From the desk of
Holly Hayes
Wish Book
Coordinator

Wish Book Home

Updates with partial lists of donors:

A very special shopping spree | 02.06.05

Wish Book funds still being accepted | 01.30.05

Gifts lead to happy endings for many | 01.23.05

S.J. students put best foot forward | 01.16.05

Wish Book elf's moving story | 01.08.05

Pals honor late woman with fundraising effort | 01.01.05

Kids rally to raise funds for others | 12.25.04

Dream holiday for Cruz-Mendez family | 12.25.04

Young athletes get new uniforms | 12.18.04

Students master the lesson of giving | 12.11.04

Three brothers respond to Wish Book | 12.04.04


How to fulfill a wish:

Each Wish Book story includes links to donate, so that you can earmark your donations through our secure server.

Donate to the Wish Book Fund.

Print out this form to send your donation by mail.


Questions?

Contact us at wishbook@ mercurynews.com

Email this Wish Book story to a friend

About Wish Book

Staff credits

Published Saturday, December 18, 2004, in the San Jose Mercury News

``Thanks to the Wish Book Fund for making our community a place where people take care of people.''

That's what two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion Brandi Chastain wrote in a note that accompanied a generous donation to the 2004 Wish Book.

Chastain, of San Jose, and her husband, Santa Clara University soccer coach Jerry Smith, were moved to give by a Wish Book story about the young athletes at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley's Levin Clubhouse. Their inventory of sports uniforms -- purchased five years ago with Wish Book donations and worn by thousands of kids over that time -- had dwindled to about a dozen jerseys and one pair of shorts.

Thanks to the donation from Chastain and Smith -- and hundreds of other readers -- the new uniforms have been ordered.

``I look forward to seeing the kids run around in their new uniforms,'' wrote Chastain. ``And who knows? Maybe this will spur on many of the kids in the future to give of themselves to their community to help others.''

For 22 years, Mercury News readers have helped neighbors through the Wish Book.

Readers are invited to earmark their gifts to particular stories or causes, or make general contributions. Donations of any size continue to be welcome and are tax-deductible.

If more money comes in than is needed for a specific wish, we'll use the extra funds to pay for other wishes in the series. Any money left over will provide camp and class scholarships to families who can't afford these experiences for their children.

Many readers dedicate their donations in honor or memory of loved ones. Others give anonymously. Following is a partial list of donors:

Elena Alvarez; Pat Alves, in honor of Joseph Alves; the Anderson family; the Anderson family; Stan Bartelmie; Margaret Bazzano; Tabitha Benner; Larry Beshears; Ernie Bollinger; Beverly Borgman; Robert Boyd; Jane Bradley; Virginia Bradt; Pat and Jutta Brassill, in honor of Sue and Harmon Burns, Ericka Diehl, Taylor Holding and Tommy Diehl; Alice M. Brown; David Bundsen; Karen Burley, in honor of Charlotte Ziemann;

Susan Cambron; P.M. Camenzind; Jeff Chen; Joan and Jim Comparoni; Ashley Costantino; Catherine Crothers; Nancy Dahlin; Alan Daily; Helen Daniels; Judy Darretta, in honor of Paul Darretta; Jeanne Deemer; Candy Duchesne, in honor of Carlene and Carlson; Rita Duggan; Robert H. Ellis; Tom and Kathy Ereno; Scott and Ingrid Essary, in honor of Derek and Evan; Judy Etherington;

Janet and Mark Farabaugh; Cheryl Fernandez; John Fioretta; Harriet Frankel; Carina Frazer, in memory of Regina Drossel; Myles Fukuda, in honor of Niki Nakada; John K. Garland; Mr. and Mrs. Victor Gentes; Jean Gilmore; Joanne Glovin, in honor of Alex, Sarah and Lindsey; A. Goldfisher, in honor of Richard M. Elliott; Carolina Gomez, in memory of Jose and Jessie Gomez; Bob and Carol Graviano, in honor of Coach Dick Davey;

