Dear Reader:
I'm pleased to welcome you to the online version of the Mercury News Holiday Wish Book,
one of our most meaningful projects each year. Here, you'll meet dozens of our proud neighbors
who hope that you can make some of their dreams, large and small, come true this season.
Their stories, filled with determination, will give you a broader picture of local needs. We also hope they move you to want to help make a difference.
Over the years, readers
of the Wish Book have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide
warm jackets, hot meals,
enriching books, job training and other tangible
items to people in our community who needed a little
assistance. Readers also
have delivered on that more
intangible gift: hope.
In years when the local economy has
flourished, giving to the Wish Book has
been pretty painless for a lot of readers. Now that we're in a downturn,
we're asking you to dig a little deeper. Our community's needs are more pressing than ever,
and on this site you'll find many ways to make a one-on-one connection and grant someone's
special wish.
In the season when thoughts naturally turn to giving, spending time with
the Holiday Wish Book has become a
tradition for many families. Happily,
that tradition also has been taking hold
in Bay Area neighborhoods, schools
and workplaces.
During last year's Holiday Wish
Book campaign, readers like you sent
in $387,591. Every penny was used to
help our community. Funds are not
used for promotion or administrative
costs. We asked more than 550 social
service agencies throughout our area
to tell us not only their needs but also
those of the people they serve. From
that information, we selected 30 stories and sent our staff to document
them.
There are three ways you can help fulfill a wish:
Online: When you read the Wish Book stories, links to donate are included, so that you can earmark your donations through our secure server.
By phone: Call (408) 920-5282.
By mail: Click here to download* a Holiday Book donation form. Simply fill it out, attach your check or credit card information and mail it
to the Mercury News, c/o Wish Book Fund, 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190
* To view and print this form, you will need Acrobat Reader.
Free Acrobat downloads at www.adobe.com/acrobat.
Contributions of any size are welcome and are tax-deductible. One way to dramatically boost the reach of your gift is to use your company's matching-donation program, if it has one. Your human resources department should be able to help with forms.
If more money comes in than is needed to grant a specific wish, we'll use the extra funds to pay for other wishes in the book. Any money left over will be used to provide underprivileged youngsters the chance to attend camp. Over the years, your contributions have provided thousands of kids with such life-changing experiences.
Watch the pages of the Mercury News for regular updates on the progress of the Wish Book
campaign, along with lists of contributors. (If you don't want your name printed, please tell
us by sending e-mail to wishbook@sjmercury.com)
On Christmas Day, we'll publish stories and photos letting you know the outcome of the wishes.
Please spend some time with the 2002 Holiday Wish Book. The people you meet here will inspire you in ways you never imagined. And you, in turn, can touch their lives in ways they never dared hope.
-- Joe Natoli
St. Joseph students help fulfill wishes < 12.15.2002
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