Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: Wyatt’s Walk raises funds to combat rare pediatric cellular disease

Boy’s family started the 5K walk/run in his name to help fund pediatric mastocytosis research

Wyatt in his Pop Warner football uniform. Photo courtesy Shannon Catalano

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

The Wyatt’s Walk 2022 fundraiser organizers had to make a quick change caused by COVID. For public safety, it is no longer an in-person community event held Nov. 6 at the Gilroy Sports Park but a virtual one.

Organizers encourage people to privately with friends and families find a location that Sunday morning to take a stroll, ride their bikes or run. Bring children, strollers, dogs, or do it solo to join the mastocytosis warriors.

Wyatt, who turns 8 on Halloween, was born with a rare disease, diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis, that causes his body to produce too many mast cells. His skin used to blister easily and he is at risk for severe anaphylaxis. There’s a need for research, education, advocacy and resources for patients, their families, doctors and caregivers. That’s why the boy’s family started the 5K walk/run in his name to help fund pediatric mastocytosis research through the nonprofit Mast Cell Disease Society.

“When my son was born with this rare disease, our family decided we had to do something,” said Wyatt’s mother, Shannon Catalano. “We wanted no other families to be in the position we were in because there was so little known about the rare disease. . .  We are hopeful 2023 will have us all back in person to do big things for the mastocytosis community, together.”

To participate visit www.wyattswalk2022.eventbrite.com

Al Alciati

Congratulations go to Al Alciati on a well-deserved honor. The local veteran was recently appointed aide-de-camp to VFW National Commander in Chief Tim Borland.

He recently received the appointment letter from Veterans of Foreign Wars National headquarters telling him he was selected for the honor because of his “outstanding service to the local p and the California VFW state-wide organization, going above and beyond the call of duty.”

Alciati, 73, served as commander of the VFW John A. Berri Post #6309 from 2018-2021. He also happens to be the second cousin of Berri, for whom the Gilroy VFW Post was named. Berri was the first veteran from Gilroy to give his life in defense of our country in World War II.

“It was an honor to lead the local VFW, especially the John A. Berri Post,” Alciati said. “And serving as aide-de-camp to the National Commander is a similar honor.”

A VFW aide-de-camp serves as an assistant to the National Commander of the organization, assisting in whatever administrative role he is needed for the benefit of its members.

A Morgan Hill resident, Alciati served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam where he worked as an illustrator/draftsman for the Integrated Operational Intelligence Center. The IOIC was responsible for mapping and reconnaissance of North Vietnam. He and his wife, Sharon, have two sons and he enjoys hot rods and golfing when he’s not serving the community.

Thank you, Al, for your dedication to democracy over the decades.

There’s another new scam going around, according to the Better Business Bureau. One of scammers’ tactics is impersonating a person or organization you know and trust. This time, con artists are impersonating your bank.

How this scam works:

You receive a text message that looks like a fraud alert from your bank. It claims there is unusual activity in your account. It may read: “Bank Fraud Alert — Did you approve a transaction for $1,000? Reply YES or NO.” If you reply, the scammer now knows they have an active number — and a person to scam.

The scam doesn’t end there. The scammer will call to follow up, and the number will appear in the caller ID as coming from your bank. When you answer, the caller claims to be a bank representative who can help stop the fraudulent charges. To do so, you need to send money to yourself using Zelle or another digital wallet app. The caller walks you through the process of connecting the app to your bank account. Then, they ask you to verify the connection by sharing the code your bank sent.

Don’t do it! If you give the scammer your verification code, the scammer can set up an account with your phone number and email — but with their bank account information. If that happens, when you send money to “yourself,” you’re actually sending money to the scammer. Disputing the charges will be difficult because the scammer has tricked you into approving the transaction. Sending money through a digital wallet app is like using cash, making it very hard to get your money back.

Think you might have unclaimed tax money? The County of Santa Clara Department of Tax and Collections published a list of 222 individuals and businesses who are potential owners of $136,912 in unclaimed general collections monies. Potential owners who qualify for these monies must file claims by Dec. 9. The list of names and claim forms can be found at www.sccdtac.org/unclaimedmonies.

For questions, contact DTAC’s Fiscal Services Division at (408) 326-1007 or email [email protected].