still live here. I always say, "everyone in Alviso is somehow or another related to each other", and it's true.

I was raised Catholic and still attend Our Lady Star of the Sea Church right here in Alviso. The church has gone through some renovations but I always find myself staring at the walls and windows and imagining what it was like back when it was first built. They serve menudo, mexican hot chocolate and pastries from 8:00 am until 12 noon so you should go there yourself and check it out.

As a kid I went to four different schools, George Mayne Elementary School in Alviso, Patrick Henry Jr. High and then I graduated half a year early (January of 1979) from Marian A. Peterson High School in Santa Clara. In my high school years I went to summer school and at the same time worked at Santa Clara University through the S.P.E.D.Y. Program along with taking some classes at Mission College.

My father, who has been deceased for about 11 years now, had dreams for Alviso. We would sit on the bench under the huge tree in front our house and talk about them. I was happy to hear his dreams and his visions which mostly were, "the community was fine just the way it was". No more housing with just open space and the cool breezes coming from all directions. His reality was like mine, we live in a gold mine and his vision was to not change things but to leave them just the way they were. Forget progress and if you didn't live here then you had no say in what happens in the Alviso community.

After the death of my father in 1993 I started getting more involved with the Alviso community and together with a coordinator by the name of Rosamaria Hernandez we established a NeighborHood Watch Program in 1995. Since then I have been involved with Neighborhood Watch, Alviso Master Plan, Friends of Alviso Library, Alviso Water Task Force, P.A.C.T. People Acting in Community Together, Crime Stoppers of Silicon Valley, Sheriffs Advisory Board, San Jose Police Dept./Crime Prevention-VOLT Member, and finally the Alviso Santa Program.

In 1995 I heard about the Alviso Santa Program from Chairman, Richard Santos who also happened to sit on the Alviso Master Plan. I started attending those meetings and he mentioned to me that I should take my then five year old son James to the Alviso Santa Program which was held at the Old San Jose/Alviso Library. He also mentioned that they were looking for new committee members and asked if I would like to participate so this is how I became involved in the program and I love it. I enjoy seeing these kids receive new books, new gifts and pictures with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. I still remember seeing over 1000 people going through the old library and having to wait out in the cold and rain because the building was too small to handle more than one family at a time. Since then we have been able to hold our yearly event at the new youth center and we have also brought in new members along with getting the teenagers from Alviso to help volunteer right here in their Alviso community. 

Lurdes Rivera