Welcome to Nancy's Community Spotlight, where
Councilmember Pyle recognizes the outstanding work
and service of local individuals and organizations
within the District 10 community.

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Congrats for February 2007

• Congrats to the VEP Community Association for their hard work and dedication in putting together the Branham-Narvaez beautification project.
  
  In late January fifty-five eager volunteers turned out to install an extensive irrigation system at the corner of Branham Lane and Narvaez Avenue. That was the first in a successful, two-weekend beautification project aimed at planting trees on the 1/3-acre lot. The next weekend sixty-seven individuals planted 32 trees and spread mulch over the entire lot. Another eight trees were planted along the ped/bike path across the street, replacing those that had died in recent years. The results were beautiful and very satisfying for every community member involved.

  Organized by VEP, this project obviously aroused the popular support of neighbors, young and old, who were tired of the weed- and litter-strewn moonscape. Houses across the adjacent court had for years been blasted by dust and debris as prevailing winds whisked unimpeded across the barren dirt. Time was ripe, so when we distributed flyers and emails to neighboring residents, the results were predictable: people turned out, eager to get the job done. City Arborist, Ralph Mize selected appropriate tree species and prepared a site design. With the help of Maintenance Manager Tom Ferguson, the San Jose Department of Transportation (DOT) installed water service, a key to the potential success of this effort. DOT’s Greg Shultz and Jimmy Silva offered expert advice on VEP’s irrigation plans. VEP applied for and won a $1959 grant from San Jose Beautiful, which covered the cost for irrigation hardware.

  For more information about VEP, please visit their website at http://www.vepca.org/
  
  

• Congrats to the Leland Bridge Parents Group for being selected as District 10's 2007 Mayor's Good Neighbor Award Recipient. The Leland Bridge Parents Group was founded in 2001 with the goal to bridge the Chinese parents and school administration of Leland High School.
  
  The major function of Leland Bridge is to raise funds. From its inception to date, this group has raised over $80,000 and made contribution to different school projects such as the school’s stage renovation, motion detector light installation and programs like the Speech and Debate team and the Robotics Club. Leland Bridge members also participate in many school organizations such as the Parents Group, School Site Council and the Leland Foundation.

  The history of Leland Bridge goes back to 2000 with a small group of Chinese parents who initiated a fundraising campaign for Leland High School’s Media Center among the Chinese community. This campaign successfully raised $30,000 within a month. This unprecedented success opened the door for the formation of Leland Bridge in 2001. The parent group realized that a “bridge” between the school and the Chinese parents was needed to overcome the cultural and language barriers. The founding members are Hua-Yan Wee, Irene Chen, Elenor So, Wenlin Chen, and Ai-Chu Wang.

  Leland Bridge regularly publishes a newsletter in Chinese language to facilitate the communications between the Chinese parents and school. It organizes parents to support school functions when needed. An annual fundraising event, Leland Bridge Night, takes place around the Chinese New Year each year. This event not only provides the Chinese community with an occasion to socialize and network, it also provides an opportunity to make contributions to the school. This annual event mobilizes over 100 parent and student volunteers. Leland students from a wide range of different ethnic groups also participated in this event.

  This year’s Leland Bridge Night took place on February 3 rd, 2007 at Leland High School and raised over $18,000 that night. It was a huge success. The Leland Bridge Parents Group has undoubtedly reached out to many Chinese families in the Almaden Valley.

  To learn more, visit their website at http://lelandbridge.org/