CITY YEAR DAY IN THE GREATER GARDNER SNI AREA, May 12, 2006
Over 60 youth from all over the country, in service to City Year in San Jose, converged on the Gardner,
Gregory Plaza and North Willow Glen neighborhoods to work on physical improvements. Debbie Wade of Gardner proposed
the service day to City Year, and various local activists stepped forward to set up projects to be done on behalf of the neighborhoods.
After the event, neighborhood representatives were thrilled at the scale of what had been accomplished in a single day. Likewise,
Scott Edwards of City Year complimented the Greater Gardner organizers,calling the day an "amazing service experience"
and praising the group's organization and task management. He also said that the City Year youth expressed to him that
it was the best service they had done all year. The residents of Greater Gardner could certainly agree with that!
ABOVE: Linda Walsh (center) directs City Year volunteers on the Circle of Dreams project. The City Year volunteers helped Walsh,
a San Jose State art professor, install the first five of 10 bronze monoliths at Gardner Community Center. The monoliths feature designs
and messages of hope for the neighborhood by local residents.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE
ABOVE: City Year volunteers finish up concrete removal on Coe Avenue in North WIllow Glen. Two trident maples are now growing in this park strip,
part of the 38 trees planted in North Willow Glen and Gardner the following day, organized by North WIllow Glen in cooperation with Our City Forest.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE
ABOVE: Gardner resident Alicia Jones (right) brings her dog to greet City Year volunteers removing concrete in front of her home on Delmas Avenue,
in preparation for the planting of chitalpa trees. At left is the City Year team leader, Sara Bowen. Bowen's City Year crew loaded about 300 square feet of concrete onto a truck for disposal on May 12.
A grant from San Jose Beautiful funded the cutting and breaking-up of the concrete; Liz Ortiz at San Jose Neighborhood Services arranged for a crew from the San Jose Conservation Corps to haul it away for recycling.
Ken Eklund was the resident leader on this project.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE
ABOVE: A separate crew pre-dug tree holes in preparation for the 38-tree planting the next day.
The crew included Chinese exchange students volunteering from San Jose State University.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE
ABOVE: City Year volunteers help North Willow Glen residents spread 80 cubic yards of wood chips at the brand-new Fuller Avenue Park, between Bird Avenue and Prevost Avenue on Fuller.
San Jose Parks maintenance supplied the wood chips, which will help with weed abatement in the non-lawn areas of the linear park. Dan Erceg was the resident leader on this project.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE
ABOVE: At Fuller Avenue Park, Two City Year volunteers lay pavers to form a curb to contain the wood chips.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE
ABOVE: Rudy Martinez of Gardner (far right) discusses painting schemes for the Guadalupe River Bridge at Virginia Avenue.
The City Year volunteers refreshed the look of the vintage bridge and decorated it with their own designs. Martinez was the resident leader on this project.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IT FULL SIZE
NOT PICTURED: The City Year volunteers also did landscaping work at the Gregory Street Bridge across Los Gatos Creek -Cliff Price was the resident leader on this project.