Publication Date: Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Editorial: Weekly Holiday Fund passes halfway mark
Editorial: Weekly Holiday Fund passes halfway mark
(December 21, 2005) Donor list begins to read like a 'Who's Who of Good People' in Palo Alto area as donors reach 400 mark in giving to fund local programs for children and families
More than 400 persons, as of this week, have donated to the Weekly's annual Holiday Fund -- surpassing the halfway mark in the annual opportunity to invest in the well-being of children and families of our community.
Donations range from small amounts up to $2,500 -- all donors of $25 or more are recognized by name in the Weekly (see pages 22-23 of this issue), unless the donor requests anonymity.
Each donation is matched by grants from longtime Palo Alto-based family or community foundations, led by the Hewlett Foundation and Packard Foundation.
As of Monday, individual and family donors have contributed $88,510, which brings the matched total to $177,020 -- still a stretch away from reaching the annual goal of $300,000. The fund continues to receive donations through mid-January.
An important feature of the fund is that the Weekly covers all overhead costs. This means 100 percent of each contribution goes directly to recipients of Holiday Fund grants, announced at a reception in April. And with the matching grants, donors actually are giving at a 200 percent level of effectiveness. Where can anyone find a better bang for their charitable buck?
Grant recipients are selected by a committee of employees from all departments of the Weekly. The grants go to local non-profit organizations for specific programs that benefit local children and families. Last year the life-saving Adolescent Counseling Services of Palo Alto received a $7,500 grant. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto and the East Palo Alto YMCA each received $10,000 grants -- as did Kara, the longtime grief-support organization in Palo Alto.
Other grants supported creative programs, such as Music in the Schools and Zohar School of Dance. (The full list is on page 22.)
As reported in the Weekly last Friday, a few local seasonal charities are hurting this year, some severely -- which they attribute to "donor fatigue" from national and international disasters and because business donations are way down. Innvision, which will provide services for the new Opportunity Center for the homeless when it opens next year, reports that donations for its programs throughout the Bay Area are down 38 percent from last year, and down 50 percent in Palo Alto. All deserve support.
For the Weekly's Holiday Fund, the community's annual response can be life or death for community-based, all-year programs for children and families, through local non-profit organizations. Many programs simply would not exist, or would be far less effective, without Holiday Fund grants.
Now is the time for residents, businesses and local foundations to step up to this best opportunity for the most effective gift you can ever give -- an investment in our own community. Please join us in this year's campaign, and feel good about it all year long.
Stanford compromises on Alpine 'trail' fund
Stanford compromises on Alpine 'trail' fund
(December 21, 2005) A last-minute compromise pledge by Stanford University helped cement approval last week of its cherished trail/bike lane proposal along Alpine Road in San Mateo County.
Stanford has offered $11.2 million to San Mateo County and Portola Valley to pay for the trail if they approve and build it. If not, the funds would have reverted to Stanford in its original plan.
But at the last minute, Stanford told Santa Clara County supervisors that the funds instead should revert to Santa Clara County for some other mitigation of Stanford's 2000 expansion plan if the trail is not built within five to seven years. The supervisors approved the plan by a 4-1 vote, with North County Supervisor Liz Kniss dissenting.
Stanford still believes the trail will be built, Larry Horton, senior associate vice president for government and community relations, said in a memo presented to county officials Tuesday. But if not, "Stanford does not seek to gain financially by not having to spend the money that it has offered for trail improvements," Horton said.
It is a good offer, and should remove much of the sense of pressure on San Mateo County and Portola Valley officials to approve a controversial route.
And we can heartily join in one sentiment expressed by Horton: "There is a great desire on all sides to resolve the long-standing controversy."
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