Former San Francisco 49er Randy Kirk brought smiles to young
faces and a $10,000 check to the El Toro Youth Center
Former San Francisco 49er Randy Kirk brought smiles to young faces and a $10,000 check to the El Toro Youth Center.
“Work hard, always do your best, and you’ll be able to achieve your dreams,” Kirk told a group of more than 30 children last week.
The Oct. 18 visit was great news for a program bouncing back from the brink of bankruptcy last June.
The staff breathed a sigh of relief as efforts to raise $100,000 came closer to a happy ending, with $93,000 raised so far, according to Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate, one of the community leaders working to save the center for at-risk youth in the community.
In September, $24-million nonprofit agency Catholic Charities took ownership of the program, but a community fund drive is keeping the doors open during the transition.
During Kirk’s visit, the 42-year-old retired long snapper and linebacker, who lives in Morgan Hill, had no trouble captivating his young audience.
Kirk described his 13 years in the pros and his early struggles in grammar school, his days at Bellarmine Prep in San Jose, and playing at De Anza Community College before transferring to San Diego State.
After graduation he went undrafted. He tried out as a free agent with the New York Giants and made the team and chiseled out a 13-year career in the pros with seven different teams. He played his last four years, 1996 to 1999, with the 49ers, where he was able to extend his playing days by working as the long snapper.
After the children listened and asked questions about his football career, Kirk signed autographs for all of them, giving each a word of encouragement. After the autograph session, he pulled out his Kirk’s Kids Foundation checkbook and autographed a $10,000 check to the El Toro Youth Center. His contribution fulfilled his pledge to match up to $10,000 in contributions.
His visit follows a July drop-in by Jeff Garcia. The former 49ers quarterback also donated $10,000 to the center.
Kirk’s story was “true inspiration” to the El Toro kids, Tate said. Many of the children rely on the center’s support to do well in school and reach their dreams.
The center has been a resource for low-income as well as immigrant families for about 20 years, providing after-school and summer programs for needy children and parents. Many low-income and single-parent families rely on El Toro for childcare and academic support. The center also serves as a hub of information on other social services available to low-income as well as immigrant families.
The program used to be administered by Community Solutions, a non-profit provider of social services, which announced last June it lacked the money to keep running the center.
After an outpouring of emotion from parents who have benefited from El Toro’s services, an ad hoc group of community leaders formed to save the center.
During the summer, a deal was struck with Catholic Charities, which already runs several programs in South County, but no youth-oriented services. The organization pledged to administer El Toro for one year if the community could raise the funds to pay the staff and other expenses.
“We are delighted to have them,” said Catholic Charities spokeswoman Claire Wagner.
She said the nonprofit, which runs a similar youth center in downtown San Jose, is already looking into possible grants to keep El Toro open during the 2008-2009 fiscal year, starting next July.
Catholic Charities also brings years of experience in managing social programs. The organization is the largest provider of immigration legal services in Santa Clara County.
In Gilroy, the group runs an outreach program for homeless individuals and a hot-lunch program for seniors, among other things.
To help raise the additional $7,000 needed to complete the campaign, please contact Steve Tate at 621-7377.
