Los Gatos Weekly-Times

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SERVICE CLUBS TEAM UP FOR JOINT MEETING AT THE OPERA HOUSE

By Judy Peterson

For the first time in recent memory, a joint meeting of the town's major service clubs was held last week at the Opera House.

The unusual meeting of the town's two Rotary Clubs, along with members of the Kiwanis and Lions Clubs, came about because they all meet individually at the Los Gatos Lodge, but the lodge was taken over by Cisco Systems. So the locals all got the boot.

Turns out it was a pretty good thing. New town manager Greg Larson made his first public speaking appearance, and observers say he gave an interesting, fact-filled presentation.

Among the tidbits Larson offered up is the fact that Los Gatos generates about 153 tons of garbage daily; half of that consists of recycled materials. Larson, who lives in Santa Cruz, also noted that an estimated 10,000 people commute daily through Los Gatos, on their way over the hill to jobs in Silicon Valley.

Los Gatos Morning Rotary Club president Tim Lundell said there was a good turnout of about 85 members from the four clubs. "We've pledged to try to do it once or twice a year if we have a special program to put on," he said.

But he questioned if it would lead to collaborative projects among the clubs, saying, "We have a friendly rivalry. There's a certain amount of pride each club takes in its own projects. But we have the same objective, which is service to the town."

One of Morning Rotary's main projects is the Jazz on the Plazz summer concert series.

Kiwanis Club president Ernest Patterson noted this is not the first time the service clubs have gotten together. "We used to have joint meetings 35 or 40 years ago," he said.

But he, too, downplayed the idea of joint projects. "I don't see too much collaboration," he said. "They have theirs, which they run by themselves, and we have ours." The Kiwanis Club's main fundraiser is Fiesta de Artes, which raises anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000 annually. Most of the money raised goes to scholarships for Los Gatos and Saratoga High School students.

Another big town event is the annual Children's and Holidays Christmas Parade, which is jointly sponsored by the Lions Club and LGS Recreation. Lions treasurer John Lochner attended the Opera House meeting and said, "It was very interesting and a good get-together."

The president of the Rotary Club of Los Gatos, Dom Norcia, says his organization collaborates with other Rotary Clubs in the area, but says they are also friendly competitors trying to promote their pet projects.

For example, the Great Race, a 4-mile run from Saratoga to Los Gatos, is the exclusive domain of the Rotary Club of Los Gatos.

On the other hand, the Enterprise Leadership Conference is co-sponsored by the two Los Gatos Rotaries and the Cupertino Rotary Club.

ELC brings together about 100 high school students who learn the fundamentals of starting a business. "We're trying to do more and more joint efforts, but we each have things we have to do," Norcia said.

The Rotary Club of Los Gatos was started in 1924 and meets on Tuesdays at noon. Norcia says some members had trouble making the lunchtime meeting, so the Morning Rotary Club was started. He thinks having two Rotaries is of great benefit to the town.

That sentiment is echoed by Morning Rotary's Lundell. "Los Gatos is very, very fortunate to have this many service clubs. It's a testament to community spirit," he said.