News

Donations to A Book of Dreams top $56,000

Henry Ficken received a wheelchair ramp built by volunteers from Advancing Vibrant Communities in Modesto on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. Rev. Michael Douglass, founder and president of AVC, is at right, with Bill Parkhurst, left, who worked with foreman Jon Engell, middle, on the project.
Henry Ficken received a wheelchair ramp built by volunteers from Advancing Vibrant Communities in Modesto on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. Rev. Michael Douglass, founder and president of AVC, is at right, with Bill Parkhurst, left, who worked with foreman Jon Engell, middle, on the project. aalfaro@modbee.com

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

As the annual A Book of Dreams fundraiser draws to a close, donations have topped $56,000.

That’s a little bit short of our admittedly ambitious goal of $70,000. But it’s still impressive, particularly in an area where the economic recovery has been slower than in other parts of California. And once the final donations are collected and tabulated, we hope the total will grow a bit more.

All of the money, so generously given by our readers, will go toward deserving groups that help others. Neither The Modesto Bee nor the Stanislaus Community Foundation, our partner in this effort, takes any administrative costs from donations.

Among this year’s participants is Advancing Vibrant Communities, which provides people with basic needs. For some, such as Modesto’s Henry Ficken, that can mean more than just convenience. For Ficken, the wheelchair ramp Advancing Vibrant Communities built for him translated to freedom.

“Before I had this, I was trapped in this house,” Ficken told The Bee’s John Holland.

AVC started in 2002 and maintains a list of needs that its volunteers work to fulfill.

From 200 to 400 needs are listed at any one time, said the Rev. Michael Douglass, founder and president of AVC, which works with churches, service clubs and other partners. About 5,000 to 6,000 people volunteer each year.

Douglass said AVC can respond to the needs more nimbly than government agencies, which can get bogged down in paperwork.

“Let’s get the volunteer out there and connected with the person involved, and let’s get it done,” he said.

For more information on the featured services, go to www.modbee.com/bookofdreams. Donations also may be sent to A Book of Dreams Fund, 1029 16th St., Modesto, CA 95354.

BOOK OF DREAMS CONTRIBUTORS

First Name

Last Name

Gift Donated in Memory or Honor of

Total Gift Amount

Sherri

Annoni Lucy

$1,500

George & Helen

Badal

$125

Andrew

Barton

$500

Art

Bass

$100

Alvera and Donald

Baumgratz

$100

Christine

Beckstrom

$500

Tim and Lisa

Bettencourt

$250

Clarence & June

Blom

$100

Jim and Betty

Bickner

George Bickner

$100

Ruth Ann

Bonzi

My siblings

$200

George & Anna

Boodrookas

Tony and Anna Boodrookas

$100

Lois

Brown

$200

Johnna and Ken

Bryant

$100

Tommi Lou

Carosella

$200

Ed and Lois

Cathcart

$101

Nick and Mardy

Chipponeri

$100

Patricia

Clark

$200

Randy & Sandy

Clark

$500

Carl & Carolyn

Claybaugh

$50

Ross and Lynn

Coffee

$100

Richard & Jill

Connolly

$50

Paul and Karen

Cornwell

$200

Melissa

Cortez

$20

Margaret and Steve

Cousins

$150

Ken

Cunningham

Cindy Cunningham Gip, Ham Cunningham and Dick Cunningham

$300

Elizabeth O’Hara

DeJong

Marty O’Hara

$100

Sandra

de Alcuaz

$100

Benny and Celeste

Del Re

$250

Ron & Lynn

Dickerson

Ryan Dickerson

$100

Edward and Pamela

DiFrancia

$100

Marcie S.

Dillon

$300

Sue

Divjak

$100

Marilyn

Drew

$50

Bill & Janaca

Driscoll

$400

Michael & Tammy

Dunbar

$50

Elizabeth W.

Essa

$200

Gunther

Family

$100

James and Katherin

Fisher

$100

Michael and Janis

Flaumenhaft

In loving memory of Dewayne Flaumenhaft

$100

Michael and Janis

Flaumenhaft

In loving memory of Janice Oliver Wine and Carroll Wine

$100

Judith

Freitas

$100

Sharon & David

Froba

$300

Jim

Frunz

$300

Robert and Carol Ann

Gagliardi

$100

Rory and Debra

Giddings

$100

Jay and Diane

Gilbert

$500

Joe and Emily

Gomes

$100

Curtis and Nancy

Grant

Barbara Yaeger

$1,000

Jane

Grant

My Precious Jenny O.

$50

Tom & Janelle

Gray

$500

John & Roberta

Greenstreet

$150

Robin

Gulvin

Glenn Gulvin

$1,000

Kathryn

Hall-Boyer

$100

Mike and Karen

Hardin

Robert H. Garrett

$50

Lawton

Hards

Betty Lawyer

$100

Matthew

Harrington

$100

Carl and Rebecca

Heffner

$150

Susan

Helm-Lauber

Larry Lauber

$100

Joe and Carol

Henderson

$200

Mick & Sharon

Hickman

$50

Keith

Highiet

$1,000

Calvin

Hiraga

$75

Leslie

Hoegh

Hoegh/Berg families

$200

Bob & Kathy

Holloway

$100

William L.

Houk

Christene Houk

$100

Carnen

Ingols

$100

Joe and Marlinda

Inglima

Jack A. Moore

$100

The Honorable Valli

Israels

$500

Elaine

Ixcot

Jim, Kim and Greg

$50

Jocelyn

Jardine

Ron Jardine

$500

Cathy

Jennison

$500

J.T. and J.B.

