Bill and Lee Cilker and Family

It’s been nearly six decades since Bill and Lee Cilker bought their first apricot and prune orchard on Blossom Hill Road from one of Bill’s uncles, and they have seen a lot of changes to the Santa Clara Valley. One thing that has remained constant is their connection to the community.

Actively involved on nonprofit boards, in service organizations, and in their church, “our major philanthropic interests are in education, children’s health, betterment of mankind, hunger, and housing,” Bill says.

In 1998, the Cilkers donated a share of their ownership in the Samaritan Medical Center (on the site of a former family orchard) to Community Foundation Silicon Valley to create the Cilker Family Foundation. Income from the property goes into the family foundation, and the Cilkers work together as a family to find worthy grantees. “We involve our children in our giving programs and they in turn inform and get feedback from their children,” Bill says.

They also rely on staff at the Community Foundation to help them address a particular issue, such as with Girls Club of the Mid-Peninsula. “We wanted to help under-privileged children in the East Palo Alto and Menlo Park area,” Bill says. “I had read in the Stanford Review that Condaleeza Rice and others were giving special attention to some of these students from the East Palo Alto area and as a result, they were making outstanding academic improvements. Also, active participation of parents and families is encouraged, and we think this is important.”