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NEWSLETTER: June 2015

In this issue:

Window on the River Park
Rotary Children's Playgarden
Volunteer Corner
Legacy Giving

Window on the River Park

Adobe's Senior VP of People and Places Donna Morris welcomed guests to our annual donor appreciation event that Adobe underwrites for us. We were joined by Supervisor Ken Yeager, Mayor Sam Liccardo, Councilmembers Raul Peralez and Pierluigi Oliverio, and SJUSD Trustee Susan Ellenberg.

Board Secretary Kelly Hattley thanked our sponsors, and President Terry Austen acknowledge the GRPC board, thanked former Rotary presidents in attendance - Mel and Julie Matsushima and Shirley Lewis - for their leadership, and announced that Councilmember Don Rocha and Mayor Liccardo included funds in next fiscal year's budget to get the carousel at Arena Green operating. Stay tuned - more on the carousel next month!

We are grateful for the support of the following sponsors:

Platinum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gold

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silver

Armanino
Simon Bloch & Denise Chilow
Blach Construction Company
Boston Properties
eBay Foundation
Peter & Kathleen Muller
Samaritan Medical Center
Southwest Airlines
Swinerton

Bronze

Able Building Maintenance
Terry & Carol Austen
Robert A. Bothman, Inc.
CH2MHill
Ellis Partners
Focus Business Bank
Garden City Sanitation Company
Heritage Bank of Commerce
Richard Peterson & Sheryl Hinshaw
Hoge Fenton
Lewis & Tibbitts
Old Republic Title Co.
James Parrish & Karen Giles
Francois & Beth Rodigari
Rotten Robbie
San Pedro Square Market
San Jose Earthquakes
Seven Flags Automotive Care Network
The Schoennauer Company
Silicon Valley Law Group
Jodi & Drew Starbird
Verde Design, Inc.
Joann Zimmerman

Supporters

Cornerstone
Craig Giordana
Hopkins Carly
H.T. Harvey & Associates
Johanson & Yau Accountancy Corporation
KBM Workspace
Mac Millan Properties
Morgan, Franich, Fredkin & Marsh
Reed & Graham
A Slice of New York
Joseph Mason, Jr. M.D. and Kathy Vita

Rotary PlayGarden

Since opening to the public on May 23rd, the Rotary PlayGarden has averaged 775 weekday visitors and many more on the weekends. The summer hours are 10 am to 6:30 pm daily.

Due to the City's lack of funding for operations and maintenance, GRPC is operating the PlayGarden. Thank you ValleyCrest Landscape for providing pro bono landscape service for the first year! We are also working with Hope Services to provide janitorial services Monday - Friday and will be having people from the County Office of Education's WorkAbility program on site several days a week to help to keep things clean.

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

If you'd like to volunteer at the PlayGarden, we could use some help on the weekends. Just coming by an hour a week would be a huge help - contact volunteer @ grpg.org if available.

Follow Rotary Play Garden on Facebook for updates or announcements.

Volunteer Corner

A massive group of 250 folks from Google helped in the Heritage Rose Garden on June 2nd.

A hearty thanks to all the volunteer groups that toiled to make GRPG a more beautiful place this past April:

Ai Explore
Boy Scout troop 452 Dragons
California San Jose Mission - missionaries
Creekside School
Hands on Bay Area HOBA
Harker Academy
HighTail
Independence High School NHS
Intel Corporation
Irvine Company
Linkedin
Milpitas High School Move Club
Mission Bay
Morgan Autism Center
National Charity League
Philips Lumileds
Zazzle

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 1130 volunteer hours in April.

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunties

Rose Garden Workdays
Weds. and Sats. 8:30-11:30am. More info.

Historic Orchard Volunteer Work Day
Sat. July 11, 8:30-11:30am. Sign up.

Evening Rose Deadheading
Tues. June 10, 5:30-7:30 pm. Sign up.

 

Meet Volunteer Jorge Luna
Jorge Luna, a San Jose State Student, joins us weekly to assist with our Education Programs and the Rotary PlayGarden. Jorge is set to graduate from SJSU in December with a degree in Environmental Studies and hopes to follow a career path in sustainable water resources. Jorge felt that GRPC's connection to the Guadalupe River would be a perfect match for his interests and field of study. In addition to the hard work Jorge puts in here, he balances two jobs and school! When he needs to unwind from his busy schedule, you might find Jorge on the putting green. Thank you Jorge!

So many ways to give:
Adopt A Rose, General Donations,
Rotary Children's Playgarden,
The Donor Walkway, Memberships,
Endowment, Critter Donations

Upcoming Events

Homeschool Programs

Summer break.

Replacing Your Lawn

Saturday, June 13th 10:00am to 12:00pm Ages: 18+ $10/members, $15/non-members

Want to have a healthy, lush yard while using less water, fertilizers, and herbicides? Join Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County to learn how to replace your thirsty lawn with a beautiful low-water landscape. Explore low-water turfs, ground cover, combinations of bulbs, annuals, perennials, shrubs and find out about Santa Clara Valley Water District's lawn replacement incentive. Bonus: you'll help improve habitat for butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial insects.

More info.

Twilight Yoga in the Park

8 Week Summer Series
Thursdays, July 9th - August 27th
6:15pm to 7:15pm
18 years or older (14-17 year olds must be accompanied by an adult)
$40/members, $60/non-members
$10/drop-in

As summer's warmer weather and longer evenings approach, we look forward to Twilight Yoga in the Park. Join fitness instructor Kristin Strellis for a gentle yoga class designed to improve your flexibility, balance, and relaxation. All necessary equipment is provided. All you need to bring is yourself, dressed in comfortable clothing, and any stress or worries that have accumulated throughout the week to release outdoors in the beautiful Guadalupe Park. This Yoga class will be held outside and inspiration from nature will surround us. Reserve your space in this gentle healthy living class.

More info.

Birding for Beginners and Beyond

Saturday, July 11th 9:00am to 12:00pm
Ages 16 and Up
$10/members, $15/non-members

Guadalupe River is a wildlife corridor, connecting resident birds to many different ecosystems throughout the South Bay, and also serving as a winter or summer refuge for migrating species. Learn how to identify the many interesting species that call the Guadalupe River home on an outdoor birding excursion led by naturalist Greg Kerekes.

Greg will teach participants how to identify bird species by sound and sight, using binoculars, keys, guidebooks, and birding techniques. No prior birding experience is necessary, but experienced birders are welcome to attend and refresh their knowledge and help fledgling learners. Make sure to bring proper clothing, sturdy walking shoes, a sack lunch, and some binoculars if they are available.

More info.

Legacy Giving

Please consider a bequest to GRPC as part of your estate plan. There's no minimum amount required. In fact, you can specify any dollar amount, leave a percentage of your estate, or designate what remains after your estate has been settled. Here's some sample language:

I give to Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, a California non-profit corporation (Tax ID 77-0166797), $_______ or _____% of my estate or ____% of the residue of my estate.

I intend this gift to be used for an endowment that will support Guadalupe River Park Conservancy in perpetuity OR I intend this gift to be used at the Board of Directors' discretion.

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