Jimenez

Crystal Kaler our granddaughter

$250

Margaret

Kaelin

$100

Diane

Keller

Ned Keller

$100

Linda

Kenyon

$100

Charles D.

King

$25

Mike and Susan

Kiyoi

$200

Santokh Singh

Kodial

$200

Josephine C.

Krueger

$100

Sant

Kumar

Shri Hanuman Mandir of Modesto

$51

Hart & Jenny

Laurence

$25

Mary G. & Robert

Lefevre

Carol Ann Wilson

$200

Judy A.

Lehr

James E. Lehr

$100

Wayne and Kathy

Lewis

$50

Barbara

Linthicum

$300

Edwin C.

Liu

Diana Liu

$101

David & Jill

Louis

$150

Tom and Marsha

Love

$100

Melvin and Betty

Lowe

Chong Chok (Jack) Wong

$100

Tim & Alice

Lowe

$1,000

Eddie and Kathy

Lund

My dear sister Mary Morrill

$40

Betty & Robert

Mackie

David Ryan Mackie

$200

Steve

Malmberg

Alma Johnson

$100

Beverly

Marchbanks

Hazelle Duncan

$100

Thomas

Martin

John & Dan Martin

$150

Marni

Martin

Ken & Dorothy Diehl

$1,500

Joe & Karen

Martini

Bailey Rocha

$250

Joe & Peggy

Massey

$100

J. Ronald & Michelle

McCracken

Felicia R. McCracken

$30

Sheryl

McGrath

Marie Slate

$100

Nelda H

McDermott

$50

Robert and Isabell

McKay

Bessie

$200

Lorinne

McKnight

$50

Paulette

Meeder

Margaret Hoyle

$30

Britt and Monica

Mills

West Page

$100

Kent T.

Mitchell

$75

William and Jeanne

Moore

Braden Scott Verruso

$100

Jerilyn Self & Brian

Moore

Tom and Kay Moore

$150

Dr. RJ Moriconi and

Mr. Anthony Alonzo

Our friends

$100

Wally & Pat

Morrow

Dr. Jared R. Morrow

$100

Leslie N.

Nakagawa

$100

Debbie E.

Noda

Carol and Joanne

$50

Dave and Brenda

Normoyle

$150

Gordon & Colleen

O’Brien Preston

$100

Jerry & Kaye

Osborn

$50

Lt. CDR Patrick

O’Sullivan

Pauline M. O’Sullivan

$50

Patricia

Ousdahl

$100

Wes Barbara

Page

$100

Hazel

Paul

$100

James L.

Petty

Rita M. Gray

$50

David & Kathie

Poteet

$50

Sue

Preus

Fred & Evelynne Preus

$100

Steve & Linda

Ray

$250

Ruben and Mary Ellen

Ramos

$50

Hanna B.

Renning

$300

Seems and Jerry

Rhine

$100

Cecil A.

Rhodes

$150

Esther

Rogers

$20

William

Rose

$100

Mercy Maya

Ruben Haro

Joe Maya and Andrea Haro

$300

Bob & Ellen

Santos

$100

Roger & Delsie

Schrimp

$500

John & Robin

Sereno

$100

Marion R.

Shores

John E. Shores

$100

Sue and Randy

Siefken

$100

Joan P.

Smith

John C. Smith

$50

Virginia L.

Smykal

Dr. Anthony Smykal

$50

Mike & Debi

Sneed

Dakota

$50

Kathy & John

Sniffen

$500

George King & Nancy

Snodgrass

Our parents, friends and family

$1,000

Tom and Denise

Soloman

$100

Henrietta

Sparkman

Geudry and Clayton Sparkman

$250

Steve & Gari

Sperry

$100

Richard and Debbie

Stone

$100

Jim & Sharon

Sumner

Herb & Ginny Sutter

$50

Lorilee

Sutter

Kevin

$250

Terry and Ellen

Sweeney

$500

Nancy

Thomas Goodman

$100

Sargon and Linda

Tamimi

The Tamimi Family

$300

Paul

Tischer

$200

Mike and Melissa

Tozzi

$100

Vicetta

Utley

$100

Melissa

Van Diepen

$50

Lorese

Vandemark, DDS

$200

Dr. Tom & Grace

VanGroningen

$100

Gregory & Jeri

VanVooren

$100

Mark and Pam

Vasche

$200

Pete & Elizabeth

Verdegaal

$500

Karen

Voicik

$100

Richard & Drena

Wagner

$500

Bill and Pat

Walters

$25

Ken White and

Robin Gulvin

Wes Page

$100

Ken White and

Robin Gulvin

$100

Mary Alice

Willey

$100

Robert & Geraldine

Williams

$100

Helen and David

Woods

Jack Woods

$100

Jim & Maria

Yettman

$150

Lynn & Susan

Zwahlen

$200

Anonymous

$200

Anonymous

$50

Anonymous

$50

Anonymous

Velma Pimentel

$500

Anonymous

Candido (Candy) Pires

$500

Anonymous

Dr. Brad Pezoldt, DDS

$500

Family Health Care Medical Group of Modesto

$1,000

Highway 99 PT Cruiser Club

$50

Seventh Wave Farms Inc.

$2,500

Big Island Movers

$200

CR Ranch Pet-O-Tel

$100

CR Ranch Pet-O-Tel

$100

Steve Streeter Memorial Golf

$500

Enterprises

$500

This story was originally published December 30, 2015 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Donations to A Book of Dreams top $56,000."

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