After raising more than $8 million from its member companies and CEOs for medical supplies and protective equipment, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group has a new mission to procure 300,000 hospital gowns for the Valley Medical Center Foundation by the end of May.
CEO Carl Guardino says the Leadership Group has launched a campaign to raise $2.1 million, the amount it would take to purchase the gowns at $7 each. And we’re not talking about the peek-a-boo gowns patients wear, but the one-time protective smocks used by doctors and nurses. “We don’t want to have frontline medical professionals without the protection they need,” he said.
The Leadership Group’s network has proven successful in providing valuable resources, including an anonymous donation from a Silicon Valley company and 1 million face shields provided by its CEO. So after receiving the request from the VMC Foundation, Guardino worked the phones and raised $100,000 in a couple of days. But he quickly realized that to reach such a big goal in a short amount of time would require casting a wider net — but he’s confident Bay Area residents will rise to the challenge and donate at www.svlg.org.
“If someone has $7, they just secured a hospital gown. We have folks who can do five gowns for $35 or 5,000 for $35,000,” Guardino said. “It’s the type of outreach where everyone can make a difference.”
VIRTUAL POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE: Community colleges in Silicon Valley have a reputation for being nimble and tech-focused, so it’s no wonder three have figured out virtual commencements for this year’s grads.
Using the virtual commencement services MarchingOrder and StageClip, San Jose City College and Evergreen College scheduled online events on Thursday and Friday nights, respectively. Of course, it’s not the same as a cap-and-gown procession, but it’s not a bad alternative.
At Evergreen College, about 250 students — about half the number who attend an in-person commencement — signed up to take part in Friday’s 6 p.m. commencement at www.evc.edu. They each uploaded a slide, with a photo and quote, and some included a video. They’ll also hear speeches from Desiree Victor, a 2010 Evergreen alum who now works with formerly incarcerated women at the Young Women’s Freedom Center, as well as Chancellor Byron Breland and Acting Evergreen College President Denise Noldon.
Also using StageClip, Mission College in Santa Clara is taking its 43rd commencement ceremony online Friday night, with links from its website, missioncollege.edu, and live streams on Facebook and YouTube. That ceremony will include recorded speeches from Chancellor Brad Davis, President Daniel Peck, valedictorian Alayna Peters and keynote speaker Damian Trujillo of NBC Bay Area.
HOWLING THE NIGHT AWAY: If you live in San Jose’s College Park neighborhood, you might be wondering about the howling at 8 p.m. on Saturday nights. Don’t worry, it’s not coyotes, just the neighbors.
After hearing that people in Denver were howling at the moon to relieve stress, Pershing Avenue resident Sam Dougherty started doing this with some of his neighbors. It’s been going on for about a month and has spread to nearby Harding and Schiele avenues. “We howl for all those stricken with the COVID-19 virus followed by a big round of applause for all the care givers,” Dougherty said in a note to San Jose City Councilwoman Dev Davis.
Other neighborhoods are getting their stress out with afternoon dance parties, singalongs and bagpipe playing, and Pete Conrad, one of our neighbors in Naglee Park, started a nightly tradition of applause for healthcare workers at 8 p.m. Any other traditions out there? Let me know.