”
Heroes
”
is one of the most popular current TV shows. It’s a serial saga
about seemingly ordinary people all over the world discovering that
they each possess an unexpected power. The real question raised by
the show is what those special gifts will ultimately be used for
and how they will all work together eventually for the collective
good.
“A boy doesn’t have to go to war to be a hero; he can say he doesn’t like pie when he sees there isn’t enough to go around.” – Edgar Watson Howe, American novelist, essayist
“Heroes” is one of the most popular current TV shows. It’s a serial saga about seemingly ordinary people all over the world discovering that they each possess an unexpected power. The real question raised by the show is what those special gifts will ultimately be used for and how they will all work together eventually for the collective good.
We don’t have to look far to find our own local heroes. One such example is found in Gilroy High School senior Victoria Arribere, who had the idea of getting a group of chamber singers together to sing Christmas carols at the Armory for the homeless sheltering there from the cold during the recent holiday season.
Arribere was sensitive to her audience and careful to stick with classics as she chose the songs. When she turned to “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” she realized they should probably not sing that classic. A big thank you goes out to students Aaron Moon, Kaitlin Joven, Kyle Dickson, Talia Lauber, Randy Eves, Carissa Heath, Tyler West, and Victoria Arribere for showing they understood the true meaning of the season and were willing to give some of that spirit to the less fortunate.
A small but mighty committee is made up of five volunteers (chairperson Arline Silva, secretary Don Londgren, teacher Laura Mankovsky, and Morgan Hill’s Julie and Skip Bradbury) who call themselves “Community Outreach.” Operating out of the United Methodist Church in Gilroy, they are the current incarnation of what was once known as the English as a second language program called “Community Language Connection.”
This Christmas, Community Outreach partnered with St. Joseph’s Family Center to provide Christmas trees to families who wouldn’t otherwise have one of their own. Gilroy’s Wal-Mart store kicked off the Christmas tree effort with a $50 donation, and generous donations from United Methodist Church members provided $600 more for trees. CO bought the trees ahead of time and kept them fresh in buckets of water until time to transport them in the early morning hours on December 16 for the Christmas Sharing Day at the local Baptist Church. Silva stayed with the trees until all had a home, which didn’t take long.
CO also worked with the Gilroy Family Resource Center to buy Christmas gifts for children in the child welfare system. This project was called Operation Santa, and CO made four trips to the center to drop off toys. Cash donations were used to purchase educational toys at BookSmart in Morgan Hill.
BookSmart reciprocated with a 10 percent discount, further stretching the charitable dollars. Mary Grimm, social services program manager, said that the toys were needed even more than in past years, since charitable giving has dropped across the board in 2006. These gifts went a long way toward giving foster and disadvantaged children a merry Christmas.
Another local hero by the name of Louise Shields wants to express her heartfelt thanks to each and every Gilroyan who supported the third Annual Christmas Toy Fundraiser. Shields coordinated raising $5,000 to benefit the children of Rebekah Children’s Services, a local non-profit agency that supports at-risk families and children.
The children, ranging in age from 1 to 17, received Christmas bundles of educational toys, books, games, puzzles, and soft stuffed toys. The children also received gift certificates donated by Happy Dog Pizza. Some of the money raised in the Christmas fund raiser will go towards Rebekah’s school linked program, which provides educational services and support for the children.
Redman’s Car Care donated $500 toward a Discovery Toys Tree, which was auctioned off at Rebekah’s Annual Festival Of Trees Gala Celebration. Wells Fargo Bank donated $3,000 to benefit the children at Rebekah’s.
“This fund raiser was made a huge success through the efforts of family, friends, local businesses, and members of the United Methodist Church of Gilroy,” Shields says. “I am blessed by your compassion. With your support and generous contributions, we were able to add a little Christmas magic to the lives of some very special children.”
