February 25, 2005

Curves Evergreen sponsors community food drive in March

Many organizations benefit from generosity

By Bea Baechle
Editor

As the Curves in the Evergreen Marketplace nears its two-year anniversary on March 10, one thing is clear: as members join to lose inches, the community gains from their generosity.

Missy Jakubs, frequently seen wearing a tiara around the club, talks with a club member working out on the 30-minute circuit.

Many of the 800 women who have joined the popular fitness franchise willingly participate in the fundraising efforts sponsored at the club—from food drives to teddy bear drives to clothing drives for the needy.

“The members of Curves Evergreen are so very generous with their donations and their time, and we are really blessed by each and every one of them,” said owner and Evergreen resident Cristie Burr, whose club was elected “Best of Evergreen 2005” by the community.

Burr credits her supervisor, “Princess” Missy Jakubs, for spearheading many of the fundraising efforts.

Jakubs, the beloved, high-spirited employee who has been with this Curves since it first opened, said, “Basically, I’m not spearheading anything. It’s all the gals here. They have very generous hearts and are passionate about a lot of different things. I hear about them on the circuit, and I just spread the word.”

Food drive in March
Curves will be collecting food for Second Harvest Food Bank throughout the entire month of March. Burr has set the goal to raise 6,000 pounds of food to double the 3,000 pounds of food collected in a week-long food drive last March.

“Community members are invited to join in this collection by stopping by with their non-perishable bags of food,” said Burr.

As an added incentive during the week of March 7 – 11, Curves will waive the one-time service fee for new members who donate a bag of food to the cause.

Other organizations benefit, too
Second Harvest Food Bank isn’t the only benefactor of the Curves donation phenomenon.

In conjunction with Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, Curves members donated more than 300 stuffed animals in the “Community Caring through Teddy Bearing” program last November. The Teddy Bears were distributed to InnVision Women and Children Centers, Sacred Heart, the San Jose Police Department and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

Last December, Curves also sponsored a Giving Tree for the San Jose Family Shelter. The shelter requested a donation of 12 gifts to the organization, but Curves came through with 200 gifts from its members! Burr noted that the shelter told her this was the most successful gift drive they had ever had.

Curves members donated more than 300 stuffed animals in the “Community Caring through Teddy Bearing” program last November.

Members have donated more than 100 used cell phones for battered women through San Jose Women’s Shelter and clothing for the needy through Elefante Blanco, which passes on donations to the Red Cross in Cabo San Lucos, Mexico.

Active community involvement
Yet Burr can’t give all the credit to her members and staff. The modest business owner donated the service fees collected from new members for one week to the Susan G. Koman Foundation during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2003. Those fees totaled $750.

She has also donated memberships for Silver Oak Elementary, James F. Smith Elementary, Presentation High School, Evergreen Valley High School, American Heart Association, Alpha Delta Kappa, Santa Clara Valley Performing Arts Association, St. Francis of Assisi Church, St. John Vianney School and the Villages Country Club for their fundraiser throughout the past two years.

In addition, Burr has financially supported Evergreen Citizens for Local Schools, Stanford Women’s Basketball, Department of Corrections Women’s Sprinting Team, California Police Activities League, Susan G. Komen for Breast Cancer Research, Christmas in the Park and East Valley Softball League.

What’s next?
The Evergreen Curves will be sponsoring a food and toy drive benefiting the South County Animal Shelter from Feb. 28 to March 5. On July 9 – 10, Curves will also head up a team to participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer 2005 to raise awareness and money for the cause.

Curves is located at 4878 San Felipe Road in Evergreen. Call (408) 532-8844 for more information or to make an appointment to join while Curves waives the one-time service fee March 7 to 11.