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WG schools receive first check from foundation
Group is planning more fundraisers for Media Center
By Kate Carter
The Willow Glen Middle and High School Foundation on Nov. 29, presented the two schools with their first donation of about $4,000.
The foundation, which was officially formed in June, is a group of parents and neighbors, teachers and district staff working to raise money to address specific needs of Willow Glen's only middle school and high school.
The schools are adjacent to each other on Cottle Avenue and share a Media Center that functions as their joint library.
Karen Clinton, chair of the foundation's allocations committee, said the group's first goal is to improve the Media Center.
"It's our first milestone, to be able to turn money over to the schools," Clinton said.
Some of the planned improvements have already begun.
Clinton said last week's check will help pay for two new Apple iMac computers that are already up and running as library browser stations in the center. It will also cover the cost of an AirPort wireless network that connects the computers to one another and to the Internet.
Clinton said the wireless network will help the library remain functional during the center's upcoming remodel, which is scheduled to last from January through March. Clinton said she is trying to talk the district into waiting until April to begin the construction, because even with the new wireless network the library's operations will be limited during the work.
The foundation's first donation will also help pay for the new extended library hours on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2:05 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., she said.
The group's goal for the Media Center is to add a total of 10 new iMac stations, a library assistant to keep the center open after school everyday, and English-speaking and bilingual tutors to help students with their homework, Clinton said.
The foundation has already raised about $8,000, Clinton said. The money has come in part from $50 membership donations gathered at Founder's Day and school events. Individuals from Willow Glen Realtor companies have donated at minimum $250 business membership fees. Foundation board members are also required to donate $500 each.
The group is retaining about half of their current funds in order to pay for upcoming events designed to generate more donations, Clinton said. The first of several mailings from the foundation will go out in December, to about 10,000 addresses in the 95125 ZIP code area, she said.
She also said the foundation is planning a major phone-a-thon fundraiser in February, to try to raise $35,000. The event will target about 10,000 numbers in the 95125 ZIP code.
The group anticipates that the cost of their proposed library improvements will be about $20,000, so any money they are able to raise over that amount will go toward future school improvements.
Clinton said the allocations committee is working with the school administrators to identify other areas of need the foundation could address.
"There are still lots of things we'd like to do to improve the schools," she said.
The group is also investigating opportunities for grants and donations from Silicon Valley companies and school alumni.
To donate to the Willow Glen Middle and High School Foundation, contact foundation treasurer Peter Cocotas at 408.275.0161, or peterc@phfspec.com, or send donations to P.O. Box 8096, San Jose, CA 95155. Checks should be made payable to San Jose Unified Educational Foundation.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
