Saratoga News

COMMUNITY DAY SPARKS VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers from 15 cities throughout the valley assisted more than 100 agencies and organizations

By Tim Persyn

Although in the past Silicon Valley may have developed a bad reputation for volunteerism, don't tell that to the Saratogans who volunteered their time on Charitech's "An Extraordinary Day of Community" April 20.

The day brought volunteers from 15 cities throughout the valley to assist more than 100 agencies and organizations with activities such as cleaning up graffiti, tutoring youths, renovating nonprofit agencies and refurbishing playgrounds.

Saratoga residents who participated ranged from Brian Chen and Jason Min, both Saratoga High School students, to John Turner, a sales representative.

"I got involved out of a sense of wanting to participate in the community," said Turner, whose wife Suzi also registered to volunteer. "I travel and I'm not around a lot. This is a chance to do something productive."

Turner spent his volunteer time cleaning up Saratoga Creek. "It went fine. We cleaned up the creek and had coffee and bagels," he said.

This was the first year of the volunteer day for CHARITech, which was founded in 1992 by Applied Materials, Inc. In its first four years, CHARITech sponsored a showcase of community involvement, which last year attracted 160 nonprofits and more than 2,000 people.

CHARITech hopes the community day will promote the volunteer ethic in Silicon Valley, which has not been known for its volunteerism.

Tom Hayes, the Applied Materials, Inc. executive who founded CHARITech, has been quoted as saying that among the 50 largest metropolitan areas, the valley ranks fifth in wealth but 39th in charitable giving.

Registrants for the day were matched with projects in their chosen fields. For instance, Min, the student, signed up to volunteer with his school's Homeless Club. After the club told CHARITech that it wanted to do something involving homeless issues, it was hooked up with Act Up for Mental Health of San Jose, which helps people get back on their feet.

Club members spent their day painting. "Volunteering is fun, besides the fact you are actually helping people," said Min.

Saratogan Charles Snygg, an aerospace engineer at Lockheed-Martin, participated in the day to help to rejuvenate the volunteer ethic. "There's a lot of need in our society for volunteerism. This gives a chance to do something to help out," he said.