Becky Hainz-Baxter; Scotty Q. Harris; Martin W. Hays; Ron and Lynn Himes; Charles H. Houston, in honor of Bill Houston; Pierre and Millie How, in honor of Jeff Wilmar; Etty Huynen; K. Jalalpour; C.A. Jensen; Nancy Jensen, in honor of Dan Daggett; Jerry's Foam Company, in honor of Jerry Haug Jr.; Pamela D. Jones-Bray; Carolyn Kameya; Margaret and Tim Kelly; Sonja Kiepert; Ed and Ellie Kiss; Maria and Mark Klein; Donna Kollar; Lois L. Kong, in honor of William G. Peter; Sam Kooshe;

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Lawrence; Elaine Lepiane, in memory of Dr. Mark Lepiane; Denise Lochtefeld, in honor of Kevin Lochtefeld; Shirley A. Long; Donald and Kathryn Lowe; the Scott Makie family; Margaret Maletis; Alan Mena; Gary and Stephanie Mesdjian; Donna Miguelgorry; Larry and Micki Mistretta; Allan and Joann Moluf; Virgil and Dayle Moore; Melvin Morale; Bob and Donna Morrison; the Mulenburg family; Tim Mullins, in honor of Frank Giordana;

Hang and Teresa Ngo; Tom and Snow Nguyen; Sandy Paller; Al Pastor; Paul Picanco; the Popolizio family; Camille Pronger, in honor of Norman Pronger; Don Quigley; RDS Construction Inc.; Christine Richardson; Juliana Richmond; Tom and Amy Rizzi; Mimi Rudd; Stephan Ruiz, in honor of the Ruiz family; Brad and Janice Santos; Julie and Alan Schaer, in honor of Robert Cameron; Violet L. Sharpe; Delfina and Henry Shoane; Hon Sit; Charleyne Sorensen; Janet Stimson; Mary Jo Sutton;

The Taylors; Jack and Mary Taylor; Jim Tellefson, in honor of Sid and Margaret Tellefson; Nancy Thomas; Bruce and B.J. Tichinin; Mr. and Mrs. Louis M. Tolbert, in honor of the Tolbert family; Elodia Torres; Warren Volk, in honor of Cam and Matt Ott; Cecelia H. Volpe; Carl and Gloria Walker; Jacob Wang, in honor of Paul Kramer; Pingyufen Wang; Mike and Trish Warfield; Helen Warner; Mrs. Webb; Margie Wehner, in honor of Jeff Wehner; Linda, Melanie and Aaron Weinstein; Harriet A. Weiss, in honor of her grandson; Dieter Weller; Anne Williams; the Williamson family, in honor of Madge Huldrum; Mary Wolf; Steven and Donna Yung; Judy Zahn; Bill Zisko.

• And a round of applause for Laura Meth and her neighbors on these streets in the Cambrian district of San Jose: Calle de Aida, Calle de Arroyo, Calle de Farrar, Calle de Stuarda and Corte de Boleyn:

Paul & Kathy Berger; Marilyn Doyle; Dave and Suzie Fowkes; Carl and Irene Guenther; Tim and Cindy Hadley; Steve and Meredith Hawkins; Minh Ho; Betty and Toddy Inoue; Elizabeth and Mike Kodres; Nick Kokologiannakis; Bob Linderman; Dave and Suzi Logan; Josh and Laura Meth; Paul and Sea Mori; Lupe Morin; Andy and Pat Mortensen; Freida Murphy; Lee and Diana Raynor; Matt Repanich and Becky Williamson; John and Diane Salamida; Ric and Crystal Slayton; Tom and Sue Stretch; David Tsukimura; Joanna Woodrow.

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 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.

QUESTIONS ABOUT WISH BOOK?
Contact Holly Hayes, Wish Book coordinator at (408) 920-5374 or email wishbook@mercurynews.com.