Los Gatos Morning Rotary Awards $41K to Town Projects

The Los Gatos Morning Rotary Club has announced it's given $41,500 to the Los Gatos art community, local educational programs and many other worthy causes.

extended club members personal thanks and also expressed gratitude to the entire community for its support.

“Without the help of our neighbors, LGMR fundraiser events could not produce such positive results. Our mission to help sustain the arts is vital to the development of our youth and to the culture of our town,” said Darwin in a prepared statement.

The club has two annual signature fundraisers. Los Gatos Plein Air is a juried competition that brings nationally recognized Plein Air artists to town andwhich is noted as the biggest block party in Los Gatos. The event serves 3,000 crustaceans to satisfy this “all-you-can-eat” attraction, according to organizers.

At a recent club meeting, Plein Air co-chairs Carol Waitte and Pam Murphy awarded checks to worthy charity organizations that support art programs for the youth in and around Los Gatos.

Kelly Sicat represented the Montalvo Arts Education Programs, which received $8,000; Jonathan Knowles with Los Gatos Music and Arts, received $5,000; Jackie Cannizzaro, with the Art Docents of Los Gatos, received $2,000; and John Agg of the Art Museums of Los Gatos, received $1,500.

Claws for a Cause fundraiser recipients Los Gatos High School Boosters Band received $5,500, Los Gatos Seascouts received $3,500, Boy Scout Troop 501 received $1,500, Los Gatos Flight 93 (Todd Beamer and Mark Bingham), Heroes Scholarship Fund received $8,000 and LGMR Charitable Foundation received $6,500.

“There’s a personal benefit that comes to Rotarians who give hundreds of volunteer hours," said Diana Pleasant, chair of the Claws for a Cause event. “It’s in knowing they are and they can enhance the lives of others. That is truly a very special gift.”

The 2012 LG Plein Air event takes place June 16, 2012. Beneficiaries will again include Montalvo Arts Education Programs; Los Gatos Music and Arts; Art Museums of Los Gatos and the Los Gatos Morning Rotary Charitable Foundation.

Throughout the holidays LGMR club members will spread the holiday cheer by providing gifts for the Families for Families programs, prepare home-cooked holiday dinner for seniors and Christmas Caroling for senior housing located in Los Gatos. The club’s annual float will again be part of the Los Gatos Children's Christmas and Holidays Parade which will take place Dec. 3.

The LGMR, chartered in 2003, meets every Wednesday morning at 7:15 a.m. at the Los Gatos Lodge.