Special to the Town Crier
Community foundations develop when they have a place, said Roy Lave, chairman of the Los Altos Community Foundation. The foundation is likely to build on its successes in 1999 because it now has a visible location.
Currently, the foundation is conducting a campaign to cover the costs to move, repair and refurbish the Community House, a 1920s-era house that is now ready to occupy.
The house, formerly owned by the De Martini family, was taken over by developers of the neighboring Parc Regent retirement community at San Antonio Road and Edith Avenue. Parc Regent developers gave the house to the city of Los Altos. The foundation purchased the house and moved it from its Parc Regent site to land it leased from the city at 183 Hillview Ave. The house opened for use in October.
The Community House has been established by the Los Altos Community Foundation as the home for Los Altos and Los Altos Hills philanthropic organizations. Agencies may use Community House as a mailing address for documents and records storage, and to exchange materials among its members, Lave said. A room is available to hold small meetings and conduct office work.
"We have invited local charitable and philanthropic organizations to look at what the house might offer, and I hope a number of organizations will use the Community House as their home base," Lave said.
The addition of the Community House was among two notable milestones for the foundation. The other was the announcement that foundation assets passed the $1 million mark.
As for staffing, it remains a goal and the subject of discussion, but Lave said the foundation does not yet have the money to hire people.
The foundation was formed in 1991 by residents wanting to enhance the community. More than 100 families have given $1,000 or more, making them founders.
"The foundation's mission is community building, a process that depends on voluntary donations of both time and money," Lave said. "Our goal is to build an endowment that enables us to directly fund community-building activities."
One of the successful programs the Community Foundation started is the Los Altos Mediation program. Both Los Altos and Los Altos Hills refer personal disputes to the program for resolution.
The foundation created the Leadership Education Advancement or LEAD program that recruits and trains potential leaders. Through volunteers, the foundation conducts its efforts in a community computer program.
The public is invited to foundation board meetings, held the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 a.m. in Room A of the Hillview Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave.
Those who wish to support the Community Foundation are asked to send donations to the Los Altos Community Foundation, 183 Hillview Ave., Los Altos, 94022.
Those who donate $10,000 or more can have rooms named in memory of a particular individual or family.
All donors over $1,000 will be noted on a special board in the reception room.
For more information, call 949-5908.