Carole Avilla

Carole Avilla began volunteering her time with the Santa Clara Vanguard early on when the first of her 6 children joined the corps in 1968.  Eventually all 6 of her children marched in the corps, spanning the next 18 years, from 1968 through 1986.  From the time her first child joined the corps, she volunteered to drive kids to and from rehearsals and performances, cooked meals for the corps, and opened her home to countless kids from out of the area.  She made it her job to make sure nobody was left out in the cold.  

Carole was one of the first volunteers on the maiden voyage of Miss Amana in 1977.  She helped to establish the healthy recipes that were served to the corps at that time, some of which are still used to this day. In the early years of the corps, Carole drove her own van on tour, toting her 4 youngest children, in order to provide any needed services to the corps and also a way to make frequent trips to local stores and purchase food that was needed to feed them.

Through the years she was involved with the corps, the Avilla home became a special hang-out for SCV members and staff alike. It seemed like there was never a time when someone from the corps wasn’t hanging out at her home. She was inviting and gracious, and was considered the “corps mother” throughout her involvement with the corps.