On June 12th, members of the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill hosted Rotarians from several of the Area 6 Clubs (Almaden Valley, Gilroy After Hours, Gilroy Sunrise, and San Juan Bautista) as well as staff from the El Toro Boys and Girls Club and other community members to clean up Galvan Park. In total, 52 volunteers participated. The work consisted of picking up trash, distributing mulch for weed control, and painting benches and trash cans. Volunteers enjoyed visiting with each other while having breakfast and coffee before buckling down to work. With the many helping hands, the work was accomplished in a little more than two hours. Those who could stay around enjoyed a grilled lunch expertly cooked by Morgan Hill Rotarian Brad Ledwith. The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill has adopted the park and will continue to maintain the park once a month.
Galvan Park was chosen for the cleanup project because the park is in an underserved area of our community and was one of our first City owned community parks. The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill was chartered in 1955. Galvan Park was acquired by the City of Morgan Hill from The American Legion in 1962 under the leadership of then mayor, Tony Fazio. Galvan Park has a long connection to the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill. Previously, the Club built a handball court, and improved the baseball diamond. The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill also held its first Harvey Barrett Annual Free Senior Dinner for Morgan Hill seniors in 1987, at the Friendly Inn at Galvan Park, where the Boys and Girls Club is now located.
The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill coordinated last Saturday’s work with Chris Ghione and Keri Russell from the City of Morgan Hill. City staff provided the mulch and are installing equipment donated by the Rotary Club (basketball hoops, additional BBQ pits, benches, and informational signs). The club also donated a volleyball set to the Boys and Girls Club.
The project was co-chaired by Club President Craig van Keulen, President Elect Terry Moriyama, and Rosy Bergin. Roger Knopf was indispensable for coordinating with City staff and organizing the work. We were supported by generous local businesses: McDonalds, A-Tool Shed, Johnson Lumber ACE Hardware, who provided food and supplies.