Pam Larussa just wants to give back to the community.
A member of the Del Webb Woodbridge garden committee – a group that organizes a multi-stop garden tour that showcases the unique back yards of homeowners while at the same time raising money for charities and non-profits – Larussa knows that she and her Woodbridge neighbors, as retirees, are in a unique position to give to organizations that benefit abused children, battered women, and even those who have to employ the services of hospice.
And it’s a responsibility that she and her fellow garden committee members take very seriously.
On Tuesday morning, Larussa and Linda Takita were on hand to present a check to Hospice of San Joaquin along with members of the Woodbridge Drama Group, who had also raised money for the non-profit.
“Everybody here loves to be able to give back to the community, and just about everything that we do is a fundraiser in one way or another,” Larussa said. “In this day and age these groups need all the help that we can offer to serve people who need it the most, and that’s why we do the things that we do here.”
For the last eight years, the group has organized a tour of as many as 10 Woodbridge homes for people to tour as well as a raffle and a lunch for all who choose to purchase tickets – making sure to keep within the boundaries of the budget so there’s enough money to left over to donate to a charity of their choice.
In years past, Larussa said that the Child Abuse Prevention Council as well as the Haven of Peace, and this year the group chose to reach out to Hospice of San Joaquin since cancer and end-of-life care is something that will touch everybody in some way during their life.
“It’s great to be able to showcase the homes of people in the community, but at the same time I think that people realize that it’s a fundraiser and their tickets go towards something bigger,” Larussa said. “We’re all happy to be able to help make a difference where we can.”