Named after the first female vice-mayor of Milpitas, the Barbara Lee Senior Center is home to classes, as well as fitness and recreation rooms. Any adult 50 years or older can become a member at a price of $12 for Milpitas residents, $30 for non-residents. The exercise room with gym equipment is $1.50 per visit, and the center also offers computers, classes and day trips. Seniors can socialize over lunch, with a $2.50 donation for 60-year-olds and up, and a $5 donation for guests 50 to 59 years old. The senior center moved into its new location during the summer of 2010. The renovated building has a fireplace, a beverage and snack kiosk, a magazine rack, classrooms, an art room, a dance room, a room with a ping pong and pool table and a Wii fit exercise set-up.
As part of the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area provides meaningful, monitored, one-to-one matches between adult volunteers ("Bigs") and enrolled children ("Littles"). For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single parent, low income families or households and independent studies prove that mentoring can make a positive difference to help these children reach their potential. Find out how you can positively impact a child's life by donating and/or volunteering; visit www.bbbsba.org to learn more.
Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY) addresses juvenile crime and incarceration in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. FLY works with juvenile justice youth and those 'at-risk' of entering the system.
Incorporating cognitive and behavior therapy approach youth take a semester long law course and learn about the consequences of crime and how to make better behavior choices. They also develop assets and build skills in empathy, anger management and problem solving. Through these classes, FLY identifies youth who want and need additional support.
For one to two years, these youth work with a FLY mentor and a community of their peers to set and achieve personal goals. They create and execute service learning projects to develop the leadership skills they need to transform their lives. These teenagers also serve as FLY advisors, providing input on program design and improvement, interviewing and selecting volunteers and staff and giving feedback to system partners on how to increase their effectiveness in working with youth.
Geared toward the Chinese community of the Bay Area, Crosspoint Chinese Church of Silicon Valley holds Sunday services in its new 24,000-square-foot building. Its focus is clear cut: connect the community to God, equip and spiritually edify the congregation, and send members to spread the gospel to neighbors, co-workers and the world. Family friendly and culturally relevant, this church is committed to being a bridge that connects the multitudes to God.
St. Elizabeth is the second oldest Catholic church in Milpitas, established in 1970. It is home to many ministries, from language-based groups, such as the Vietnamese ministry, to community service-based ministries such as the Boy Scouts. To accommodate the multitude of parishioners, there are several Sunday services available in three different languages.
The Knights of Columbus is a service organization comprised of male parishioners. On Thanksgiving morning, members deliver turkeys and canned food to families.
About 3,500 businesses operate in the city, and there's only one umbrella organization that represents them all. The Milpitas Chamber of Commerce is a sure way to network and promote your interests as an owner or manager, whether you run a corporation or or are self-employed.
The Board of Directors meets the last Thursday of the month at 7:30am. Rather than attend meetings, members are encouraged to participate in social events, such as the speaker series, after-hours mixers, the connection club, the annual crab feed and more.
Benefits for members include special rates for events, as well as discounts to other businesses that belong to the chamber. For example, Office Depot will take 15 to 25 percent off your total bill upon presenting your chamber membership.
The chamber publishes a business directory (in print and online) of members. In addition, the organization prints a map of the city each year complete with business listings and ads.
A newsletter on governmental affairs and business developments is mailed to members and can be found online.
With three slides, a crazy climbing sphere and rideable frogs, children will love Hall Memorial Park. Parents can squeeze in a few matches of tennis at the courts or read a few chapters of their new novel while the kids play to their heart's desire. The park's close location to Abbott Road makes it easily accesible. Hall Memorial Park also offers plenty of picnic tables and barbecue pits.
The Milpitas Food Pantry is not a soup kitchen where a hot meal waits. It's a food pantry that distributes groceries–canned goods, produce, cheese and eggs–to low-income families and seniors. Intended to help residents of Milpitas and Alviso, the pantry gives three days of groceries to clients who come to pick up once a month.
Along with food donations, the pantry also distributes clothing for adults and children. On the Saturday before school, volunteers distribute uniforms.
Volunteers are always needed. Financial contributions and donations of clothing and unexpired food are accepted though the pantry discourages leaving donations at the front door.
Originally known as Fremont Chinese Alliance, Silicon Valley Alliance Church settled in Milpitas in the late '90s. With a strong emphasis on evangelizing, this church strengthens its members through Bible study and prayer, then commissions them to reach out to friends, family and co-workers. At Alpha Course events, that are held in 1o-week sessions, those curious about God are able to explore the meaning of life, faith, and Christianity in a relaxed, casual setting.
Located on California Circle, Shirdi Sai Parivaar is a newly built temple. Devotees worship Sai Baba, one of the foremost sadgurus (the true well wishers of mankind), from Shirdi, Maharashtra, India. What started as a Thursday meeting has now grown to 10,000 strong. Devotees meet Thursday and weekends to envelop the philosophy of Sai Baba in children by teaching them through hymns, music, crafts and theater.
The Bay Area Youth Vaishnav Parivar is a Hindu organization. The word 'Vaishnava' literally means one who worships Vishnu (the god Krishna) out of pure love. The two storied temple has a kitchen, a dining area and a hall that can be rented for religious, cultural, marriage and birthday parties. The organization offers computer classes for seniors. For youth, it offers music, dance and SAT preparation classes.
Located on Los Coches Street, the 40,000-square foot India Community Center is one of the largest Indian-American community centers serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It also has the largest table tennis center in northern California.
ICC offers over 120 programs for the community including: Bollywood dance, Hindi and other language classes, GMAT, karaoke, singing and instrumental, Parent & Me, free legal, medical, and career clinics, senior programs, camp, carrom (a board game), cooking, and much, much more. It also has a membership-based fitness center with exercise equipment and classes such as yoga.
The medical clinic is open to patients without Medi-Cal, Medicare, or private insurance. The physicians do not diagnose or prescribe, but provide preliminary care.
The parking lot is home to a year-round farmers market on Sunday mornings from 8am - 1pm.
The Avatamsaka Buddhist Lotus Society is the religion's sole nonprofit charitable organization in Milpitas. It was established in 1985 by The Venerable Cheng Yi, now board president of the society, who is a great proponent of education. Under his guidance, the Avatamsaka Buddhist Lotus Society has initiated a scholarship award program for high school students from the area to assist them in achieving a successful life and becoming pillars of society.
Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley is an affiliate of the international Habitat for Humanity organization. Warm-hearted locals committed to providing affordable housing to low-income folks gathered in 1986, and have been building homes ever since. Through monetary and material donations, the organization's volunteers work together to build, paint and complete homes throughout the year. There are also many office volunteer opportunities, and one may choose to help with its website or plan committee events, for example. Visit its website for more information on how to become a volunteer.
