Ready or not, in-person events are coming back to Silicon Valley

Brush off your good shoes, get that gown to the dry cleaners and make a hair appointment because the big, in-person galas that have largely been absent from the Silicon Valley social scene the past two years are starting to make a comeback. But you still might want to bring along a mask and a vaccination card.

Last Saturday, 420 people attended Bellarmine College Prep’s 46th Golden Bell Auction on the campus of the Jesuit boys school in San Jose. It was the first time since 2019 that the gala fundraiser was held live and in-person, and the crowd was in a festive mood for sure as it raised more than $400,000 for the school’s Direct Tuition Assistance Fund. The event organizers followed Santa Clara County rules in recommending masks be worn when not eating or drinking, but — besides the serving staff and volunteers —  only a few masks were  seen throughout the night.

That wasn’t the first big, indoor gala in the South Bay recently — the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley had its Youth of the Year gala on March 4 at Hayes Mansion in San Jose — and it sure won’t be the last. The Tech Interactive is hosting its Tech for Global Good celebration on March 26; Child Advocates of Silicon Valley is having its first in-person gala in three years on April 23, also making use of the outdoor space at Hayes Mansion; Sacred Heart Nativity Schools is holding its in-person Fiesta on May 23 at Bellarmine; Cancer CAREpoint has just announced that it is bringing back its popular Garden Party fundraiser on Aug. 28, with plans for the 10th anniversary event to be an outdoor, tented affair in the parking lot of its headquarters.

There are certainly others in the works, too, and some groups are keeping a watchful eye on the COVID-19 situation and staying virtual for now. One thing’s for sure, it’ll be interesting to see how we all start stretching our social muscles again after letting them go unused for so long. Just don’t forget to wear pants, and remember the only way to mute yourself is to stop talking.

FIRST 5’S NEW FACE: Jennifer Kelleher Cloyd may be new to the role of CEO of First 5 Santa Clara County, but she’s hardly new to looking out for our community’s youngest residents. She comes to the new job from her role as chief program officer for the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, where she expanded its Legal Advocates for Children and Youth division.

Working with youth for the past two decades, Cloyd says she’s seen firsthand the work that First 5 does in funding groups that provide healthcare, educational and childcare services for families with kids ages 5 and younger. She hopes to expand those partnerships to strengthen First 5’s impact by removing barriers to those needs. “This vision is extremely close to my heart,” she said. “As a parent of two, I’m acutely aware of the need to secure a strong foundation for our county’s youngest children.”

HONOR ROLL: The Berryessa Citizens Advisory Council presented its Citizen of the Year award to Roxanne Fuentes, superintendent of the Berryessa Union School District in San Jose, at its meeting Tuesday. “She is highly praised in the Berryessa community for many issues, including organized and deployed testing and vaccination services to the students, staff, and our community,” said Richard Santos, a member of the Valley Water board of directors and a recipient of the award himself in 2006.

And on International Women’s Day last week, Sen. Dave Cortese announced that Maritza Maldonado, founder and executive director of Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment in East San Jose, was the Woman of the Year for his district. “Maritza is a transformative leader whose work building and transforming communities in East San Jose will have a lasting impact for generations to come,” Cortese said in the announcement.