|
Publication Date: Friday, November 19, 2004 Holiday Fund
Holiday Fund
(November 19, 2004) Give now to help others in our community
Wreathes are starting to appear. Santa is in the mall. The holidays are here.
One way we celebrate is by presenting the Pleasanton Weekly Holiday Fund. We make donations and accept donations from our readers to be distributed to worthy community organizations.
This money is matched dollar for dollar by Tri-Valley Community Foundation so when you give to the Holiday Fund, your dollar is doubled and does twice as much good. Also the Holiday Fund has no overhead because all of the paperwork is done by us.
Last year the Holiday Fund benefited five nonprofit groups, with each receiving more than $8,500 from a total collected of $44,000. This year we have added three more and our goal is $75,000. We've raised our sights because of the positive feedback we received from our readers last year. Already some of last year's donors have given again, wanting to double their giving through the Holiday Fund.
This year's recipients are:
¥ Axis Community Health
¥ Kaleidoscope Activity Center
¥ Open Heart Kitchen
¥ Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council
¥ Ryan Comer Cancer Research Center
¥ Senior Support Program of the Tri-Valley
¥ Tri-Valley Haven
¥ Valley Humane Society
Axis Community Health reported back to us that its funds were used to meet increased needs in pediatric services, where it is recording 35 percent higher costs this year. The funds specifically allowed Axis to provide additional pediatric clinics for the Tri-Valley's indigent and uninsured children.
Axis, formerly called Valley Community Health Center, provides medical, mental health, addiction counseling and health education services to more than 20,000 patients and clients each year, regardless of their ability to pay. An estimated 70 percent have no medical insurance or are underinsured, including some that have recently lost their jobs and health benefits.
Open Heart Kitchen is the Tri-Valley's only soup kitchen and gives out free meals at locations in Pleasanton and Livermore.
"The funds from last year went directly to our food budget," said director Barbara Thomas. "Our meal cost is less than $1.50 per plate for a complete meal made from scratch. That means the funds we received last year bought supplies for 6,400 meals! Talk about bang for your buck."
Thomas also reported other accomplishments of Open Heart Kitchen this year: It ran a lunch program for low-income children over the summer; set up a new serving site in Livermore; expanded its box lunch program; and began a Dublin outreach.
Another recipient last year of the Holiday Fund was the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council. PCAC was incorporated in 1974 to promote appreciation of the arts, provide facilities for arts activities, and create an environment where residents can pursue and enjoy a wide range of cultural opportunities. It also gives grants to students to help them pursue their talents as a creative writer, visual artist, musician or a member of the performing arts.
President David Wright said the group plans to put $2,600 of the Holiday Fund money toward its Arts in the Schools budget, bringing the total to $11,200. The school district matches this amount to bring visual, literary and performing arts to its students.
For instance, last year more than 1,000 students received visual art instruction; high school students created a multicultural mural; middle school students saw performances of Shakespeare and heard two authors speak. Others created tile walls, took trips to hear the San Francisco Symphony or had a series of music appreciation lessons. A grant for $1,000 was given to support expanding the orchestra program into Amador Valley High.
Wright said $1,600 from the Holiday Fund will help support the PCAC newsletter, which is distributed to supporters and to arts groups in Pleasanton and the Tri-Valley. Another $5,000 has been budgeted for its Firehouse Theater project. After the new Firehouse opens on the Bernal property, across from the Fairgrounds, the old facility on Railroad Avenue will be rebuilt as a first-class small arts center. PCAC members are heading up the fundraising efforts.
Marlene Peterson, director of Senior Support Program of the Tri-Valley, said that money from the 2003 Holiday Fund was used to help with its Partners in Safety and its Case Management programs. "Through the Partners program, we served 39 seniors in crisis last year," said Peterson, "and through Case Management we served over 260 seniors and their families."
The goal of Senior Support, which is located in the Pleasanton Senior Center, is to keep seniors living independently as long as possible. Partners in Safety trains emergency personnel on what to look for when they enter seniors' homes. "Most people are afraid to call for help," said Petersen. "They don't want to be a burden."
The Senior Support Program, which served more than 650 seniors last year, also offers a Friendly Visiting program, a registry for finding caregivers, health screening, counseling and referrals. The case managers work with individual seniors to assess their needs.
Tri-Valley Haven reported that money from last year's Holiday Fund went to operating costs. The organization is especially appreciative of donations like this because it finds it increasingly difficult to obtain grant funding for things like utilities and telephone costs, including support of its 24-hour crisis line, with call forwarding that allows it to divert the line to volunteers' homes overnight.
The funds also are supporting two shelters, a community building and a satellite counseling office, all with telephones and computers.
We are excited about adding three recipients this year to round out helping the needs in our community.
For almost 25 years, Kaleidoscope Activity Center has provided an after-school and summer day camp program for developmentally disabled children and young adults ages 5 to 22, operating out of Dublin. Participants also go on outings throughout the Bay Area.
The Ryan Comer Cancer Resource Center, located inside the ValleyCare Health Library, offers personalized reference assistance and access to medical databases, some in other languages, including Web sites and articles, plus books, videos and models. The library has both a librarian and nurse on staff to help with research.
Last but not least is help for our furry friends, who give so much to us in return. Valley Humane Society is an all-volunteer group with the mission to educate others on responsible pet ownership. It assists in rescuing and placing abandoned or injured animals and operates an adoption center in downtown Pleasanton. It does not euthanize unless health problems dictate.
As Barbara Thomas of Open Heart Kitchen said: "It's been a very busy year and this growth wouldn't be possible without the generosity of our community."
-Pleasanton Weekly staff
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
