Community

Last Wednesday, Gilroyan Diana Clinton got to spend her fifty-eighth birthday in from the cold.

Hoping to recoup victims’ money, a search has begun for dozens of people scammed in Gilroy by an undocumented immigrant imprisoned for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from other Mexican immigrants.

If you didn’t see enough of your relatives over the holidays, Tomas Rodriguez, 33, has a way to keep them with you forever. He can tattoo them on the body part of your choice.

A mountain lion was spotted on the Gavilan College campus Tuesday and officials sent out an alert for students to be careful.

Lovers of great music performed by virtuosos in an intimate setting are in for an artistic treat in Gilroy.

A former San Jose hospital executive is the new head of Gilroy’s St. Louise Regional Hospital, which includes De Paul Health Center in Morgan Hill.Jordan Herget, 44, has been named president and CEO of St. Louise and O’Conner Hospital in San Jose.Both medical facilities are part of the nonprofit, non-religious Verity Health System.VHS parent, BlueMountain Capital Management, took over management of the six-hospital operation from the Daughters of Charity Health System in a deal reached in December 2015.Two previous suitors backed out of offers to take over the financially troubled Catholic hospital chain as residents worried for more than two years for the future of South County’s only major medical facility.“I am honored to accept the role of chief executive officer for O’Connor Hospital and St. Louise Regional Hospital, both highly respected in the communities they serve,” Herget said in a Nov. 14 press release.“My first priority will be to get to know the physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers at each hospital. Ultimately, my main goal will be to identify ways in which we can work together to ensure the hospitals continue to thrive for generations to come.”Herget has 16 years of hospital executive experience. He comes to Verity from the for-profit Hospital Corporation of America’s Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose where he was chief operating officer since 2012.Verity chief operating officer B. Joseph Badalian said in a press release that Herget has the skills and experience “to position O’Connor and St. Louise for success. His background includes program alignment and development, collaboration with unions, patient satisfaction improvement, and capital investment, all of which are vital to the successful turnaround and revitalization of both hospitals.“Best of all,” he added, “Jordan can hit the ground running. Having lived and worked in the South Bay area for a number of years, he has an in-depth understanding of the local healthcare market that will enable him to have an immediate impact.”In his new post, the Calgary, Canada, native will oversee 1,400 employees and 358 beds in San Jose and 460 employees and 93 beds in Gilroy and Morgan Hill, where St. Louise runs De Paul Health Center, an urgent care facility.In a Nov. 16 interview, Herget said he will split his time between offices in San Jose and Gilroy and plans to make himself available to the staff and community and “build the hospital’s volume.”He described his management style as being visible and transparent, “to be open and ask questions and to be communicative.”The latter will include getting to know the staff by name, hosting town hall meetings with residents and being “a diligent member of the communities,” Herget said.“We have an opportunity here to provide a great service to the communities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy,” He said.Having lived in the area, he said, he watched as Daughters of Charity looked for a buyer for its ailing hospitals.“What I have been really impressed with and part of the reason I wanted to join St. Louise and Verity is the commitment Verity has made to the hospital,” he said.He cited the hospital foundation’s emergency room renovation project at St. Louise and the foundation board’s growth as positive signs for the future.Herget is a graduate of Brigham Young University and earned a Master’s degree in health finance and management from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.He holds Advanced Lean Training Certification from the Virginia Mason Institute and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.Herget and his wife have three teenage children and live in San Jose.He started his career as a senior consultant with Ernst & Young in Walnut Creek where, he said, one of his first assignments was to work with the Daughters of Charity and Catholic Healthcare West.Herget joined HCA in 1999 at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, then was COO of Alaska Regional Hospital and Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. Before joining Good Samaritan, he was CEO of Oklahoma University Medical Center-Edmond for two years.In addition to St. Louise, O’Connor and De Paul, the Verity Health system includes St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach. 

Since his birth two years ago, Wyatt Catalano has been known as Warrior Wyatt.

On Tuesday, Dec. 20, designated toy runners will race back and forth between buildings with lists of toys they hand off to the toy elves, who will then scurry to a storage room, select the toys on each family’s list, and place them in plastic sacks. Those sacks are then delivered to families waiting to greet the toy runners with smiles and hugs.

