Gilroy
– Faced with increased requests for funding, the Gilroy Gang
Task Force is considering a handful of possible fundraisers to keep
the group going, ranging from the tried-and-true car wash to an
awards breakfast.
Gilroy – Faced with increased requests for funding, the Gilroy Gang Task Force is considering a handful of possible fundraisers to keep the group going, ranging from the tried-and-true car wash to an awards breakfast.
The task force, formed in 1993 by then-mayor Don Gage, funds community programs such as a free summer camp, held by the Mexican American Community Services Agency, teen job fairs and workshops, and the city’s annual “Safe Night,” held at San Ysidro Park. It also pays the property tax on the Gilroy Community Youth Center: a sum of $7,500 per year, according to the task force’s latest budget.
The moneymaker that keeps GGTF going is the group’s annual Tee-Off for Youth, a charity golf tournament that brings in $20,000 annually. In the past, those funds have kept the task force in the black, but as community requests pile up, the task force is seeking new funds.
“Every year there’s more requests for financing,” said executive director John Garcia, “and the money we raised in the golf tournament does not cover all the things we’re funding this year.”
Run by a volunteer board, the task force has difficulty planning elaborate fundraisers, said director Enrique Arreola, who represents MACSA. Instead, the group has sought to tap youth as a resource. By getting them involved, GGTF can hit two birds with one stone: Raise the funds needed, and promote youth community involvement.
“When young people understand that services and field trips and activities are not free, they understand that the community service and contributing and volunteering is very important,” Arreola said. “It’s really a life skill, and it helps complement building assets in young people.”
Directors are still mulling how to raise the funds, but community members don’t have to wait for a car-wash or a raffle to donate: Contributions can be sent to GGTF care of executive director John Garcia at the city’s Community Services Department, 7351 Rosanna St. Donations are tax-deductible.
