Treasure 4 Teens Fundraising in Los Gatos

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Only three month away (I know it’s hard to believe), Christmas is the time of giving and the Treasure 4 Teens will hold its first ever fundraiser this September 25th. The foundation’s inspirational gift-giving program is already getting started for the season.

Steve Rice los gatos

Created by two teenagers in 2010, T4T is a nonprofit organization for teenagers of need in the area. Now in college, teenagers Michael and Giverny Daboll started the charity when they learned that a lot of seasonal toy drives worked great for children and had options for them but had no items appropriate for teenagers. They saw a market to make a difference and jumped on it.

The torch has been passed to high school junior Joselyn Penafiel who has become the new T4T president. She has already recruited 20 teen members from Los Gatos High School, Fisher Middle School, and the Hillbrook School to participate in the fundraising events.

The first, public event (a salsa-theme party) will be held at Monte Sereno City Councilman Roger Craig whose son joined T4T over the summer. There will be a DJ to dance to while learning salsa dancing. Also, there will be salsa performances to enjoy if you would prefer not to dance. A taco truck will cater the event while parents can let loose at the mojito bar.

Joselyn commented on the upcoming event, “I’m really excited because this is my first event since joining T4T and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. But more importantly, we hope to raise $25,000 to buy Chromebooks for 200 needy teens.”

Currently, Joselyn’s mother Susana is in talks with Google to get a discount on the Chromebooks. This would help the charity save money and provide more gifts. They could potentially reach 800 teenagers if this happened. Susana and her husband Burton have been leading the Treasure 4 Teens group and mentoring them along the way.

Visit treasures4teens.org to particpiate or donate to this great cause.

 

Rebuilding Schools Damaged in Fire

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Steve Rice Los GatosThis past week a fire damaged a Los Gatos school complex, destroying computers, musical instruments, and many other valuable educational items. The fire took place between the Loma Prieta Elementary School and the CT English Middle School just off of Summit Road.

Recently, investigators claim that a group of high school boys went out to smoke marijuana at the school on Sunday night. But when nobody showed up with the drug, they decided to light a cardboard box on fire in efforts to keep warm in Santa Cruz Mountain area, which can get chilly at night. They threw out the remains of the box in a garbage can next to the building, still smoldering, which led to the fire.

Classes were cancelled on Monday for over 500 students attending both schools in the area, and now many efforts are being implemented to restore what was lost. A community restoration fund is one of the ways the school district is raising money for the multitude of educational materials lost in the fire.

In addition, the community center has been a great resource for residents of Los Gatos over the years. Not only is it utilized by various groups of people, including seniors, theatre programs, and children, the center has always been a strong backbone in the event of an emergency, such as this recent fire. Many of the school’s physical education classes and music, art, and dance classes are now being held at the community center.

Though insurance will help with a majority of costs related to the fire, the community center is going above and beyond to help raise money to rebuild the building. Local residents are endlessly grateful for the profound impact the community center has had on the lives of many throughout the years.