If you’d like to do something fun yet meaningful while also benefiting others in need for St. Patrick’s Day, “Musi-Kaleidoscope” is a new, five program series showcasing professional musicians from the South Valley. This joint project of the United Methodist Church and the Music Academy at the corner of Fourth and Church streets near downtown Gilroy features the talent of your neighbors who will offer their favorite music in family-friendly concerts.
In addition to great performances, the musicians will describe their instruments, the music and its history. During intermission, the audience will enjoy refreshments and displays about the music, the musicians and the concert series. The March 17 concert kicking off the series will feature the string instruments of the Sorella Sting Quartet on violin, viola and cello.
The Sorella String Quartet was formed in 2003 by four friends who wanted to play chamber music in a backyard studio surrounded by a beautiful garden. Soon, the quartet was in demand for parties and for recitals, including the Burlingame Music Club and faculty recitals at venues such as Notre Dame de Namur University. Violinist Mary-Mignon Mitchell is active in chamber music throughout the Bay Area. Kathleen Johnson, teaches cello at the Crestmont Conservatory and is principal cellist of the Nova Vista Symphony. Carole Mayedo boasts a gold record for her stellar violin and vocal work with Neil Young.
Victoria Morton was a violist with the San Jose Symphony for 29 years and plays Celtic fiddle and viola in “Kingsbard.” Morton conducts the Prelude String Orchestra of San Jose Youth Symphony.
Donations will be accepted at the door, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the World Service Fund, the primary avenue of support for the global mission of The United Methodist Church. It helps with disaster relief and stamping out killer diseases of poverty by improving health globally. The concert will be at 2 p.m. on March 17 at 7600 Church Street. For more information, contact The Music Academy at 408-848-1064. Go to www.youtube.com and search the Sorella String Quartet.
After a great afternoon of music, I’ll be heading over to St. Mary’s gym for a fabulous dinner just three blocks away on First Street.
What began as a simple dinner idea in Vince and Laurel Mahoney’s home over 40 years ago has grown to be a citywide event which raises funds for St. Joseph’s Family Center, which provides a central location for people in Gilroy to come to when in a crisis or emergency situation.
It was back in the mid-1960s that a group of women from St. Mary Parish saw a need to help the poor.
Spearheaded by Marge Albaugh, these women worked diligently to secure donations of food and clothing for those who were part of the parish community.
As Albaugh recognized the growing needs throughout the community, the organization that became known as St. Joseph’s Family Center was born and grew to become the giving arm of a consortium of local churches, businesses, and individuals.
This collaboration operated under the auspices of the Diocese of San Jose until 2002, when the Board of Directors decided to establish SJFC as an independent, 501 c-3 organization. St. Joseph’s Family Center is the largest agency in our area providing urgently needed assistance that prevents many families and individuals experiencing extreme hardship from becoming homeless. They assist close to 10 percent of Gilroy’s population annually.
Though what became St. Joseph’s has changed in many ways in the nearly 50 years since that little group of women first started a grass roots effort to help in any way they could, the vision has remained the same-to improve the quality of life for under resourced families and individuals through comprehensive services that help establish food security, shelter, gainful employment and other opportunities toward achieving self-sufficiency.
Thanks to the support of this community, the St. Patrick’s dinner at $30 a ticket is once again on track to be one of the most successful annual fundraisers in Gilroy.
Help by donating to St. Joseph’s
- Non-perishable snack and lunch items
- Baby food
- Fresh produce
- Canned food
- Unprepared meats n Diapers (all sizes, especially 4, 5, 6)
- Grocery bags (recycled paper and plastic)
- Ziploc bags (all sizes)
- Egg cartons
- New infant toys, sundries and clothing (sizes newborn to 2T)
- Men’s socks
- Small hygiene kits
- New sleeping bags and blankets
For more information, contact David Cox at (408) 842-6662.
