County Update
With Santa Clara County
Supervisor Mike Wasserman
Supervisor Mike Wasserman was elected to the Santa Clara
County Board of Supervisors in 2010, and re-elected in 2014 and
2018. He represents District 1, which includes Gilroy, San Martin,
Morgan Hill, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and portions
of San Jose (supervisorwasserman.org).
Gilroy Strong Resiliency Center
and El Festival de Resiliencia
N
o one attending the Gilroy
Garlic Festival on the after-
noon of Sunday, July 28,
2019 could have imagined that
they were just moments away
from sheer terror. Four people
lost their lives and many more
were injured and deeply trauma-
tized after a gunman opened fire
on crowds of festival goers. For
the surviving victims, the healing
process can be a long road. The
South County Youth Task Force –
a public safety collaborative that
I’m honored to chair – recognized
our community’s need for a desig-
nated place where people can go
for support, services and to start
to heal from the trauma of the
Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting.
Victims of the shooting include
anyone present at the Festival
who heard the shooting, families
and loved ones of victims, first responders, city and county
personnel who supported victims and their families, and the
community at large who require comprehensive services as a
result of the incident.
I am very proud of the teamwork led and funded by
our District Attorney’s Office that pulled together to create
the new “Gilroy Strong Resiliency Center,” which provides
evening services at The Neon Exchange located at 7365
Monterey Road in Gilroy. Opened in
January, the Center provides the pub-
lic with a vast array of both in-person
and online services to help victims
build strength and resiliency in the
aftermath of the traumatic incident.
Knowledgeable, caring and professional
staff help people navigate systems,
access resources, and obtain counseling
and other needed services. The Center
is open to the public Tuesdays and
Thursdays 6 – 9 pm. Expanded hours
will begin in April.
Coming together as a community
helps people overcome trauma. In part-
nership with The Disproportionality
Committee of the Child Abuse
Prevention Council, a May “El Festival
de Resiliencia” event will celebrate the
resilience, beauty and strength of our
families and communities in South
County. This bi-lingual, family-friendly
event will offer workshops, music,
Youth Resilience Awards, lunch and a keynote speech by
Father Greg Boyle, the celebrated Jesuit priest and founder of
the world’s largest gang-intervention and rehabilitation pro-
gram, Homeboy Industries.
For more information on the Gilroy Strong Resiliency
Center and El Festival de Resiliencia, please contact Bernice
Aguilera Toney, South County Youth Task Force Program
Manager at (408) 846-0337 or baguilera@dao.sccgov.org.
Stay #GilroyStrong!
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SPRING 2020
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