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NEWSLETTER: July 2018
In this issue:
Weekend Trail Center Support
GRPC Advisory Council member Gloria Duffy suggested that we find a way to have the Visitor & Education Center open on the weekends and provided seed funding that let us operate on Saturdays. Supervisor Ken Yeager, also a GRPC Advisory Council member, liked the idea of having a weekend trail center and provided county funding for operations for the next three years. Stop by to see Deepali, Lauren, or Lazaro from 10am - 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Thanks Gloria and Ken!
Staff Updates
 
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Dreitlein to the role of interim volunteer coordinator. Sarah joined us in 2014 as an education intern through West Valley College's park management program and later joined our staff as a Rotary PlayGarden attendant. Please join us in welcoming Sarah to her new role.
Ash Namdar is our first operations manager, a newly created position that oversees the Rotary PlayGarden and, eventually, the carousel. Previously, GRPC staff absorbed these roles, with Joe Salvato tending to maintenance issues and Mel Sarmento overseeing staffing. Ash brings wonderful experience, having previously worked for the Winchester Mystery House.
Ash's position was made possible through funding from Santa Clara County. Supervisor Ken Yeager, realizing the regional importance of a facility that drew over 500,000 visitors in its first three years of operation, allocated funding for two years.
Leadership San Jose Project
Thanks to a Leadership San Jose class member who works for Deloitte, we hosted over 30 employees for the company's annual Impact Day on June 8. The gardens received new gray fox, raccoon, and snowy egret footprints on the trails connecting the Visitor Center, Rotary PlayGarden, and Guadalupe River, in addition to a layer of mulch on the west bank river trail gabions.
Leadership San Jose is working on a multi-month project with us that will also include the addition of wayfinding signage and murals under Coleman Ave.
Summer Interns
We're excited to welcome five students from the Santa Clara County Intern & Earn program. Pictured above with our foster kittens are Sara, Keilani, Valeria, Andrea, and Revin, who will support our summer programs and mural project. We appreciate their enthusiam and positive attitudes!
Volunteer Corner
Over 100 Intel employees joined us for a workday in the Heritage Rose Garden and Courtyard Garden.
A hearty thanks to all the volunteer groups that toiled to make GRPG a more beautiful place this past May:
ARM
Armanino
BPM
Cisco
Creative Learning Center
Hope Services
Jeppesen
Mission Bay
Morgan Autism Center
Niantic
South Bay Heritage Rose Group
Target
UCCE Master Gardeners
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 1,205 volunteer hours in May.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
- Heritage Rose Garden Workdays
Weds. and Sats. 8:30-11:30 am. More info.
- Historic Orchard Workday
Sat. August 4th, 8:30-11:30 am. Sign up.
- General Support - Ongoing
Have some time during the week but can't make one of our regular workdays? Let us know! Every bit of time helps. E-mail volunteer@grpg.org for more information.
Meet Board Member: Dan Kennedy
 Dan is born and raised in San Jose and graduated from San Jose State University in 1982 with a degree in Accounting. He earned his CPA license in 1984, while working for a sole practitioner before joining Brach, Neal, Daney & Spence, a medium sized CPA firm in downtown San Jose which later merged with Burr, Pilger & Mayer. After three years with the large firm, Dan joined Samaritan Medical Center as its Controller. In this position he enjoys wearing many hats, including finance, operations and leasing activities on its campus which is located next to Good Samaritan Hospital. Thanks, Dan, for your service and leadership! |
