Leadership Gilroy Class of 2020 hosts Gilroy cLOVE Challenge and cLOVE Days
by Jan Janes on Jul 10, 2020
A group of 21 leaders in Leadership Gilroy 2020 is sponsoring two July events to celebrate the unique Gilroy community and raise funds for local nonprofit organizations.
Each leadership class designs a service project. “The final events grew out of the ‘road rally’ during our second LG class,” said Noemi Naranjo, Gavilan College Public Information and Marketing Specialist and LG class member. Small groups visited every nonprofit in the area, explored their funding and services provided, and reported the findings to the overall group.
Local charities have lost donations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have had to cancel fundraising opportunities. Many area nonprofits will miss receiving community donations from the traditional Gilroy Garlic Festival, which will not be held in 2020.
The 2020 LG class discussed many options for their service project supporting local nonprofits. They chose a four-pronged effort.
First up, the Gilroy cLOVE Challenge, akin to the 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge. Film a short video of yourself eating a clove of garlic, upload it to a social media site, then challenge three people to also eat a clove of garlic or donate to the Gilroy cLOVE fund. Participants are using three hashtags – #gilroyclovechallenge, #Ihavebeencloved, #youhavebeencloved – and posting on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter.
To date, more than $8,000 has been raised through the Gilroy cLOVE Challenge, and the class plans to keep it going through the end of July. No donations mean no nonprofits: who will you eat a cLOVE for? Check out others who have already completed the challenge on the event’s Facebook page.
The final full weekend in July is scheduled with more celebratory events.
All day Friday, July 24, the class is sponsoring cLOVE Community Awareness. The online event will highlight local nonprofits and small businesses in Gilroy.
“Chef Carlos Pineda of the Culinary Academy, Kneaded Bakery and Ken Christopher of Christopher Ranch both made sizeable donations,” said Andrew Briggs, LG 2020 and Rebekah Children’s Services (RCS) catering manager. “Start challenging your friends and neighbors!”
“We will have two Facebook livestreams from RCS,” said Briggs who will oversee the Friday event. “In the morning we will read to kids in the kitchen, in English and Spanish, and they will do some chores.”
At noon, the livestream will carry Chef Carlos preparing some garlicky specialties, with help from production chef Kishon Southy. RCS apprenticeship program teaches culinary students how to cook, along with resume building, job placement and interview etiquette.
The rest of Friday’s cLOVE Community Awareness will include livestream videos and interviews from the supported nonprofit agencies.
Saturday, July 25, is cLOVE Fit Fest, both an in-person and virtual event. Gilroy Gardens, a private location, will host four workout sessions, each with a capacity of 50, for safe social distancing. People can also participate in event virtually on Zoom. People interested should register in advance and bring their own yoga mat and water.
6:30 a.m. - Dawn yoga, a high intensity class with Dalila Alegria, an LG 2020 classmate
8:30 a.m. – Mobility and body flow with athletic trainer Josh Gonzalez
10:30 a.m. – Functional fitness and full range of motion with Akua Floyd
Noon to 4:00 p.m. - Virtual bike or run, on the streets or treadmill, where participants choose their activity, video and post themselves starting and going the distance.
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Sunset yoga at Gilroy Gardens, led by Dalila Alegria, closes out the second day.
“I always want people to have fun, move their bodies and feel good,” said Alegria, a personal trainer. “This is an opportunity to create some buzz, unify Gilroy in a positive light and support nonprofits at the same time.”
Sunday, July 26, is cLOVE the Block, a citywide street-by-street, driveway-by-driveway block party. Neighbors can organize their own fun, safely, in their driveways. The focus is food, family, friends and fun celebrating Gilroy’s resiliency. “You can see your neighbors, celebrate with TikTok dances, create chalk art and make signs,” said Naranjo, who is part of the Sunday planning group.
“At 5:30 p.m. we will observe a 30-second moment of unity and reflection,” she said. “It will be followed by the ringing of bells to celebrate the strength of our community.” People can ring their own bells or order a commemorative cLOVE Day bell from the LG project website. Money from the bell sales will be donated to the nonprofits.
The Leadership Gilroy class of 2020 chose to support seven nonprofits with this service project: Rebekah Children’s Services, Operation Freedom Paws, Unravel Pediatric Cancer, Live Oak Adult Day Care, Community Solutions, Gilroy Compassion Center and St. Joseph Family Center.
Visit the Gilroy cLOVE Days site for all the ways to get involved and to register for events.