grooming is located at 9000R Crow Canyon Road, at the corner of Camino Tassajara and Crow Canyon Road.

Michael Bette, a recent graduate of San Ramon Valley High School, receives an awards check from Assistant Fire Chief Steve Hart for $1,000 from the Robert R. Tuttle Memorial Scholarship Fund. The presentation took place during a meeting of the Danville Sycamore Valley Rotary at Crow Canyon Country Club. Michael will be attending Butte College in the fall, majoring in fire science. Present, among others were, Danville Mayor Newell Arnerich, Mary Tuttle, Michael Bette, Assistant Chief Steve Hart and Rotarian Paul DiDonato.