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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Helping Hand: Vanessa Callirgos, 10, says she and her mom, Sharon, have a "special bond."
The Kindness of Strangers
The Adopt-a-Family program brings holiday cheer to needy families
By Sarah Gaffney
In the school of hard knocks, Sharon Callirgos is on the five-year plan. The 43-year-old single mother and Willow Glen resident has endured her fair share of hardships recently: an abusive marriage that ended in divorce last year; the death of her mother in May; the theft of 25 year's worth of personal belongings in June; and loss of employment in July.
Then, a few weeks ago, just when she thought life couldn't get any worse, Callirgos slipped and fell in the bathtub, dislocating her arm and breaking her shoulder in three places. It was the same day her mother would have celebrated her 61st birthday. A week later, Callirgos, who doesn't have health insurance, underwent five-and-a half-hours of surgery at Valley Medical Center to repair her shoulder.
"I think yesterday I was at my lowest," an exhausted Callirgos says. "I couldn't take any more, and I called Calvary Christian on Hillsdale. ... I said 'I need prayer. Wrap me up and pray for me right now for strength, so I can stay focused and positive.' ... It's been a rough life for us."
Callirgos and her 10-year-old daughter, Vanessa, live near the young girl's elementary school, Schallenberger, where Sharon went in a state of despair one day to ask if her daughter qualified for free lunches. Her plea didn't go unnoticed by school officials, who were in the midst of nominating needy families for the Adopt-A-Family program, which this year celebrates 11 years of bringing holiday cheer to families in need.
Willow Glen resident Greg Yoder serves as 1999 chairman of the Adopt-A-Family program, which is run under the auspices of the Silicon Valley Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He and his family have adopted six families since the program's inception in 1988.
"Right now, the schools have identified 40 families, but here's the thing--the typical request? Tylenol," says Yoder, describing the wish list of items nominated families request from their adopters. "I mean, the things they need. Your heart breaks ... that's who I want to be giving to, not to my children who are just trying to upgrade their PlayStation. It's a very touching experience."
As chairman, Yoder's task is to solicit local businesses to participate in the program by either adopting a family, contributing gifts or donating money. To "adopt" a family, a person or company must provide holiday gifts and food to a family appointed by Yoder. The families are chosen by counselors at elementary schools within San Jose Unified School District.
The program began at Schallenberger Elementary, where many of the adopted families still originate. David Manske, a counselor at Schallenberger, makes up part of the team that selected Vanessa and her mother as adoptees for this year's program. Now in his fifth year of participating in Adopt-A-Family, Manske recalls the program's early days, when he'd help deliver gifts to adopted families.
"Some of the parents were kind of shy about their living conditions, but for the most part, the families were just really excited," Manske says. "They would know we were coming, and they would be waiting and have the house all clean. It's just been an extremely enjoyable situation from my perspective."
Yoder also has seen how difficult it sometimes is for families to accept the generosity of strangers. "It's not an easy thing being on the receiving end of this," Yoder says. "There's so much pride involved. It's delightful, but it's not easy."
Callirgos, who didn't find out the extent of the program's generosity until the interview for this article, describes how she had to break the news to her daughter that there would be no Christmas this year. "I said, 'You know, I don't think we're going to have a tree this year. We probably won't have Christmas,'" recalls the mother, whose voice cracks rememering the conversation. "'Oh, Mom,' she says, 'That's okay Mom. It's just you and me.'"
I interrupt her to ask if she understands what the Adopt-A-Family program will provide for her and her daughter. "I thought it was for some shoes and a sweatshirt for her for Christmas," a hesitant Callirgos replies.
No, I explain, it's more than shoes and a sweatshirt. Someone will bring Christmas to you this year. Someone will bring a bit of sparkle and light to you and Vanessa this holiday season. Someone will help you.
"Oh my God," Callirgos sobs, when I tell her Vanessa was one of the 40 students at Schallenberger chosen for the program. "She is so special. She deserves this. She's the sweetest little girl on earth."
For Yoder, stories like Callirgos's are what make Adopt-A-Family rewarding and why he continues to volunteer each year.
"There's always a lot of crying. It's overwhelming," says Yoder, whose 13-person insurance office will soon begin shopping for their adopted family. "They [the families] have never seen so many gifts, so many exciting things. It's literally like Santa Claus has shown up at their house."
For more information on how to adopt a family for the holidays, contact Greg Yoder at 408.885.8400 or email greg@rsia.com.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
