Nonprofit profile: Gilroy Foundation keeps donating locally

Give Where You Live Fair held May 19 at the Lodge on the Hill

Photo courtesy Gilroy Foundation Executive Director Donna Pray and Yesenia Gonzalez volunteer at a past Garlic Festival.

By Staff Report

Keep it local. That’s the message Gilroy Foundation wants to share with South Valley residents when it comes to donating funds to benefit the community.

To help people in this endeavor, the nonprofit will host its second Give Where You Live Faire from 5: 30 to 8:30 p.m. May 19 at the Lodge on the Hill.

Intended to be educational and informative, the social mixer will focus on the challenges and overwhelming accomplishments of the past three years since the first fair was held in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic put it on hold. Attendees can nibble on appetizers and enjoy wines while learning about various resources including the Garlic Festival Victims Relief Fund.

“A  highlight of the evening will be a panel of community members at the fair will speak on how they have positively interacted with the foundation,” said Vicki Campanella, director of development at Gilroy Foundation. “There will also be information tables staffed by the foundation’s board of directors who will answer questions from attendees. Gilroy Foundation’s youth board will be present as well.”

A complimentary one-year Gilroy Foundation Silver Membership will be offered to all those who attend.

The foundation has helped South Valley residents find ways to help their community over the years. It interviewed several Gilroyans to find out what the community knew about the nonprofit.

Carol Peters: “I have been associated with the foundation for about 20 years. I started out mentoring the youth board. I am currently an ambassador, and I am a scholarship reader. I know firsthand how difficult it is to choose who gets the much-needed money. I love how the Gilroy Foundation makes a difference in so many lives.”

Michael Hoshida: “Dia and I recently sold a piece of property after an inheritance. The Gilroy community has done so much for our boys growing up here that we thought of Gilroy Foundation as a vehicle to give back to the community by opening a family fund.”

Janet Krulee: “I know the reputation of the foundation has — the inclusivity and the focus of not just one thing — a broad range of giving back to the community in many areas including youth, animals, education, health and more. I love the idea of people getting involved and giving back.”

Travis Graham: “I was born and raised in Gilroy and wanted to do something for the community after the Garlic Festival shooting. My team through my printing company, One Life Prints, raised $36,000 in two weeks and through Gilroy Foundation was able to give 100 percent to the victims. I had the support of local restaurants and the San Francisco Giants. I’d like to learn more about what the foundation does and I’m thinking about opening a fund for a possible scholarship emphasizing a specific trade.”

The foundation serves as an umbrella organization that gives out grants to local nonprofits and scholarships to Gilroy students.

Since 1980, it has awarded more than $16 million in grants and scholarships. From 1999 through 2022, Gilroy Foundation has awarded more than $6 million in scholarships to deserving high school, junior college, and college students.

Besides establishing a legacy of giving, its mission is to link charitable gifts from donors to the vital needs of the community.

For more information or to RSVP, contact the Gilroy Foundation at [email protected] or call (408) 842-3727.