August 18, 2005


25 years of therapy

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

Mention her name and you’ll open up a seemingly endless dialogue of fond memories or life-altering experiences that place Rocki Kramer at the top of a 25-year commitment to her community. All the more reason to throw a party.

Rocki Kramer

On Sunday, Sept. 18, the Almaden Country Club will come alive when the community is invited to a party to celebrate an anniversary, a reunion and Rocki’s unfaltering vision in what is sure to be a bittersweet good bye, when she passes the title to the next generation of AVCS leaders.

Hers are going to be big shoes to fill, maybe too big, but she’s comfortable with the house she’s helped build. She’s also confident in the foundation that has taken the Almaden Valley Counseling Service from a rented desk in the basement of Joint Venture Church and a $6,689 annual budget to a reputable counseling service with a staff of 25 interns, 10 supervisors, eight licensed therapists and a budget of $316, 540. Last year, AVCS provided over 7,500 hours of counseling for 876 patients.

“Their success over the past 25 years is due in great part to Rocki,” says Pat Dando, a founding member and former city councilmember. “Her fingerprints are all over the programs and the counselors who have provided services not just for Almaden Valley but the greater San Jose community. My children were not in high school at the time, but I thought if we wanted to make changes, we should start early so that when my children made it to their high school years; we might have a service that would take the place of what we had before Prop 13. One of the real services she has provided is to go into the schools and address a number of issues that affect their lives.”

Thinking back, Rocki says the impetus was fueled by two attempted and then two successful teen suicides. Rocki and several Almaden residents got together to discuss concerns that were plaguing the community and to look into possible solutions to the growing dilemma.

The Board of Directors celebrated their 20th Anniversary in 2000. Shown from L-R; Front row: Sandi Byran, Rocki Kramer, Marjorie Rasmussen, and Sal Orlando. Back row: Ed Freed, John Redding, BettySteinhoff, Verdis Crockett, Yvette Nielarz, Jim Lucarotti, and Matt Giampaoli.

“I got involved through the Women’s Club, but was home raising my children,” she explains. “I worked as a volunteer counselor for several years before they asked me to serve on the board.

She took the job as executive director in 1989 and hasn’t looked back since.

“We are now in the middle of our busiest year ever,” she says.

In 1984, the Auxiliary was formed as a primary fundraising arm, spearheading now popular events such as the annual Snow Ball, the Almaden Times Classic Walk/Run, the Home Tour and Santa’s Breakfast.

Although fees for services make up the lion’s share of the operating budget today, the events are popular and well attended. It’s a respectable 15 percent with the focus more on the community than raising money, because a stronger community is a healthier community. That support is the one constant that keeps AVCS on top of their game.

That’s what’s made our agen-cy unique in developing a sliding fee,” Rocki said. “It takes the average intern three to four years to get the 3,000 hours they need in order to qualify for their license. We’re providing that opportunity for them. They are fresh and have the benefit of having a supervisor. Everybody wins.”

The start of the 2003 Almaden Times Classic Run/walk was one of many over the years that helped offset counseling fees for the Almaden Valley Counseling Service, Photo by Kymberli Brady.

Dando says the agency has grown in large part because of Rocki’s inherent ability to see the needs of the community change and tailor its services to remain flexible with what was then becoming an aging Almaden population. Many residents were also moving their parents back home with them, prompting AVCS in 1999 to take youth out of the name in order to accommodate the new population emerging within the valley.

First a patient and then a board member, Elise Wolf credits Rocki with being able to get her on the right path on several occasions. Over time, she became more involved and eventually served on the board.

“It was wonderful working with Rocki,” Wolf says. “She always responds in a timely matter and with such warmth. She’s devoted and has great passion for what she does in trying to give people the tools to help people live a better quality life; I think that she is leaving the agency very stable. They’re a hard-working board, and she has promoted that stability.”

Rocki in 1994, raising awareness and funds for AVCS. She still hasn’t stopped.

A must attend event
One more night at least, will belong to Rocki Kramer. And she wants to spend it doing much the same as she’s always done—raising money. It will be her final hurrah and she hopes people will pay to be a part of it. It’s just one part of a job that she says has filled her with memories and great people.

“I love this job because I was always able to balance it with raising my children,” she said. “It’s been a fabulous job, but it’s gotten too big now, and someone else deserves the chance to build on it. I’m leaving on a high note—my 25th anniversary is the perfect time to do it.”

“The AVCS is something this community should be very proud of,” adds Dando. “This started as a group of good people who go to the government for help. They rolled up their sleeves and got involved. Now they have become an important part of our community. And I dare say there are many young adults in our community today who are productive and healthy citizens because of Rocki’s work with them when they were in seventh or eighth grade.”

“I feel the agency is strong enough to pass through this transition time from one executive director to another,” adds Wolf. “But it won’t be another Rocki. There’s only one Rocki.”