Tom Bommarito Wins Face of Serra Award
tvc . dsj . org | April 24 , 2018 COMMUNITY 11 Perfect Gift for the Newlyweds
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Marie Galetto
Marketing & Grants Program Manager , CCFSCC
I never realized how bad I am at making decisions until I decided to get married . Luckily , that first question was the easiest one to answer , “ Yes !” There seems to be an endless number of things on which I need to have an opinion . Tulle or chiffon ? Where will we honeymoon ? What type of salad will we serve with dinner ? Which chairs will we pick ? What will the bridesmaids wear ? Which stamps will we use on the invitations ? Which flowers for the tables ? For the bouquet ? For the corsages ? ( So many flowers !) And the list goes on … and on …
I have helped multiple friends plan their weddings , but nothing could prepare me for the amount of decisions you have to make when it ’ s your wedding . The sheer amount of details can
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be pretty overwhelming sometimes . Aside from the very first question , there has been one other decision that was very easy for me to make – the decision about giving back to charity .
I am extremely fortunate because I am able to have the wedding that I want , I have family and friends who are more than willing to help me in any way they can , and I have a wonderful fiancé who is patient with me and my indecisiveness . During this time of celebration , it is especially easy for us to see all the blessings in our lives . It is important to us as a couple that we build a life together on a foundation of joy and gratitude .
Young people starting a new life together , especially ones who live in one of the most expensive markets in the country , don ’ t always feel that they have a lot of money to spare for charitable giving . However , in my research on wedding registries ( yet another decision – who knew there were so many ?) charitable donations
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seem to be growing in popularity as a wedding gift option . I noticed settings that allow guests to give to a charity of the couple ’ s choice in lieu of , or in addition to , a gift . Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just announced they would like people to donate to selected charities instead of sending gifts which will be hugely impactful for those organizations and hopefully inspire other couples to do the same .
While most of us aren ’ t quite as popular as Harry and Meghan , one way to help young couples make an impact is through a Gifted Donor Advised Fund . Think of Donor Advised Fund ( DAF ) like a health savings account , but for charitable giving . Contributions are tax deductible and the money in the fund can only be granted to charitable organizations . Usually , a DAF is funded by the person who will advise grants from the fund . A Gifted DAF is different in that many different people contribute to the fund , but the fund holder ( e . g . the newlyweds
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) is the only one who can advise grants . This is a wonderful gift because the couple can advise grants to many different organizations and there is no time limit for when they have to use the money . The money continues to grow tax-free and the couple can to contribute to and advise grants from the fund at any time for the rest of their lives .
Right now the Catholic Community Foundation has a DAF Match opportunity which adds even more benefits for donors . The Foundation is matching Donor Advised Funds 5 % up to $ 5,000 and the parish of the donor ’ s choice receives $ 500 from the Foundation ( not from the donor ’ s DAF ). For more information about our Donor Advised Funds and the match opportunity , visit http :// cfoscc . org / DAF-Match or call ( 408 ) 995-5219 .
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By Audry L . Lynch
On March 11 , in a ceremony after Mass at Saint Clare Church , Tom Bommarito received this year ’ s Face of Serra Award . Regional Director Diana Seixas , last year ’ s first recipient of the award , made the presentation after reading a letter from Greg Schwietz , President USA Council , Serra International . The letter was also signed by Dan Jones , President Serra International and the Presidents of Serra Clubs in District 31 .
A group of fellow Serrans from the
Tom Bommarito Wins Face of Serra Award
Tom Bommarito ( 3rd from left ) received this year ’ s Face of Serra Award on March 11 , in a ceremony after Mass at Saint Clare Church .
Serra Club of Santa Clara , were also in attendance to applaud the recognition of Tom ’ s work for the Church . He joined the Serra Club in 1989 . He is the only Serran in Region 11 to receive the award this year . There are 600 Serrans in Region 11 , including California , Nevada and Hawaii .
After the Mass , President of the local club , Bruce Newnan commented , “ Tom Bommarito is my mentor for service to our God , Church and his fellow man . He has served many roles in the last decade including , serving as MC to the Bishop , serving meals at Martha ’ s Kitchen , Lector and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion to the sick and concurrently with his many other titles , the
Vice President of Programs in the Serra Club of Santa Clara serving 18 parishes within the San Jose Diocese .”
Adolph M Quilici , who has served as treasurer of the club for ten years is equally enthusiastic , “ Tom is a super guy . When he works on a project he is meticulous in all the details .”
His Episcopal Master of Ceremonies duties for Bishop Pierre DuMaine and Bishop McGrath covered a span of over 20 years .
In 2005 Bishop Patrick McGrath awarded Tom and Norma , the Papal Award Medal Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice .
Faith and the Public Square
Catholic Social Teaching over the years calls for Catholics to participate actively as citizens .
During this election year , the Social Ministries advocacy team at Saint Thomas of Canterbury will focus on Catholic Social Teaching related to Faithful Citizenship and voter education and making our values visible in the public arena . As we did in 2016 , we will disseminate materials from a variety of sources to enable our parishioners to make informed decisions and more importantly become more involved in the process .
Mark your calendars . On April 28 , from 1-3 p . m ., Saint Thomas of Canterbury is hosting a candidate forum featuring all seven candidates for Santa
Clara County Board of Supervisors in District Four ( West San Jose , Santa Clara and Campbell ). This will be an opportunity to meet the candidates and ask questions about key issues .
There are eight co-sponsors including Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County , Catholic Network to End Human Trafficking , Campbell AARP Chapter 5151 , Leagues of Women Voters groups in San Jose and Southwest Santa Clara County , San Jose City Council District 1 Interfaith Council , Housing for All Alliance and Sons in Retirement .
To RSVP or for more information please contact Kathy Mattingly , kat @ kajon . com or Anthony Ordona , aaordona @ msn . com .
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