I was first introduced to Gaby Ghorbani when I wrote a column about Bobby’s Brigade, a young local boy who helped raise funds for the CHP so each patrol car in Martinez would have teddy bears to give children who need a form of comfort in a crisis.

Gaby’s organization, Pledge to Humanity, assisted the youngster through the organization she founded with her family. However, the scope of Pledge to Humanity stretches way beyond our county borders and in fact is global, thanks to the efforts of numerous volunteers and generous donors. I caught up with Gaby who was just home from a mission trip to Mexico and getting ready to leave the country again on another philanthropic plight. She told me about their quest to help those in need.

“Pledge to Humanity is a nonprofit organization based here in Alamo and operates with the goal of empowering our local community to share of themselves and understand the true meaning of giving and personally making a difference in the lives of others,” said Gaby. “Pledge to Humanity acts as a bridge for people of all ages to learn how to serve locally and internationally,” she added.

A testament to that statement is the fact that students from local high schools, along with community members, volunteer their time to assist PTH. In talking with Gaby and visiting their website, www.pledgetohumanity.org, I learned that Monte Vista Mustang athletes served meals in San Francisco at Glide Memorial Church and Round Hill Tennis Teams recently gathered donations of gently used and new tennis equipment for James Logan High School and also raised around $9,000 to sponsor school lunches for nearly 300 children in Kenya.

“PTH kids and youth of all ages are constantly organizing and involved in book drives, preparing meals for the needy, volunteering at soup kitchens, visiting senior centers and sending care packages to our troops,” Gaby told me. “Our high school groups have donated sports equipment to local athletes, volunteered at food banks and raised thousands of dollars for many different projects, and adult volunteers have been incredibly generous with their time and monetary donations,” she added.

Gaby shared with me that the PTH youth and adults have actually raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, which in addition to sponsoring the lunches for school children internationally, also raised funds for cleft palate surgeries overseas and building schools. Gaby said there are 23 schools and counting thus far in Kenya, India and Ecuador. I learned that PTH takes volunteers from our community to participate in projects in India, Haiti and most recently, Kenya. These are just some of the philanthropies that PTH assists. PTH is hosting their annual Pledge to Humanity Gala Event on Sept. 6 to raise funds for Kenya Projects.

“The annual Pledge to Humanity Gala is an amazing fundraising event, which allows us to continue and expand our work. Donors, volunteers and community members come together to learn about upcoming projects, hear our annual report, enjoy entertainment and sample delicious foods from around the world,” she said.

For details about the gala, which will be held here in Alamo, and to learn more about the organization, go to their website at the address mentioned above.

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