Hands On Projects

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Local Hands-On Service Project

Palo Alto Rotary is involved in numerous hands-on activities thoughout our community.  Many of these projects are done in conjunction with the City of Palo Alto at our local parks, gateways to Palo Alto, and other locations.

Palo Alto Rotary Contributes and Volunteers

At Canopy Tree Planting Event May 7, 2011

Palo Alto Rotary volunteers joined with a total of 233 volunteers

from eight corporations and community groups including:

Microsoft, National Semiconductor, NVIDIA, SanDisk, Yahoo!,Robert Half International, Ravenswood City School District, City of East Palo Alto, and REI.

Eight hundred elementary and middle school students will benefitfrom the shade and air pollution reduction care of the 200 new trees that were planted by volunteers at Green Oaks Academy and Cesar Chavez Academy in East Palo Alto.

Palo Alto Mayor Sid Espinosa was a speaker at the Canopy Event.

Eleven drought-tolerant species were planted including: Forest Green Oak, Cork Oak, Valley Oak, Coast Live Oak, Southern Live Oak, Strawberry Tree, Bosque Elm, London Plane, Silver Leaf Linden, Marina Madrone, and Catalina Cherry.

Rebuild playground structure at Hoover Park - September 2010

New Landscaping for Palo Alto’s Hoover Park - October 2009

The City's Menlo Gateway - October 17th, 2008

Breaking News Press Release

Our Thanks to the City of Palo Alto, Palo Alto's Interim Open Space & Parks Division Manager Don Piana, Interim Community Services Director Greg Betts, Photographer and Organizer Brian Steen, and all Palo Alto Rotarians who have teamed up to mulch, plant, water, beautify, and maintain this space for the next three years.

Gateway Photo Album by Mark Nadim

Previous Hands-on Projects

Bread of Life, East Palo Alto

The local Hands-On project was done in conjunction with the Kiwanis Club; the project was at the Bread of Life in East Palo Alto. The Kiwanis Club project leader was Brian Dahlquist, the Palo Alto Rotary project leader was Hersh Davis.

Many thanks to our Palo Alto Rotary Volunteers:  Larry Bailey, Cyrille Betant, Bill Busse, Kevin Curry, Steve Emslie, Annette Glanckopf and Tom Ashton, Scott Glissmeyer, Tom Gracon, Walt Hays, Rob Lancefield, Mike McMahon, Adrian and Evelyn Mickolajczak, Lindsey North, Dennis Sheehan , Art Stauffer, Brian Steen, Photographer Dan "The Mighty" Quinn, Sharon Wagner and Daughter Julia, and Geoff and Ann Ziman

Click on the image to the left to go to the photo album for more photos of the project

Palo Alto American Red Cross

  Monday, power washing by a Red Cross volunteer; and trenching by two Rotary volunteers

  Friday, Art Stauffer and Joyce Cusick helped almost all day with the masking initiated by a Red Cross volunteer, accompanied by Mike McMahon and Annette Glanckopf in the morning.  Walt Hays picked up ladders and delivered to the Red Cross -- Trish Bubenik onsite consultant

  Friday Afternoon, Bob McCowan, Jack Woodson, and Bill Busse worked on a project to convert a closet into workstations for volunteers doing data entry--removing cabinetry, installing ceiling fixture, and assessing plumbing revamping

Team Work, YCS from Gunn High School 12, Rotarians 29, with Spouses, 35

    Saturday Morning, Super Hands-On Project Organizer and painter, Hersh Davis, and David (who worked the morning and afternoon shift)s Art Stauffer who managed the supplies from NASA, the CAR project, and the new Kelly Moore Paint Store on Friday, and worked Friday and both shifts on Saturday.  Iris Korol helped transform the front of the building. Charles Cheng painted; and photographed before and after photos, and work crews of the morning.  Art Stauffer was also a shutterbug at this event.

  Geoff and Ann Ziman, Karen and John Singer painted; and Brian Steen tended the power boxes.  Painters:  Tom Gracon, Mark Heyer; Le Levy and Judy Huey focused on the El Camino side of the building.  Peggy Stauffer painted the base of the south wall, and Rob Lancefield helped to conquer the back and south side wall. Trish Bubenik served as go-fer and was keeper of the keys.

Saturday Afternoon,   Painters:   Hersh Davis, President Art,  Geoff and Ann Ziman, Wes Gardner, Rachel Meyer, Inge Angiletta, Cash Alaee, David and Cindy Blitz, and Judy Kleinberg.  Trish continued as go-fer and keeper of the keys; and Walt picked up ladders for return.

Total number of volunteers - Red Cross  Renaissance  Project:  51

Palo Alto American Red Cross Building

Lovingly Transformed from Battleship Gray

To an oasis in (Kelly Moore) Desert Sand