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NEWSLETTER: November 2015

In this issue:

Super Guadalupe River Run
Pumpkins in the Park
Gratitude
City Survey
Foundation Support
Harker School Service Learning
Volunteer Corner
Legacy Giving

Super Guadalupe River Run

On your mark, get set - register soon! As one of San Jose's Super Community events during Super Bowl Week, this will sell out. Join us on Sunday, February 7th for a 10K, 5K or, for kids under 12, a 1K run/walk. Proceeds benefit our education and stewardship efforts.

Click here to register.

City Survey for Park Activation

The Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Department is conducting an activation study of the Confluence/Arena Green area of the park and is soliciting community input via an online survey. Click here to participate.

Pumpkins in the Park

Our heartfelt thanks go out to the sponsors, partners, supporters, and volunteers who made Pumpkins in the Park a great success!

Event Sponsors - CEFCU, Children's Discovery Museum, City of San Jose, Cortese Brothers Farms, First 5, Martinelli's, Pacific Gas & Electric, NBC11, San Jose Downtown Association, and Whole Foods Market

GRPC Partners - Adobe, Mike & Christy Akatiff, Armanino, Barry Swenson Builder, Blach Construction, Simon Bloch & Denise Chilow, Boston Properties, Cosmopolitan Catering, eBay, John Joseph Kelly, III, Samaritan Medical Center, SanDisk, San Jose Sharks, San Jose Water Company, Santa Clara Valley Water District, The Sobrato Organization, Southwest, Supervisor Ken Yeager, Swinerton Builders, ValleyCrest Landscape, and West Valley Construction

Event Supporters - A-1 Heating and Cooling, A Slice of New York, Air Systems Foundation, AJ Auto Detailing, The Alves Family, The Austen Family, Bay Hydraulics, The Caputo Family, Hardcastle Auto Body, Joan and Sheryl Hinshaw, Lindy Roofing, Jason Papier, and Rose Garden Auto Care

Gratitude

The GRPC Board of Directors and staff have lots to be grateful for this holiday season.

We appreciate the support of Mayor Sam Liccardo, District 3 Councilmember Raul Peralez, and the rest of the City Council.

We are thrilled with the Rotary PlayGarden and thankful for the Rotary Club of San Jose's leadership, vision, and generosity.

We are grateful for our tireless volunteers, generous supporters, many of whom are listed above, and for the leadership of the Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Dept.

Finally, the staff appreciates the dedication of our amazing Board of Directors and Advisory Council.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Foundation Support

We are grateful that the David and Lucile Packard Foundation renewed a two-year, $100,000 grant for our hands-on science programs; the Shortino Family Foundation awarded us $20,000 to cover field trips for students from Title One schools, and Western Digital Foundation sent $10,000 in support of our volunteer program. We greatly appreciate the financial support and are inspired by these foundations' confidence in our programs.

Harker School Service Day

We partnered with The Harker School to host a day of service and learning on October 14th for the 196 members of the Class of 2019 and their faculty advisors. Half the students rotated through three environmental education stations, while the others removed trash from the river bed. After lunch, the groups switched roles and together removed over 800 pounds of garbage!

Volunteer Corner

LDS Sisters were among the many cheerful volunteers at Pumpkins in the Park.

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

Alpha Phi Omega
California Mission
Carden School
Chaboya Middle School
Cisco Systems
Creekside School
Evergreen Valley High School
EY
FCSN
Hands on Bay Area
Mission Bay
Monta Vista High School
Morgan Autism Center
National Charity League
Piedmont Hills High School
South Bay Heritage Rose Group
Wells Fargo Bank
Willow Glen High School

And that is only the groups! We also appreciate the scores of individuals who come out weekly to make a difference. We logged 1,263 volunteer hours in September.

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunties

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

Historic Orchard Volunteer Work Day
Sat. Dec. 5th, 8:30-11:30 am. Sign up.

River Clean Up
Sat. Nov. 21st, 8:30-11:30 am. Sign up.

Meet Volunteer Joanna Tran
Joanna Tran, one of our newer SJSU interns, works primarily with our education team but has been helping in other ways as well. She will graduate from SJSU next year with a degree in environmental studies and minors in biology and chemistry. During a recent trip abroad, Joanna discovered her interest in environmental education when she was given the opportunity to teach about the importance of our environment. Thank you for your help Joanna!

So many ways to give:
Adopt A Rose, General Donations,
Rotary PlayGarden,
The Donor Walkway, Memberships,
Endowment, Critter Donations

Upcoming Events

Homeschool Programs

Science of Stream Health

Throughout the month, we will discuss how to prevent water pollution within the Guadalupe River Watershed. Students will simulate a water droplet in the water cycle, construct a water filter and use our Enviroscape model to discover how pollutants enter our waterways.

Soak It All In
November 5th

The Incredible Journey
November 12th

Make It Rain
November 19th

More info.

Fall Walking Series

Ages 18 and Up
$30/members, $40/non-members
6-week series continues through Saturday, November 14th

Join fitness instructors Kristin Strellis and Janet Schumacher Saturday mornings for fun, fitness and friendship along the Guadalupe River trail. Whether you are looking to start a fitness routine or add to your current program, you will be out on the trail and provided with instruction, motivation and accountability. Interval training, safe for all fitness levels, will be used along with additional strength and flexibility exercises.

More info.

Family Nature Extravaganza

Three-week series, Saturdays 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

$35/members per family $45/non-members

Pricing includes four family members, $5 for every additional person

Week 1, Nov. 7: Meet the Critters

Week 2, Nov. 14: Geocaching

Week 3, Nov. 21: Sustainable Urban Gardening

More info.

Annual Holiday Wreath Workshop

Saturday, December 12th

10:00 am to 12:00 pm or
1:30 pm to 3:30 pm

$35/members, $45/non-members

Get ready for the holidays the old-fashioned way by making your own wreath! Master Gardeners, led by Milli Wright, will show you how to look for unusual items that can be incorporated into the wreaths. After a basic design lesson, and examples of other clever projects, you will be ready to create your own personal gift for your home.

More info.

PlayGarden Drop-In Programs

Every Tues. & Sat. 11:00 am
Every Thurs. 3:00 pm
Free!

Want to learn more about nature and our environment while visiting the Rotary PlayGarden? Join us for our free weekly drop-in programs in the Amphitheater! Topics vary on a weekly basis, and have thus far included: All about Birds, Salmon Survival Game, Parts of a Plant, Salmon Lifecycle, Animal Pelts and Tracks, and Impacts on the Watershed using the Enviroscape model. We welcome all ages and abilities to participate. Follow us on Facebook for updates about the Rotary PlayGarden.

More info.

Legacy Giving

Why should you include a charitable gift in your will (or living trust)?

  1. It's simple to do. It can be as easy as including language stating, "I give $20,000 to Guadalupe River Park Conservancy."

  2. You can change your mind. We won't receive the gift until after your death. During your lifetime, you can amend anything you choose, i.e., beneficiaries, amounts, etc.

  3. Tax-wise, it could be beneficial. Gifts to qualified charitable organizations reduce the value of your estate for estate tax purposes.

  4. It's an easy way to support Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, and we'd be grateful for your gift. Bequests of every size build our future financial strength.

The park's wild turkeys are lying low until the holidays pass.

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