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NEWSLETTER: August 2015
In this issue:
Pumpkins in the Park
Carousel Update
Rotary Children's Playgarden
Trail Updates
Summer Adventures
Volunteer Corner
Legacy Giving
Pumpkins in the Park - Oct. 10
Save the date! Pumpkins in the Park is scheduled for Saturday, October 10th, 10 am to 4 pm in Discovery Meadow. Free admission!
Carousel Update
Thanks to LDS volunteers and Southwest Airlines employees, the carousel is once again sparkling. Mothballed for four years due to budget cuts, it needed a bit of TLC to get it ready for state inspection later this month. Follow us on Facebook to get updated information on operating times.
Rotary PlayGarden
One of the ways we are raising money for the maintenance and programming of Rotary PlayGarden is through bench dedications. For a tax-deductible donation of $5,000 (small bench) or $10,000 (large), the donor's name or dedication stays on the bench for five years. We appreciate County Supervisor Ken Yeager and John Kelly for being our first sponsors! Please share this with anyone who might be interested in preserving a clean, safe place to play for all. Click here for more info.
San Andreas Regional Center will be holding their first annual Summer Festival at the Rotary PlayGarden on August 8th. Join them from 11 am to 3 pm for a fun-filled day for all families but especially those who have children with special needs. There will be games, prizes, entertainment, resources, and much more. For more information, contact Francisco Valenzuela at Savalenz@sarc.org. Due to the festival, there won't be an 11 am drop-in program that day. The park will be open the usual 10 am to 6:30 pm hours, and all are welcome.
If you are interested in booking the picnic area (six tables) or amphitheater for a birthday party or other celebration, you can do so here: www.grpg.org/rpg/picnic
Follow Rotary Play Garden on Facebook for updates or announcements.
Trail Updates
Lupe the Mammoth, funded as part of the city's public art program, was recently installed east of the trail, just north of W. Trimble Road. Lupe can be a little hard to spot at first as she's located on the trail spur leading to Trimble, about a 3.5 mile bike ride from the Visitor & Education Center.
CLOSURE: Due to some PG&E gas line testing, the northern part of the trail will be closed from Tasman Drive to Gold Street from approximately August 7th to November. Alternate street routes can be viewed here.
Summer Adventures
Boys & Girls Club members from the Gardner, Smythe, Levin, and Alum Rock clubhouses joined us for a week each last month.
Activities included geocaching, bike riding, and learning about the river environment, animals, and food production. Many thanks to our neighbors at Trader Joe's for providing behind-the-scenes tours that complemented the lesson in the Historic Orchard on pollination and propagation. Thanks too to the Shortino Family Foundation for underwriting the cost of this program.
Volunteer Corner
Enthusiastic Google volunteers help deadhead roses in the Heritage Rose Garden.
A hearty thanks to all the volunteer groups that toiled to make GRPG a more beautiful place this past June:
California San Jose Mission
Creekside School
Google Inc.
Hands on Bay Area
Mission Bay
Morgan Autism Center
National Charity League
Oracle Corp.
PADpro
PayPal
SamSung
SanDisk Corporation
And that is only the groups! We also appreciate the scores of individuals who come out weekly to make a difference. We logged more than 2680 volunteer hours in June.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunties
Rose Garden Workdays
Weds. and Sats. 8:30-11:30 am. More info.
Historic Orchard Volunteer Work Day
Sat. August 8th, 8:30-11:30 am. Sign up.
Evening Rose Deadheading
Tues. August 11th, 5:30-7:30 pm. Sign up.
Meet Volunteer Christian Sanchez
Christian, a full time student, is crazy about volunteering. He began volunteering at our front desk this month but is no stranger to helping out. When Christian isn't in school or here at GRPC, he is most likely helping one of the four organizations he volunteers for. Christian is also a fan of traveling and hiking. He hopes to visit all 50 states by 2017, and he only has 11 more to go. His love for hiking helped bring him to our organization, but his favorite place to walk is Baylands Park. Thank you for your time Christian! |