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NEWSLETTER: September 2015

In this issue:

Pumpkins in the Park
Super Guadalupe River Run
Rotary Playgarden
Coastal Clean Up
Trail Updates
Carousel Update
Volunteer Corner
Legacy Giving

Pumpkins in the Park - Oct. 10

10 am to 4 pm in Discovery Meadow, Guadalupe River Park, no entrance fee.

What's there to do at Pumpkins in the Park? You can buy and decorate a pumpkin, play carnival games, join a costume parade, watch children's entertainers, or visit with over 40 community organizations. For a list of activities and sponsors, click here.

You can also help spread the word by sharing the Facebook event listing.

Super Guadalupe River Run - Feb. 7, 2016

We are thrilled to announce that our run was selected as one of the City of San Jose's "Super Community Events" during Super Bowl week.

Sign up soon to guarantee your spot on Feb. 7th - click here.

Rotary PlayGarden Updates

Many of you asked for a way to help pay for maintenance so we just added a fun coin and cash collector.

The PlayGarden is now closed on Mondays to allow additional time for maintenance and repairs.

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.

Coastal Clean Up

A silver lining to the drought is the opportunity to remove trash from areas that are normally under water. Please join us at 8:30 am on Saturday, September 26th for this annual event. For more information and to sign up, click here.

Trail Updates

Bay Area Bike Share Expanding: Please support one or both of these locations for a Bike Share Station near the GRPG Visitor & Education Center. Site 1, Site 2

CLOSURE: SCVWD is cleaning the river from 101 to Trimble from now until mid-October. During clean-up, trucks will enter the site from Trimble. SCVWD will have flaggers, signage and fencing to temporarily close the trail for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Work days will occur from 8:00 to 3:30. All trail users are asked to obey closure notices and staff at the site. This important project supports the environment of the river and conveyance of anticipated storm waters this winter.

Carousel Update

The carousel has needed more repairs than initially thought, but we still hope to have it operating later this month. Stay tuned for more info...

Volunteer Corner

Employees from Apple scoured the river for trash and had no trouble overflowing our utility cart with their findings.

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

California San Jose Mission
Cisco Systems
Creekside School
Hands on Bay Area
Jeppesen
Mission Bay
Morgan Autism Center
National Charity League
Piedmont Hills High School Key Club

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 1133 volunteer hours in July.

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunties

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

Historic Orchard Volunteer Work Day
Sat. Sept. 12, 8:30-11:30 am. Sign up.

Evening Rose Deadheading
Tues. Sept. 8th, 5:30-7:30 pm. Sign up.

 

Meet Board Member Marguerite Lee
Marguerite worked at Cisco for 17 years before joining her husband to run A Slice of New York (San Jose and Sunnyvale) pizzerias. She has experience in community relations, recruiting, public relations, HR, and IT. A native San Franciscan, Marguerite holds a degree in liberal studies/mathematics from San Francisco State University and has been a long-time community advocate. Along with a committee of corporate partners, she worked with the State of California's Chief Service Officer to help increase volunteerism between businesses and nonprofits statewide. Prior to joining the GRPC board, Marguerite served on the Family Giving Tree board for four years.

Meet Volunteer Elder Carranco
Elder Carranco has been volunteering with us weekly since November 2014. With a can-do attitude and true connection to GRPC, Elder Carranco has been a great help to our organization, taking on some not so glamourous jobs with a smile on his face. In October he'll head back home to West Jordan in Utah, where he hopes to continue working on his engineering degree and hang out with his dog Mia. Thank you for all your hard work!

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

Upcoming Events

Homeschool Programs

Join us this month for the relaunch of our Homeschool Program. Students will learn about the influences that people have on the earth and discuss how to keep our earth healthy and green by practicing the 4R's daily. Students will learn about how common items can be reused and repurposed by working on recycled projects.

Reduce
September 3rd

Reuse
September 10th

Class Cancelled
September 17th

Recycle
September 24th

Repurpose
September October 1

More info.

PlayGarden Drop-In Programs

Every Tues. & Sat. 11 - 11:45 am
Every Thurs. 4 -
4:45 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 drop-in program.

More info.

Cool Season Vegetable Gardening

Saturday, September 12
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
$20/members, $25/non-members

Vegetables in the winter? You bet! Here in Santa Clara County we can grow vegetables year round. Join UCCE Master Gardeners to learn about the wide variety of vegetables that thrive in our cool season: broccoli, kale, peas, lettuce, and many more. You will also receive hands-on experience sowing seeds and transplanting seedlings and will take home a flat of seedlings for your winter garden.

More info.

Orchid Care and Repotting

Saturday, September 12
1:30 - 3:00 pm
$10/members, $15/non-members

Join us and Master Gardener David Giroux for tips on caring for your gorgeous orchid and repotting techniques. Have a sick orchid? Bring it in! David has been growing orchids at home for 20 years and wants to help you diagnose your problem so that both you and your orchid are happy. David has 12 years' experience and 3,000 hours as a Master Gardener and is listed as an honorary member in addition to being a Volunteer Supervisor at the Heritage Rose Garden!

More info.

Autumn in the Heritage Rose Garden

Saturday, September 26
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Free

Check out the South Bay Heritage Rose Groups' festival celebrating the Heritage Rose Garden's fall bloom and learn about composting, propagation, and heritage roses. Heritage and hard-to-find roses will be for sale.

More info.

Tails and Trails

Saturday, September 26, October 24, & November 28
9:00 - 11:00 am
$15/members, $20/non-members

We invite you and your canine friends to take a leisurely nature walk. Meet new friends and explore the Guadalupe River and its many art pieces and exhibits. Learn about flora and fauna species all along the way.

Each walk will focus on a different region of the park and covering areas such as Arena Green, Discovery Meadow, Confluence Point, Little Italy, and the Historic Orchard and Heritage Rose Garden.

More info.

Fall Walking Series

Ages 18 and Up
$30/members, $40/non-members
6-week series starting Saturday, October 10

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.

Legacy Giving

Retirement accounts, which are subject to income tax, are good vehicles for charitable gifts. Charities aren't subject to income tax so your gift goes farther.
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