Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: For more than 25 years, local nursery helps nonprofits raise money

Headstart Nursery is directly responsible for helping charities raise around $350,000 this year alone

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By Robert Airoldi

Let’s give a shout out to Gilroy’s family-owned Headstart Nursery for making the holiday season prettier with poinsettias as well as raise money for South Valley schools and nonprofits.

Longtime Gilroy resident Greg Bozzo asked us remind our readers that Headstart truly cares about the community. For more than 25 years, this local, 40-year-old wholesale nursery, owned and operated by brothers Steve and Randy Costa, has grown thousands of “points,” as they are called in the industry. This year more than 70,000 were offered at a discount to nonprofit organizations, many of them local, to be resold to help raise funds for their causes.

Generally, nonprofits sell each plant for about $5 more than they purchase it for. By doing some quick math, it’s easy to see that Headstart Nursery is directly responsible for helping charities raise around $350,000 this year alone, Bozzo said.

“All Gilroy’s agriculture and farming families and businesses are not only an important part of our local economy, but they are also extremely charitable in their own ways,” he said. “When we consider the amount of money that has been raised since the beginning of this generous program, from just Headstart Nursery, most would agree that all agriculture in South Santa Clara Valley should not only be appreciated, but that it’s essential.”

We encourage local residents to consider during next year’s holidays to purchase the lovely flowers grown by Headstart from local schools and nonprofits.

Want to get artistic with your library card?  The Santa Clara County Library District just released new library card designs with a unique feature. The three fun designs aim to inspire patrons to “Create, Dream, and Discover” unlimited possibilities, all of which can happen with a free SCCLD library card. These one-of-a-kind library card designs include a lightbulb, cloud and magnifying glass on the front where patrons can draw or write to personalize their card.

“Public libraries are one of society’s most important resources, and a free library card unlocks those materials and services,” said Mike Wasserman, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and chair of the Library Joint Powers Authority Board.

Everyone is invited to get a free library card. Current patrons are also welcomed to replace their card with one of the new designs. As an added bonus, people who come into the library and get a new card will receive a special gift, while supplies last.

Got a hankering for Turkey? And no, we aren’t talking about the kind you serve on Thanksgiving.

Emmie Turan moved to Morgan Hill from Foster City four years ago. She soon found out her new hometown is a sister city to Seferihisar, a Turkish town not too far from where she was born. She swiftly joined the Morgan Hill Sister Cities nonprofit.

Her affiliation with Sister Cities prompted her to undertake a “Tour of Turkey” project where South Valley residents can explore the country as a group between Sept. 30 and Oct. 12.

“With this tour, I’m hoping to connect my two homes — my native land and my adopted home of 45 years,” she told us. “Turkey is truly a mesmerizing land of fascinating dichotomies.”

Emmie has made countless trips to her native country to visit friends and family. At the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Turkey is full of amazing discoveries for travelers. It’s a secular republic but a large segment of the population holds on to its Muslim origins. Westernized, its people still hold  traditional values deeply entrenched and cherished. Emmie wants to share her fascination with local residents.

To join her on this journey and help her bridge her two beloved homes, visit www.misionviewwines.com.

Santa Clara County was recently nationally recognized for its budget transparency by producing and presenting high quality documents for the community. The county received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award through the Government Finance Officers Association for its annual budget for the July 1, 2021 fiscal year.

“As an administration that manages a budget that impacts about two million people, we recognize the importance of transparency,” said County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith. “One of our missions is to always be accountable to the residents of Santa Clara County and this award is a testament to those efforts.”

Over the past several years, the county has worked hard to add more robust information to the budget, so people have a good understanding of how their county government operates,” said Greg Iturria, Budget Director for the County of Santa Clara.