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Published Sunday, November 23,
2003, in the San Jose Mercury News
20
years
of making dreams come true
dear reader,
This year, we're celebrating an important milestone: the 20th anniversary
of the Holiday Wish Book.
Since 1983, readers like you have been learning about community
needs through the pages of this section. And since 1983, more than
$4.3 million has been donated through this program -- to make dreams,
large and small, come true. It's one of the most meaningful projects
we do each year.
Here on this Web site, you'll meet some amazing people who are
struggling to make it in our troubled economy. We hope that their
stories, filled with determination, will move you to want to help
make a difference.
Over the years, readers of the Holiday Wish Book have donated
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
Holiday Wish Book has been pretty painless for a lot of readers.
Now that we're in a prolonged downturn, we're asking you to dig
a little deeper. Our community's needs are more pressing than ever,
and in these pages 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 taken hold in Bay Area
neighborhoods, schools and workplaces.
During last year's Holiday Wish Book campaign, readers like you
sent in $326,063. Every penny was used to help our community. Funds
are not used for promotion or administrative costs.
This year, 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.
Here's how 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 Christmas
Day, we'll post stories and photos here letting you know the outcome
of the wishes.
On Christmas Day, we'll publish stories and photos letting you
know the outcome of the wishes.
Please spend some time with the 2003 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,
Publisher
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Happy
grandparents give from the heart 
