A San Jose bride-to-be who canceled her wedding just three weeks before the big event turned her disappointment into generosity by donating a $15,000 reception last Saturday to the nonprofit Parents Helping Parents — an act that generated headlines around the world.
When the woman — whom I’m not naming to protect her privacy — discovered her fiancé had done some unsavory stuff behind her back, she made the tough call to cancel her wedding which was supposed to take place Dec. 5. Unfortunately, that was too late to get back her deposits so she reached out to Parents Helping Parents, a San Jose nonprofit that works with families who have special needs. The agency ended up getting a party at Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Gilroy with dinner, a DJ and fireworks that they enjoyed with about 100 clients, family members and staff.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, left, poses with Paige Kowalski at a party held for Parents Helping Parents at Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Gilroy on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. (Photo courtesy Parents Helping Parents)
“We can’t thank the bride, her family, and Wedgewood Weddings enough for making this uplifting event happen,” said Parents Helping Parents Executive Director Maria Daane. “It was incredibly moving to see such care taken to brighten the day for these remarkable attendees.”
Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who has known the bride’s family for nearly 40 years, attended the party and said she wasn’t surprised by the generous donation. “The bride’s family and thousands of other families have literally been saved by the extensive services that Parents Helping Parents offers,” she said.
NBC Bay Area’s Garvin Thomas was there, too, and reported it as part of his “Bay Area Proud” segment. And that’s when things really took off. Over the past few days, his story has been picked up by radio stations and news outlets across the country, including People magazine, and even made headlines on websites in Canada and the United Kingdom. And now I suppose you can add me to the list of those spreading the word.
TRIBUTE TO A TEACHER: There were a lot of heartfelt memories shared Thursday as family, friends and colleagues gathered for a memorial Mass at the Santa Clara Mission Church for Mario Belotti, an iconic economics professor at Santa Clara University who died Nov. 17 at age 97.
Belotti started teaching at SCU in 1959 and didn’t retire until 2019 when he was in his 90s, delivering annual economic forecasts that were standing-room-only affairs. In her eulogy, daughter Claudia Pruett held up one of the yellow legal pads on which he wrote his last forecast, though she pointed out her father never used notes to deliver his lectures or speeches. A native Italian who emigrated to the United States in 1951, Belotti had a strong interest in gardening and for many years worked as an economic development consultant to developing countries during the summer.
“My dad appreciated every human connection that blossomed from any encounter, whether it was students, colleagues, secretaries, family, friends and caregivers,” Pruett said. “He understood the value of nurturing and tending to nascent shoots and young minds.”
SEASON OF GIVING: The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, a nonprofit set to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, is getting a $3.4 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, making it the largest single gift in the organization’s history. The contribution is among more than $2 billion that Scott — the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — has donated to charities this year and more than $16 billion since she signed the Giving Pledge in 2019.
“The gift is a testament to the Law Foundation’s nearly 100 attorneys, advocates, social workers, and coordinating staff working hard to advance justice and equity in our community,” Law Foundation CEO Alison Brunner said. “And it honors our clients and their families who trust us to serve and advocate alongside them.”
And while there were many nonprofit success stories for Giving Tuesday on Nov. 28, it would be tough to beat Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley, which received $1.4 million from ASML — a supplier to the semiconductor industry — to support its programs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), as well as summer programs and others tailored for teenagers. It is also the single biggest donation in the Boys & Girls Club Silicon Valley’s 79-year history.
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“With this transformative support, we can empower and inspire a new generation of innovators, leaders, and dreamers,” said Steve Wymer, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley. “This partnership exemplifies the power of collaboration and the profound impact we can create when the community and Silicon Valley tech industry unite for a common purpose.”
HOLIDAY PARTY SURVEYS: I joined in the good cheer Tuesday at Heritage Bank of Commerce’s holiday party for its nonprofit clients at its headquarters on Airport Parkway in San Jose and surveyed the partygoers, including Heritage CEO Clay Jones. The favorite movie at this party was the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy “Elf” — maybe not surprising for a nonprofit crowd — and the favorite song was a tie between “Sleigh Ride” and “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues, no doubt inspired by the recent death of singer Shane MacGowan.
The crowd at Republic Urban Properties’ holiday party, held Thursday at Copita in Willow Glen, was definitely in a festive mood with Republic President Michael Van Every leading the way. The top choice for holiday movie kept changing hands until “Elf” finally beat out “Die Hard.” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” was a runaway winner for top song, though this party also included a couple of interesting nominations: “Father Christmas” by the Kinks and “Merry Christmas Strait to You” by George Strait.
