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The Pleasanton Weekly and our entire Embarcadero Media East Bay Division are delighted to confirm that our 2023-24 Holiday Fund raised $51,710 last fall and winter to benefit 10 crucial nonprofits in the Tri-Valley.
A heartfelt thank you to all of the readers, businesses and community organizations who donated to our annual giving campaign that supports core safety-net services like food, health care, housing and education.
The funds, split evenly among our beneficiaries, were distributed to the nonprofits in recent weeks, and our editorial director Jeremy Walsh and editor Cierra Bailey joined representatives from each group for a ceremonial check presentation last week at the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance’s CommonPoint Nonprofit Center in Livermore.
“We are so proud and humbled to be able to galvanize community support and awareness for your important causes through our Pleasanton Weekly Holiday Fund,” Walsh said. “As we begin our journey as a new journalism nonprofit, the Embarcadero Media Foundation, we are inspired by what you all do each and every day to impact the residents of the Tri-Valley in such tangible ways.”
The 2023-24 Holiday Fund beneficiaries were Axis Community Health, CityServe of the Tri-Valley, Culinary Angels, Goodness Village, Hope Hospice, Open Heart Kitchen, Pleasanton Partnerships in Education (PPIE), Sunflower Hill, Tri-Valley REACH and Valley Humane Society.
Because of the 501(c)(3) status of our own foundation, which managed the fundraising campaign, every single dollar donated went directly to the recipient organizations with all contributions fully tax deductible as well as eligible for corporate matching where applicable.
At CityServe, the donation of $5,171 will directly help subsidize 360 podiatry appointments for seniors through the nonprofit’s BeWell initiative, according to CEO Christine Beitsch-Bahmani.
“I am deeply grateful to the generous donors for their invaluable support in funding our upcoming foot care initiatives,” she said. “Your commitment to ensuring that seniors with fixed or low incomes have access to these vital services is truly commendable.”
Tri-Valley REACH, which provides affordable rental housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is using its Holiday Fund money for the ongoing construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) at two properties in Pleasanton.
“For a small nonprofit such as REACH, the social awareness the Pleasanton Weekly Holiday Fund creates in our community is significant and impactful,” said Kay King, REACH board chair. “The exposure we receive from this program and the articles you have published on our behalf, are priceless. We are humbled by your support.”
At Axis, the unrestricted funds will go toward addressing mental health care, particularly among medically underserved populations in the Tri-Valley. A first-time Holiday Fund recipient, Culinary Angels will use the money toward its overall mission of offering organic and nutritious meals to local cancer patients and their caregivers.
Executive Director Kim Curtis of Goodness Village, the other new beneficiary from this year’s campaign, told us, “Your contributions mean the world to us and make a tangible difference in the lives of those experiencing chronic homelessness. With your financial support, Goodness Village can continue its mission to provide supportive housing and end the cycle of homelessness in our community.”
For Hope Hospice, the donation will help defray expenses from running its critical grief support and family caregiver programs. Sunflower Hill’s hands-on garden program, produce and floral efforts – which provides educational, therapeutic and skills training for adults with special needs – has gotten an important infusion thanks to our readers.
Executive Director John Bost said the funds will help Open Heart Kitchen fulfill its overall goals “to empower more and more people to embrace and build better and healthier futures for themselves and their families.”
“We are thrilled to be able to use the fund to support our student and teacher grants, which foster innovative thinking and enrich their educational experiences,” PPIE Executive Director Andrea Wilson told us.
And at Valley Humane Society, the Holiday Fund contribution will go toward food, vaccinations and other necessary supplies to care for homeless cats and dogs in its facility.
“Valley Humane Society is incredibly grateful to serve such a supportive community. We also recognize how special it is to have a local paper that recognizes the need and opportunity to bring people together to impact change,” President Melanie Sadek said, adding:
“With adoptions lower than normal, I’ll extend a special invitation to our community – please come visit the animals at Valley Humane who are just waiting to be added to your family.”
These invaluable services and programs in the Tri-Valley are being bolstered this year because of you, our Holiday Fund donors. Thank you all.
