April 2, 2004

Willow Glen Lifestyles Homes Tour set for May 1, 2

By Carol Rosen
Editor

Spring is here and with it comes the annual Willow Glen Lifestyles Homes Tour. This year’s tour is scheduled for two days, because one day isn’t enough. All proceeds support the San Jose Day Nursery, which is in business to help the working poor.

Last year the tour raised $33,000, allowing the nursery to bridge the gap between what its clients can afford and what it actually costs to run the daycare and nursery school. The money is raised through ticket sales, sponsorships and raffle ticket sales.

Five private homes will be open for touring this year. They feature period architectural details, creative remodeling, new construction custom homes and high-quality home and kitchen boutiques. One of this year’s homes also features a professionally landscaped backyard that transports visitors to a tropical paradise. One remodel shows some ingenuity. The owners chose to enlarge their home by going below ground and adding an extensive, stylish basement level. They needed more space, but were conscious of the look of the neighborhood and didn’t want to change that.
Tickets can be purchased for $25 ahead of the sale from the San Jose Day Nursery, 33 N. 8th Street, or from Casa Casa, 1135 Lincoln Avenue; Eclectic Touch, 1171 Lincoln Avenue, Fleurish, 1334 Lincoln Avenue, Be Civilized, 1345 The Alameda and Terra Nova, in the Pruneyard. Tickets also can be purchased on May 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Willow Glen Elementary School parking lot at the corner of Lincoln and Minnesota Avenue. Everyone is invited, but children under 12 are asked not to attend.

Donations from the Willow Glen Lifestyles Home Tour are applied directly to making up the difference between the fees paid by low-income working parents and the actual cost of caring for their children. 

The San Jose Day Nursery was established 85 years ago to provide affordable childcare. It began in the basement of a downtown church in 1916 with a preschool program. A United Way Agency, the nursery has expanded its services to meet the needs of the changing Santa Clara County community. Although its primary focus continues to be preschool programs, it now also provides day care for school-age children and infants starting at six weeks of age.