Shop local, local, local. That’s the message Gilroy retailers from the Outlets to downtown want shoppers to know before they head out for this year’s Black Friday and Shop Local Saturday sales.“Shopping local should be on people’s minds when they go out on Black Friday,” Gilroy Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Turner. “The money that people invest in our town really recycles itself in our community, going back into other businesses, restaurants or organizations.”Before the dishes have been washed and put away on Thursday, thousands of shoppers will already be at the Gilroy Premium Outlets for the annual Black Friday sales.Opening at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, most of the 145 retailers including 7 For All Mankind, Banana Republic, Columbia Sportswear, Kate Spade New York, Nike will remain open until 10 p.m. Friday, reopening on Saturday at 8 a.m.Jane Howard, executive director of The Gilroy Welcome Center, which is located at the Outlets, said opening on Thursday creates a family atmosphere. This will be her sixth Black Friday experience at the Outlets. The Welcome Center has coupon books for the Outlets and, Gilroy logo merchandise, including a heavily discounted Gilroy logo jacket.“It has become a social event for families, I see those multigenerational families out shopping with the mom, child and grandmother and they are just in the zone and so excited,” she said. “They have exactly in mind where they want to go, they’ve usually done some homework on their own, going on the Outlet website.”For those who would rather skip the large crowds, shops in downtown Gilroy offer unique finds just in time for the holidays. From antiques, bikes and crossbows to handmade jewelry, furniture imports and homemade quilts, downtown shops cannot be beat.“We have over 20 local artists in here,” said Kim Rossi, owner of Leedo Art & Framing at 7436 Monterey Street.Walking through the store’s various rooms adorned with original works of art, photography and sculpture, Rossi listed the many different items, at various price points, available, “We got note cards, art cards, handmade jewelry, sports memorabilia, something that is affordable for everybody.”Over at specialty retailer Garlic City Mercantile, Dave Peoples sells “gourmet garlic goodies, gadgets and gifts.” While he carries a range of garlic-infused items by locals like Christopher Ranch, Gilroy Hot Stuff, Pepper Plants, and others, it’s not just “garlicky things” you will find on the shelves.There are ceramics by local artists, kitchen gadgets, greeting cards, “as seen on TV” gizmos and european imports. At the back of the store is the Embroidery Studio where Carol and Al Gutierrez can stitch a garlic design or any other custom design on an item of your choice, from kitchen aprons to reusable cloth shopping totes. “We are a fun place and know the specialty items people are looking for,” said Peoples.Over at the Arts Center, the Artisan's Corner features artwork by local artists including handblown glass, watercolor paintings, handmade tree ornaments and more. The center will be open on Black Friday and throughout the weekend.“These are very unique items—perfect for the person that has everything,” said Kevin Heath at the Art Center. “And it’s a way to support downtown, restaurants. Everything is walkable and friendly downtown.”On Friday, Amoretto Boutique will be offering 20 to 50 percent off the entire store of stylish home furnishings and select fashions.The following day, on Shop Local Saturday, Amoretto will offer customers a free tote bag with every purchase and there will be hot chocolate from Fifth Street Coffee.“It’s just so much fun to see the energy and enthusiasm for this experience which has become quite a family tradition,” said Howard, and “from a revenue perspective, what the sales bring into the city’s general fund is pretty significant. We certainly want to celebrate we got that here.”   

As people around the country sit down to their Thanksgiving meal with family and friends at crowded dining room tables, hundreds in Gilroy are eating theirs at local soup kitchens.At St. Joseph’s Family Center, the Salvation Army and Gilroy Compassion Center, individuals and families who are either homeless or cannot afford to make their own Thanksgiving feast at home are being treated to a nourishing meal and companionship for the holiday.“Food is more than just a necessity to life, it’s also relationship building,” said Vicky Martin at St. Joseph’s Family Center, where up to 300 people were expected at their annual free meal. “We want to help heal and bring back good memories.”For some, giving up their own Thanksgiving to serve others is as traditional as roast turkey and pumpkin pie. At St.Joseph’s more than 50 volunteers working in three shifts are helping prepare, serve and cleanup.“We get volunteers that range in age from 13 to 70-plus years,” said Catherine Miramontes, who coordinates the Thanksgiving meal, called the Lord’s Table, with her husband, Guadalupe. “I have a list of repeat volunteers I contact each year to schedule for the meal preparation to the cleanup.”Volunteers start preparing the meal early in the morning—turkey, stuffing, cranberry, yams, a selection of traditional desserts—and after all the food is served, they stay to sit and talk.“We feel that everyone should try to extend those warm feelings and full tummies they enjoy to those who aren’t as fortunate,” said Miramontes, who has been volunteering at St. Joseph’s since 2010. “With our help we hope the folks we serve will one day be able to provide these memorable moments in their own domiciles with some reminders of how to do it because they remember their experiences at The Lord’s Table.”At the Salvation Army on Fifth Street, which serves free turkey meals with all the fixings on Wednesday, church secretary Lorena Alcantar, said it is important for the Gilroy community to be aware of all they do.In addition to the Thanksgiving meal that serves about 100 each year, the Salvation Army distributes clothing vouchers, operates a food pantry and fresh produce program and provides showers for the homeless an hour a day, three times a week.Alcantar said over the 10 years she’s been at the church, she’s gotten to know a lot of people, learn their stories, and shared in their heartbreak.“You get to know their problems and what they are going through.” Alcantar experienced homelessness herself when she was a teenager and had problems at home. One day she was invited to the church, attended a service and ended up staying. She said it was a miracle she survived.Today her children volunteer at the church and each Christmas donate some of their own toys to local children in need.“They like to help out,” said Alcantar, who has six kids ages 5 to 22. “They get to see that others don’t have what they have. It’s good for them to see that so they can appreciate and not take what they have for granted.”In Santa Clara County, with its high wages—if you can get them—and high cost of living, it’s not just the homeless who are being served at local soup kitchens this holiday season.Miramontes said many who rely on St. Joseph’s for food are employed and have homes.“They must choose between food and buying their basic necessities and/or paying rent.”Echoing that sentiment is Martin, who runs St. Joseph’s food pantry program, one of the three largest in the county based on food volume and the number of people served.“When the economy does better it actually creates a larger divide between high and low incomes,” she said.Martin regularly sees seniors and those on fixed incomes, students, low-wage agricultural and retail workers, as well as working families, having to decide between paying rent and getting nutritious food.She estimates they serve 100 families a day when they give out grocery baskets and at least 550 families during their Monday morning fresh produce distribution, part of an initiative to get more fruits and vegetables into impoverished communities.Martin tells of a lady who lost 12 pounds by eating the fresh produce St. Joseph’s distributes. She said there are teachers at Gavilan College who have brought food to school for hungry students.Because of this need among local youth, St. Joseph’s began in 2014 to distribute food at eight schools in Gilroy. It’s more convenient for working families who don’t have time to get to a food pantry and helps alleviate some of the behavioral issues researchers have attributed to poor nutrition resulting from food insecurity.“Hunger doesn’t take a break,” said David Cox, executive director at St. Joseph’s. “The enthusiasm we see from our community during the holidays is wonderful; we are blessed, but we would love it to be contagious and result in a year-round awareness.”