Adopt-a-Rose for Valentine's Day!
Reduce your carbon footprint - go green this Valentine’s day. Traditionally roses are the expected gift, but what about a living rose that will bloom for years and is pesticide free? If this gift sounds perfect for your Valentine, look no farther than the Heritage Rose Garden in Guadalupe Gardens!

Click here for more info!

Proceeds support the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, a unique collection of 3,600 antique and modern roses. Established in 1995 through an extensive community effort, the garden contains 2,600 varieties, more varieties than any public rose garden in North America.

It is maintained by dedicated volunteers, with some assistance from the City of San Jose. The garden is open daily from dawn to dusk and there is no admission charge.

Save the Date!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Jodi Starbird took over as Board President in January. Ms. Starbird (David J. Powers & Assoc) most recently chaired the Master Plan Committee. Joining her as officers are Vice President Dave Finn (Blach Construction), Secretary Susan Siravo (Santa Clara Valley Water District), Treasurer Jerry Silva (retired), and Past President Phil Sims (Sims and Layton).

Guadalupe River Park Conservancy’s Board of Directors voted last month to rebrand the organization as Guadalupe River Park Conservancy. While still a 501(c)3 organization, the conservancy name better reflects our current role in the park and our future stewardship efforts.

We’ll be changing our website and outreach materials over the next few months to reflect this new identity.

Heart to Heart!
Friday, February 12th
3:30 to 5:00 pm
$10/members, $15/non-members
Ages: 5-10
Did you know a worm has five hearts? Do you know where a snake’s heart is located along its body? The huge blue whale’s heart beats six times a minute and our human’s heart beats seventy times. Join the Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens  and learn some cool facts about the heart and how it differs between species. So many creatures on our planet depend on a strong heart and each one comes in different sizes, has unique sounds, number of chambers and lots of other facts which vary from the lowly worm to the largest of mammals.  Before you leave, you will create some colorful Valentine hearts of your own to take home.

Spring Walking Series
Saturday, March 6th – April 24th  (8 weeks)
8:30 to 9:30am
$40/members, $50/non-members
Burst out of winter with a new walking series! Join Guadalupe River Park Conservancy for their eight week Spring walking Series. Step by step, you’ll be healthier as a result of this class that leads you through the paved trails along the Guadalupe River. Come check out the changes along the trails. Learn proper stretches, toning exercises and wellness tips as you meet others who enjoy exercising outdoors along the way.  Varied fitness levels will be offered. Led by fitness instructors Kristin Strellis and Sheri Suomela.

AND Twilight Yoga in the Park will return in May!!

Rose pruning clinics
Free rose pruning clinic every Wednesday and Saturday at 9:00 am, until February 20, 2010, at the Heritage Rose Garden on West Taylor (between Hwy 87 & Coleman Ave.). Call Volunteer Coordinator Lucy Perez at 408-298-7657 to sign up.

Volunteer Profiles

Guadalupe River Park Conservancy Board Member Darcie Green Darcie Green is the Community & Government Relations Manager for Kaiser Permanente San Jose. Prior to entering the health care industry, Darcie worked as a field representative in the office of Assemblymember Joe Coto where she worked many public policy issues affecting the residents of San Jose particularly those focused on increased access to healthy lifestyle choices for disenfranchised communities. Darcie has spent time volunteering as a grassroots organizer working towards empowering neighborhoods around quality of life issues and working for the San Jose City Council learning inner-workings of local public policy and budget. Darcie is a passionate advocate for the rights of women and minorities, dedicating her volunteer time to helping to increase political and social power for women, youth and ethnic communities.  She was a former Vice-Chair of the Santa Clara County Commission of the Status of Women, a former board member of the Silicon Valley Latino Democratic Forum and was the Campaign Coordinator for Assemblymember Coto's Assembly campaign. Darcie serves as Chair of Somos Mayfair, board member for Friends of PACT, the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, and the Alum Rock Education Foundation and Advisory Board member of Generation Engage, East Side Education Alliance and APALI. In 2009, Darcie was elected to the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party and was awarded the 2009 CDP John F. Kennedy Jr. Award for Public Service.

Meet Volunteer Lindsay Neal Lindsay first volunteered on January 28, 2010 through the Disney Volunteer Program, Give a Day, Get a Day. While her Disney obligation was just one shift, she continues to volunteer two or three times a week and has been helping with different projects in the office, including the Valentine’s Day Adopt- A-Rose program. Lindsay is native Californian and went to Del Mar High School. She worked at Safeway for 2 years stocking merchandise and also worked at RMSI (Retail Merchandising) for a year. She enjoys reading romance books, watching WWE (wrestling) and likes tattoos. She also likes to spend time with her dog Missie. Lindsay hopes to have her own business in the future. We are glad Lindsay selected us from hundreds of volunteer opportunities in the Disney Program. Please welcome her to our volunteer group and get to know more about her future business plans.