The Project

The Leadership Gilroy Class of 2020 community service project was called Clove Days. cLove Days was a multi-day community-wide event (July 24 -26, 2020) designed to bring people together while socially distanced and celebrate what makes Gilroy, Gilroy. It was also an opportunity to raise funds and give back to some local nonprofits that wouldn’t make the money for their program that they normally made at the Gilroy Garlic Festival due to COVID and lack of a festival.

The class of 2020 started their fundraising with kicking off the cLove challenge on social media. People filmed themselves eating a raw clove of garlic, posted the video on social media and challenged others to eat a clove of Garlic or make a donation to the Leadership Gilroy Class of 2020. The class created masks, hats, tank tops, t-shirts, and most importantly bells. They set up socially distanced “pop ups” to sell the merchandise to continue the fundraising effort.

The three day cLove Days event started on Friday with cLove Community Awareness. This was a virtual event highlighting local nonprofits and small businesses in Gilroy. Saturday was the cLove Fit Fest, a socially distanced workout at Gilroy Gardens. There was also a virtual workout option. The third and final day of the event was a neighborhood block party, socially distanced of course. The class asked people to ring the bells they had purchased at 6pm in memory of the people who lost their lives, were injured or affected by the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic festival.

The beneficiaries of the project were Rebekah Children’s Services, Operation Freedom Paws, Unravel Pediatric Cancer, Live Oak Adult Day Care, Community Solutions, Gilroy Compassion Center, St. Joseph’s Family Center and the Gilroy Garlic Festival.