Guadalupe River Park Conservancy

In a 2012 Business Journal story, five local architects were asked to pick their favorite Silicon Valley structure. Louise Mozingo chose the park noting, "The best thing in the valley is the Guadalupe River Park. It is a terrific piece of urban ecology and public space. It defines a new zone of mixed-use development that includes high-density office space, civic buildings, and housing, all connected by light rail..."

We couldn’t agree more, and thanks to supporters like you, we continue to champion the creation and activation of an iconic park that will serve as a major attraction to employers, residents, and visitors in downtown San Jose. 

The Rotary PlayGarden, a gorgeous $6M all-access facility where children with special needs can play along side their siblings and friends, opened in May 2015. Due to city budget cuts, GRPC is responsible for maintaining the PlayGarden, and our goal is to operate the cleanest park in the South Bay. Over 400,000 people have visited since grand opening, proving that a beautiful design and clean environment matter!

Not counting PlayGarden attendance, over 5,000 children participated in our education programs last year, many of which are provide free of cost to those from schools in low-income areas. For example, using the Historic Orchard, Heritage Rose Garden and Guadalupe River as a natural lab, we offer hands-on, science based field trips for public and private schools and programs for children with special needs, homeschool students, Boys & Girls Club members, and Girl Scouts.  We also offer gardening and fitness classes for adults.

Our Pumpkins in the Park festival draws families to Discovery Meadow every October, with music, costume parades, carnival games, and many activity booths for entertainment.

Super Bowl Sunday is the date for our 10K/5K/Kids' Super Guadalupe River run/walk - you can earn your game-time guacamole on the Guadalupe. The run showcases the park's trails and helps participants burn some calories before settling in to watch the game.

Guadalupe River is home to Steelhead Trout, Chinook Salmon, Beaver and many more critters so we coordinate monthly river cleanups to help maintain a healthy ecosystem. We also recruit individuals and corporate employees to help maintain the Heritage Rose Garden and Historic Orchard, staff events, and help in the Visitor & Education Center, which we run on the City's behalf. We coordinated over 19,000 volunteer hours in 2016.

Top 10 Reasons to Support
 Guadalupe River Park Conservancy

(in no particular order)

We:

1. Connect children to nature by providing field trip destinations, with environmental education activities tied to state standards.
2. Produce excellent events -- Pumpkins in the Park and Super Guadalupe River Run  – that get people into the park and enhance the quality of life in San Jose.
3. Advocate for the expansion and upkeep of the downtown trail - the backbone of the city’s trail network.
4. Leverage private resources - grants, major gifts, and corporate sponsorships - to support the completion and programming of the park and gardens.
5. Sponsor hands-on learning programs for children and adults. 
6. Maintain a presence with civic leaders and City of San Jose elected officials and staff to champion a vision for the park and appropriate maintenance and security levels.
7. Provide leadership for the planning and creation of Guadalupe Gardens.
8. Maintain and program the Rotary PlayGarden.
9. Pay for the ongoing operating costs of the Visitor Center, freeing up city resources for other projects.
10. Coordinate the upkeep of the Heritage Rose Garden and Historic Orchard, providing useful projects and a fulfilling experience for individual and corporate workday volunteers.