Give A Little, Help a Lot

Do you enjoy music in a shady pavilion on balmy summer Sundays? Or beautiful artwork at public facilities for your viewing pleasure? Are you interested in Santa Clara’s colorful agricultural past? Does a clean, litter-free and graffiti-free City make you proud of your community? Would you like to help local championship teams represent Santa Clara at national competitions? Can you lend a hand to residents in need of help with paying their utility bills?

Approved by the City Council in 1990, the Give A Little…Help A Lot donation campaign provides a convenient method to support the above activities, which are specific non-profit programs in the City. The following community services are supported through this program:

• Art in Public Places – a program to coordinate and augment the placement of art in the City of Santa Clara, and to promote its accessibility to the public
• Concerts in the Park – a free summer concert series in Central Park Pavilion, featuring a variety of performances for public enjoyment
• Harris-Lass Historic Preserve – a living history museum representative of the area’s agricultural past
• Keep Santa Clara Clean – an anti-litter, anti-graffiti program promoting a clean and healthy City environment
• Mission City Community Fund – a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the City of Santa Clara
• Championship Team Trust Fund – funding assistance for championship teams/individuals and sports affiliated groups to travel to state, national and international competition, representing the City of Santa Clara
• HELP your Neighbor – emergency assistance with utility bill payments for Santa Clara residents who may be experiencing financial hardship
• Foundation and Friends of the Santa Clara City Library – provides resources to expand and enhance the library’s programs and services. The Santa Clara City Library Foundation receives contributions and conducts fundraising efforts on behalf of the Santa Clara City Library.

The next time you are paying your utility bill by mail, you can enclose a donation in the amount of your choice, or just mail your donation check to: Give A Little…Help A Lot, City of Santa Clara, 1500 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara, CA 95050. The donation must be made by separate check from your utility bill payment check, but both checks can be sent in the same envelope. Checks should be made payable to the City of Santa Clara and indicate the listed projects that you want to benefit from your donation.

If you have questions about the Give A Little…Help A Lot program, call (408) 615-2210 . Join others and help make a difference in your community!

The community donations are being directed to many local individuals and groups. As an example, donations of more than $587 were provided to Mission City Community Fund through the Give A Little…Help A Lot donation campaign. In the past, MCCF provided funding to such groups as Santa Clara PAL for youth scholarships, Soroptimists of Santa Clara for their Christmas Store benefiting those in need, the South Bay Historical Railroad Society for the Santa Clara Depot restoration, Westwood School PTA for their volunteer-run literacy project, the de Saisset Museum for interpretive materials, and Project Hired which provides employment for disabled adults.

"We are always grateful for the support," said Bob Byrd, President of the Board of Directors for the Historic Preservation Society of Santa Clara, Harris-Lass Historic Preserve non-profit operators, another beneficiary of the program. “The donated funds were used to help pay for printing costs for additional copies of the museum tour brochure distributed at the Harris-Lass Historic Preserve."

The Foundation and Friends of the Santa Clara City Library also expressed their gratitude for the a gift of $357 received from the campaign. They utilized the funds to pay for part of the subscription for the “Brainfuse Online Homework Help” program.

Consider donating to your community through the Give A Little…Help A Lot program. For more information, call (408) 615-2210 .