December 11, 2008

Elegant and Fun

An annual celebration 7-year olds Addison Shepherd and Owen Cousins pose with Nutcracker dancers. For more information on Valle Monte, visit: http://www.vallemonte.org.

Valle Monte brings holiday spirit to area children

By Shana McLean Moore
Staff Writer

The volunteers of Valle Monte could pen a new version of a Perry Como classic, for they have proven once again that if you want to be happy in a million ways, there’s no place like their “Christmas Tree Elegance” celebration for the holidays.

Held this year at San Jose’s Doubletree hotel, the festivities kicked off Dec. 2 with a morning brunch and an evening office party. Wednesday’s events included a morning coffee and an afternoon tea that were repeated again on Thursday, along with an evening event sponsored by the Brandenburg Family Foundation that was all about the children.

The kids arrived to their special event wearing their holiday best, and were soon wide-eyed at the sight of the dazzling Christmas tree displays and the chance to pose for pictures with the cast of Ballet San Jose’s “Nutcracker.”

Student volunteers helped to make the event, held this year at San Jose’s Doubletree hotel on Dec. 2, a great success.

The children were then greeted by high school volunteers dressed as elves, who performed magic tricks for small groups and handed out programs at the doors. Once inside the ballroom, they were served festive fruit cups and a kid’s dream dinner of small portions of pizza, chicken strips and quesadillas, all on one plate. The meal wrapped up with a platter of cookies of all shapes, sizes and festive colors.

Club President Cathy DeMaria welcomed the families and introduced the entertainment, which came at the hands (and feet) of “Daffy” Dave Mampel and Dancyn Dance Studio of San Jose. Dave got the kids into fits of giggles with magic tricks, juggling and jokes, while the dancers leaped and spun down the runway in energetic renditions of holiday classics.

The night wrapped up with an announcement of the raffle winner who would go home with the “Classic Christmas Stories” tree — sponsored by the Pollack family — which was designed specifically for children, complete with gifts galore.

Attendees like Stephanie Mackey find the event to be so special that it has become a new tradition for her and her 4-year-old daughter Catie. “It’s so beautiful and so much fun,” said Stephanie Mackey. “We came here as guests last year and liked it so much that we came back on our own this year,” she added.

The same feeling of wanting to come back is what eventually inspired club volunteer Kristi Mathisen to join the women of Valle Monte. “I had attended many of the functions as a guest. I had such a good time that when they asked me to join, I said ‘absolutely.’ This is such a great way to kick off the holiday season,” Mathisen said.

Many happy returns—Stephanie and Catie Mackey make the event a mother-daughter tradition.

As an 11-year volunteer with Valle Monte, Sandy Gillmor couldn’t agree more. In addition to the fun and beauty that draws the holiday crowds, Gillmor said she chooses to volunteer with this group because 100 percent of the funds raised go back into the community organizations that need it.

The efforts made by Gillmor and the rest of the 150 volunteers of Valle Monte raise funds that go directly and entirely to local licensed mental health agencies, such as Family & Children Services, John XXIII Multi-Service Center, The Centre for Living with Dying and the Alzheimer’s Activity Center.

Though this year’s events came to a close after Friday night’s Grand Ball, plans for next year’s “Christmas Tree Elegance” can’t be far off. And if you want to be happy in those proverbial million ways by helping others while marking a festive start to the next holiday season, you’ll want to mark your calendar now.

For more information on Valle Monte, visit: http://www.vallemonte.org.