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Haven’t heard of it Have you heard of Dial-A-Ride — now Tracer — Lolly Hansen Senior Center, Brown Bag Program food bank, Agape House, Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest Food Bank, Tough Love, Tracy 4 Teens, Dimensions In Discovery, Tracy Educational Excellence Foundation, Tracy Volunteer Caregivers or Brighter Christmas Good Sam either started or helped nurture every one of these groups.

Good Sam’s part, to fill a need, speaks volumes of the history of Tracy, and after 33 years, it still exists to empower the community.

From humble beginnings in 1974, Good Sam has grown to serve thousands beyond the 18,560 individual social services it claimed to provide in the mid-’70s. The vastness of it is truly mind-boggling.

It started when Joan Sparks watched elders carrying groceries long distances to their homes from the store. With her insight and drive, plus the Tracy City Council’s encouragement and the volunteer efforts of hundreds of people, Good Sam began. The group grew strong and large.

Though the history of Tracy could be graphically explained through the groups Good Sam nurtured, which of them now exist in 2007 Tracy Volunteer Caregivers, Tracy Educational Excellence Foundation and Brighter Christmas are still constant members of the 12-member board. The board listens to challenges and successes and fields any concerns.

These three groups are seeking nonprofit status and eventually will grow up and out of Good Sam’s reach. That is exactly the plan. Good Sam’s biggest focus is to take groups like these, which see needs and wants to fill through humanitarian means, and help them reach their goals.

Tracy Volunteer Caregivers is a “Faith in Action” program, dedicated solely to providing volunteer practical social support to seniors, the chronically ill or disabled, and their family members and caregivers. This is done by helping with transportation or escorts, errands, yard work and housework, shopping and cooking. The group provides telephone reassurance and visitors, as well as unskilled respite care and community resource information. There is no charge, and the group is always looking for volunteers — 835-2772.

Tracy Educational Excellence Foundation is a group whose goal for three years has been to give local schools grants for curriculum enhancement. These grants pay for school and classroom projects and also help deliver school supplies to classrooms. The money comes from fundraisers and grants. The group needs grant writers and volunteers to help with events — 470-2892.

Brighter Christmas has made Christmas a beautiful reality for 27 years, helping 1,640 children and more than 650 families, with 315 volunteers pitching in this past year alone. Early on, Executive Director Gene Birk combined forces with Sparks — she emphasized providing food, and he wanted to add toys — to start Brighter Christmas. The need was and is still huge. The Marine Corps-sponsored Toys for Tots rounded out the ensemble by giving Tracy-donated toys to Brighter Christmas. In turn, Brighter Christmas donates to the Delta Island Boys

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Girls Club and Head Start throughout the year.

Needs Believe it or not, Brighter Christmas needs applicants for scholarships for those who have volunteered with the organization. Gene also says he wants someone to replace him within five years. So, an executive-director-in-training would be wonderful.

The remaining question for Good Sam is this: What does this group need

The answer is twofold: What are our community needs And where are the groups aspiring to be nonprofits, and those who want to be nurtured

If you have an answer, contact Dan Schack, chairman of Good Sam — 835-2178.

Jaclyn Zoccoli is the executive director of Dimensions In Discovery Inc., and owner of Success Connections. Marketing and networking have been her passion for years. She is the catalyst for spontaneous combustion in getting people together in meaningful relationships. She can be reached at 839-0889.