Holiday Service Projects

Cupertino Rotary in partnership with Via Services Is the wonderful winter celebration held by Cupertino Rotarians at the Via West campus in Stevens Creek County Park. December 1, 218 and Second Saturday, December 8^th  – older teens and adults – ages 16 through  (our oldest is 86 currently) (Serves 85)  from Noon to 4:00 pm Via West Campus.

 

Rotarians along with other community members put together this fun event, which serves over 200 kids and teens and adults with special needs.

 

This celebration involves over 100 volunteers putting many hours into the event on the first two Saturdays of December.  One weekend is filled with 13 tons of snow – sledding and snowball fun along with arts and crafts and other various nondenominational holiday activities.

 

The following weekend for the older teens and adults involves all of the same fun activities   with the exception of the snow which is substituted by an afternoon of music by the “Grateful Dads”– a Rotarian band as well as the San Jose State marching band.  

 

These holiday celebrations are anticipated all year long with sign-ups for the activities generally wait listed and filled up by September. 

 

 

The program provides gifts and food to homeless and low-income families living in our service area during the December holiday season.  Gifts include traditional items, such as toys and small household appliances, in addition to seasonally appropriate clothing items that families cannot afford, such as jackets, gloves, hats, warm socks, and blankets.  In addition to providing much needed items to families struggling financially, it relieves the stress caused by the pressure to engage in holiday spending that low-income families cannot afford. 

 

The Gift of Hope program, also allows families living in poverty to preserve household assets that would have been spent on holiday gifts so that they can be spent on critical household needs such as rent, utilities, and food. 

 

In addition, West Valley Community Service have quite a few other partners and sponsors for this event, including Wells Fargo Bank, Target, Los Gatos Community Foundation, Rotary Club of Cupertino, O’Conner Hospital, Inner Wheel, Quote, Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, Cupertino Chamber of Commerce, West Valley Presbyterian Church, the Northwest YMCA, the Southwest YMCA, Saratoga Foothill Club, and the Office of Assembly member Evan Low.