The Cupertino Courier Letters It's two years until the millennium Jon Hoornstra's article in the Dec. 30 Courier is based on an error. The last day of the 20th century and the millennium is Dec. 31 2000. Thus, there are two, repeat, two years until the millennium and the 20th century ends. Peter Jennings got so many email messages when ABC made this mistake that they corrected themselves on the nightly news. You see, the Julian calendar we use has no years "zero." So all new centuries start Jan. 1 of year one. For instance: Jan. 1, 2001. Steve Olson Cupertino CCS offers a big thanks for support during holidays There are a lot of beautiful sights in Cupertino during the December holidays: the window decorations, the holiday lights, and the excitement on the faces of children. What most people don't have the chance to see is the compassion, generosity and love that comes from the more fortunate members of our community and go out to our less fortunate neighbors. Because Cupertino Community Services plays a major role in this exchange, I get a chance to see many of those who open their hearts (and their purse strings) to help those in need. It is a truly awesome experience. This year, our Adopt-A-Family sponsors purchased more than $48,000 in gifts for our neighbors in need. And that's not as simple as writing a check. It means buying just the right Barbie doll or a jacket that's the right size and color. $48,000 in gifts--in less than one month! And then there are the hundreds of volunteers who stood out in front of Target and "rang the bell" for CCS at the Salvation Army kettle. (CCS represents the Salvation Army in Cupertino and Saratoga.) The gift certificates from the schools and PTAs came pouring in. The churches took up special collections for CCS. The service clubs collected toys and food donations. Many individuals stopped by with very generous cash donations. And, of course, The Courier has helped by highlighting the work of our agency and our volunteers. It does take a village to ensure that we all have our basic needs met. And what a village we have in Cupertino! We can all be proud to live in such an enlightened, compassionate community. I can't personally thank all of the many volunteers and donors individually, but please know that your loving kindness makes a tremendous difference. You really are awesome! Mary Ellen Chell Executive Director Cupertino Community Services [ Back to Contents Page | Cupertino Courier Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Cupertino Courier, January 6, 1999. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.