Saratoga Rotary Art Show’s impact is felt throughout South Bay

In its 65th year, event’s support of local nonprofits has ripple effect.

In 1958 a fledgling Rotary Club in the newly incorporated city of Saratoga sought to create a community event in order to raise funds for charity.

The 20-something members, all local businessmen, staged an art show in a downtown parking lot featuring 20 local artists. The club’s historian, architect Warren Heid, noted that “the day was clear and the turnout was gratifying.” When it was over, the club had raised a little over $100, which was subsequently donated to the Crippled Children’s Society.

Now, as final preparations are being made for the 65th Saratoga Rotary Fine Art Show, set for May 4-5 at West Valley College, it is inspiring to contemplate the many ways the money raised has been used to improve the lives of countless people.

Have you visited Hakone Gardens in the hills above Saratoga and marveled at the classic pavilion, designed and built by craftsmen flown in from Japan? Money from the art show helped pay for it.

Have you ever attended a catered event at the Saratoga Community Center? Art show funds built the kitchen. Have you visited the historic old houses at the Saratoga History Museum? Art show money paid for their restoration and relocation.

Have you seen those blue reflectors embedded in the road that point firefighters to the nearest hydrant? Paid for by art show funds. And, heaven forbid, should you ever need a fireman to extract you from a wrecked car with the jaws of life, you can thank the art show for the money to purchase it.

Did you or your child participate in Pop Warner Football, American Youth Soccer, the Saratoga High Robotics Program or the Lynbrook High School Aquatics Programs? Again, art show funds played a role.

Have you attended a concert at the McAfee Center at Saratoga High? Thank the art show for those gigantic curtains. And if you’ve enjoyed a production at City Lights Theater or Silicon Valley Shakespeare and were able to clearly hear the spoken word, thank the art show for providing the money to buy the sound equipment.

Since 2002, when the Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation was established, over $1.1 million has been distributed through more than 280 individual grants to organizations as diverse as the San Jose Taiko Club and Guide Dogs for the Blind.   It’s difficult to pin down the exact amount given away prior to 2002, as record-keeping was a bit spotty, but it was considerable.

From its humble beginnings, the show grew exponentially. By 1975, receipts had grown to $139,000. Among the projects funded that year were the playground equipment for Gardiner Park, camera equipment for Saratoga High School and a school bus for the town of Los Algodones, Mexico.

By 1981, the show’s growing popularity forced a move from downtown Saratoga to the campus of West Valley College, where it has been held ever since.

In 2005, over 40,000 visitors strolled through the booths of 179 artists and purchased their works. Of the $485,000 brought in by these sales, over $100,000 was added to the club’s fund, and over $90,000 was distributed to 18 different charities.

Since 2005, there have been up years and down years, which can be closely correlated with Silicon Valley’s economy, but the tradition is now part of the fabric of life in Saratoga. The show is a massive undertaking, requiring the labor of every Saratoga Rotarian and spouse—participation is not optional—not to mention extra muscle from Saratoga High School football players and dozens of other volunteers.

Just weeks after the closing of each show, planning starts for the next one. One “lucky” Rotarian is chosen each year as art show chair, arguably the most challenging position in the club.

With the birth of the Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation (SRCF) in 2002, a board of directors was established consisting of 10 club members, each serving a three-year term. Their job is to give away the foundation’s money, now totaling more than $1.3 million annually. (The club seeks to conserve the principal while funding projects with the earned interest.) While many organizations apply, not all requests are granted.

“We want to concentrate on local projects that fit our mission: Service above self, and the promotion of goodwill and peace,” says SRCF Board Chair Sandie Prevot. “Our grants fund projects that align with those core values.”

Before requests are granted, a board member must visit the nonprofit’s facilities, interview the leaders and report back to the board. Board member Jo Toy says these site visits have provided her with some of the most gratifying experiences of her life as a Rotarian.

“To see how many people out there are devoting their time and energy to humanitarian work is very inspiring,” Toy adds.

The board also favors requests for tangible items rather than general operating expenses, according to Prevot. For example, The Grateful Garment, a nonprofit that provides new clothing for victims of sexual violence and human trafficking whose clothes are taken by police as evidence, used its grant to buy computers, workstations and monitors. “We simply couldn’t do our jobs without them,” says group spokesperson Corinna Samuel.

During the pandemic, the Assistance League of Saratoga-Los Gatos used its grant to build and distribute at-home science instruction kits to hundreds of elementary school students in Campbell and West San Jose. “These grants from The SRCF are 10% of our total budget—quite important!” says Assistance League vice president Judy Levin.

The Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley recently used its $2,100 grant to purchase new pool tables, while the Bill Wilson Center used its $5,000 grant to buy new furniture for its reception area.  At Hakone Gardens, landscaping work has been made exceedingly easier and faster by the new $30,000 excavator purchased in part by art show funds, according to director Shozo Kagoshima.

A list of grant recipients reads like a “Who’s Who” of local charitable organizations, from those feeding the hungry to theater and arts groups to nature and wildlife advocates. And the SRCF has always had a soft spot for education, providing funds to the Saratoga Parent Nursery School, the Saratoga Union School District, Washington Elementary School the Campbell Union High School District, Almaden Elementary School and Hyde Middle School, to name a few.

The 2024 art show

Attendees at the 2024 show (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 4 and 5) can expect to see works from highly regarded artists, hear live music and drink wine from award-winning local vineyards. And they can feel confident that dollars spent will not only benefit the artists, but thousands of Silicon Valley residents as well.

For more information, visit https://www.saratogarotaryartshow.org. To apply for a Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation grant, visit saratogarotary.org/page/srcf. For more information about Saratoga Rotary Club membership, contact membership chair Cynthia Chang at cyntchang@gmail.com.

Dave Eshleman is a member of the Rotary Club of Saratoga.