I
met Cecelia Ponzini in 2014 during Leadership Morgan
Hill’s nine-month leadership development program. At
an evening workshop students were asked to talk about
someone whose qualities inspired them to community
service. Most of us hung back, but not Cecelia. She stood up,
gazed slowly around the room, and shared a personal story
that inspired us all.
Nothing breaks a parent’s heart like the loss of a child.
Some parents are paralyzed by grief and anger. This could
have been the case for Cecelia, who lost her son Edward
when he was in his 20s, but after struggling with the loss,
she came to a different realization.
“I remember so clearly the day that Edward died,” Cecelia
said. “I woke up thinking that life was good and I was so
fortunate. But a few hours later I was on the phone with
a Southern California hospital. Edward had suffered heart
failure and passed away at the hospital that morning. I never
got to say goodbye.”
Transformed by Loss
“For a long time afterward, I dwelt on the past and how I
might have done things differently. I couldn’t stop thinking
about it. The pain wouldn’t go away. Then I sat down with
my husband Gary and said, ‘I’ve got to do something to honor
Edward’s memory but I don’t know how.’”
Cecelia and Gary decided to create a foundation in
Edward’s name. “My son was a generous and caring person.
I still remember him packing extra food to share with kids at
school who had no lunch. That’s just who he was. I wanted
to set up a foundation to raise funds and help people in the
community, in the same spirit of giving that Edward had.”
Cecelia received encouragement from Morgan Hill Mayor
Steve Tate. “He told me, ‘Cecelia, you need to share your
idea. The community will help you!’”
Mayor Tate connected her with the Morgan Hill
Community Foundation, where she received guidance from
Amy Whelan and Michelle McKay. “I’d never done anything
like this before,” Cecelia said. “They offered services to help
me set up a nonprofit and gave me hope. I can never thank
them enough.”
And there were others who offered support. “Mary Lou
Conragan gave me courage. Dan McCranie gave me hope.
John Horner has been my mentor and Vivian Varela my go-to
gal. Morgan Hill’s City Manager Steve Rymer gave me reason
to trust.”
One of Morgan Hill’s 2017 Strategic Priorities is
Inclusiveness, and according to Rymer, “Morgan Hill is a
better place because of Cecelia’s vision and genuine interest
in helping others. I thank her for all that she does to foster
an inclusive community.”
Evolution of a Young Working Mom
For Cecelia, completing her education has been a lifelong
dream that, despite her best efforts, was always just out
of reach.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
As a young girl in Southern California, she was taken
away from her family, placed in foster care, then reunited
with her mother and stepfather in Morgan Hill as a teen.
She was married to her first husband and had four children
before her 20th birthday. In those days there were no options
for a pregnant teen to stay in high school—she had to drop
out. She struggled for some time in an unhealthy marriage,
eventually leaving to raise her children as a single mom.
“Growing up I’d always been told I was no good and
had no future. I often wished there’d been someone to
ask for advice. I worked hard and matured during my
years as a young single working mom, but not without
making mistakes.”
Cecelia took receptionist and mail room jobs for local
companies including Sakata Seed and Specialized in Morgan
Hill. Then she got a job at Community Garage & Towing,
working for the man who would become her future husband,
Gary Ponzini.
“He was a wonderful,