Norma Morales, an SLS Supervisor of Well-Being of Immigrant and Refugee support for the Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD), has always looked for ways to support families in the district.
So, when a fellow community member, Robert Jung (who is also an MUSD School Board Trustee), reached out to her seeking her help supporting students in the district who were in need, she jumped at the opportunity.
“At the time these kids were in a really tough situation,” said Morales of the students she referred to what would become the Milpitas Wishes Program.
The Milpitas Wishes Program is a new partnership between the Milpitas Rotary Club, Milpitas Kiwanis Club, Hope for the Unhoused, The Milpitas Beat, and liaisons from the Milpitas Unified School District. The Milpitas Beat featured stories about five families in need, and Beat readers had a chance to donate money toward each family’s holiday gifts. Additionally, the Milpitas Rotary Club and Hope for the Unhoused sponsored fiscal donations toward gifts, with the Milpitas Kiwanis Club donating clothes.
Following the Milpitas Wishes Program, on December 18, 2024, volunteers went out to deliver the gifts to the families who were part of the program.
“I’m super proud that the community came out,” said Jung, the organizer of the Milpitas Wishes Program, who worked to implement the program with the Milpitas Rotary Club. The initial monetary goal for the Milpitas Wishes program was $200-$500 for each story, according to Jung. The five stories raised a total of $3300, or $660 per story. This includes $1,000 raised from community donations, with the rest raised by the Milpitas Rotary and the Milpitas Kiwanis Club, according to Jung.
“It’s amazing the hard work behind the scenes that they do,” said Morales of those who were part of the program. “That just makes me happy.”
The gifts provided to the families included $660 worth of gas cards for Gregory; a Barcelona sweater for Allessandra plus $525 toward her family’s PG&E bill; a payment toward Marge and Ned’s PG&E bill; money toward car repair along with gifts for Ria and her children; and a cosmetology kit for Eileen with additional gifts for her family. (All the names in this paragraph are pseudonyms to protect the families’ identities.)
“I appreciate them giving,” said Nicole Steward regarding the community donations. Steward is a Social Worker for the Milpitas Unified School District who, along with Morales, helped refer students to the program. Steward emphasized how important it is to “provide a bit of childhood to these kids,” and to give room for both the wants and needs of students.
“They’re still kids even though they have big bodies,” said Morales as she reflected on the opportunity to support the students. “They need us the most.”
