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The Pleasanton Weekly’s 2017 Holiday Fund campaign ended last Friday with 289 contributors donating $70,167, an amount that will be split among 12 beneficiaries.
“That’s a remarkable achievement for a community giving campaign at a time when so many of us have also stretched to the limit our charitable donations to other fundraisers,” said Gina Channell, president and publisher of the Pleasanton Weekly.
“These include contributions many have made to help hurricane victims in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, relief for those whose homes were destroyed by fires in Northern and Southern California, and just in these last two weeks for victims of mudslides in Montecito,” she added.
In the Holiday Fund campaign, the Weekly partnered again with Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), which handled all contributions. That allowed donors to take advantage of a tax deduction on their 2017 taxes through SVCF’s 501(c)(3) status to the fullest extent of the law.
Also, the Weekly and SVCF handled all costs of the campaign. That means that every dollar will go directly to the 12 nonprofits with no administrative expenses.
Once verified by SVCF, the funds will be split between two tiers among the 12 recipients.
In Tier 1, recipients will share equally in 50% of total 2017 Holiday Fund receipts.
They are:
* Axis Community Health
* Pleasanton Partnerships in Education (PPIE) Foundation
* Valley Humane Society
* ValleyCare Charitable Foundation
Tier 2 recipients will share equally in 50% of total Holiday Fund receipts. They are:
* Agape Villages Foster Family Agency
* Hope Hospice
* Open Heart Kitchen
* REACH for Special Adults of the Tri-Valley
* Sandra J. Wing Healing Therapies Foundation
* Senior Support Program of the Tri-Valley
* Sunflower Hill
* Tri-Valley YMCA
Checks will be distributed to these organizations Feb. 22 at a luncheon to be hosted by the Rotary Club of Pleasanton.
“The 2017 Holiday Fund is especially targeted at meeting the unfunded and under-funded needs of Tri-Valley agencies,” Channell said.
“We appreciate the hundreds of Holiday Fund donors who have given $25, $100, $500, $1,500, and more, including one donation of $5,000 and another of $10,000 from an individual who prefers to remain anonymous,” she added.
These organizations will need increased financial support in 2018 to meet a growing number of those in need.
Take PPIE for one, an organization that has a collaborative relationship with the Pleasanton Unified School District and contributes to the needs of Pleasanton students and educators.
Although the organization hosts its own community fundraising events each year and raises funds through donations and grants from regional companies and organizations, it also benefits from the Pleasanton Weekly Holiday Fund.
“Thank you, Pleasanton Weekly, for your great generosity,” said Steve McCoy-Thompson, PPIE’s executive director. “These donations help us achieve our goals.”
See the full list of Holiday Fund contributors in this Friday’s Pleasanton Weekly print edition.