This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 6

Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.

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Taffy Dugan

Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2008

What drew you to North Willow Glen: I used to own a cookie company and sold cookies at the Willow Glen Farmers' Market. This was when it was still at Willow Glen Elementary School.  I was struck then by how family-oriented Willow Glen was and started dreaming of living here.

What do you love about our neighborhood? I remember visiting a friend who lived here in North Willow Glen and falling immediately in love with this neighborhood. So quaint and friendly. Being originally from the South, I grew up knowing my neighbors. It's so nice to live in a place where that's true again.

What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why is it important to you? Delivering fliers mostly, and participating in events. I feel it's important to do my part, however small or large that may be, to nurture the closeness of our neighborhood. I've been delivering the fliers since we moved here almost eight years ago, so I've really enjoyed seeing how each house has changed over the years.

This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 5

Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.

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John Francis Maggio

Year you moved into the neighborhood: We moved onto Harrison Street in 1985.

What drew you to North Willow Glen: Our house, on that street, with that backyard!

What you love about our neighborhood: We have a beautiful tree lined street with mature camphors that keep our neighborhood shaded and cool in the hottest weather.

What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: I keep an eye out on the railroads Joint Powers land. I watch and let them know  when they have too much trash in their lot. And I keep reminding the railroad what it  takes to be a good neighbor. They need all the help they can get in that regard! I wrote up my own flyers for the street so that they were aware when San Jose Water was going to put in a new water line and how the subsequent trenching through the street was going to affect their curb trees, i.e. our camphors. In that regard, I established contact with the water department and with the city arborist. San Jose Water agreed to keep an certified arborist on site during the digging. I was  able to confirm that an arborist from Davey Tree Company was present. I also wrote up a flyer with all my railroad contacts so that other neighbors were empowered to contact the railroad and point out when the trash or the train noise was too much.
Member of CADRE, Collaborating Agencies Disaster Relief Effort.

This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 4

Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.

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Bill Rankin

Year you moved into the neighborhood: 1999

What drew you to North Willow Glen: The affordable housing prices and the potential we saw in North Willow Glen

What you love about our neighborhood: The many ways that neighbors help neighbors

What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you:

I lead the North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association because I saw other volunteers stepping up and knew that they needed help to make great things happen. I’ve seen the positive impacts of NWGNA’s work every year in the neighborhood and it continues to get better and better. I also lead Save Our Trails, a group that advocates for trails all over Santa Clara County. I initially became involved because of the opportunity to develop a trail using the rail line that goes right through Willow Glen, and it is now becoming a marvelous trail connection. To see it lost would have been a sad occurrence and a missed opportunity. I also help out with understanding the impact of high-speed rail on our area. It’s important to keep the neighborhood intact and mitigate the effect of high-speed rail on North Willow Glen.

This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 3

Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.

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Chris Davis

Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2008
What drew you to North Willow Glen: We wanted to be central to San Jose and being in a primarily single family home neighborhood within walking distance to both downtown San Jose and downtown Willow Glen couldn't be beat.
What you love about our neighborhood: We quickly became friends with several of our neighbors - some right on the day we got the keys! I soon learned about the history of the neighborhood and its eclectic architecture. When I found out the neighborhood association needed help I decided to check it out and see what it was all about and what I could do to help.
What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: I presently help out with NWGNA communications by contributing website, Facebook, Nextdoor, and e-mail content as well as flier design and distribution. I would like to make sure that people know about what is going on in our neighborhood. NWGNA does a good job of bringing people together and neighbors getting to know neighbors is really what makes for a neighborhood. I also really like to keep blight out of our neighborhood so I report graffiti obsessively while I'm out walking my dog. From 2010-2013 I served on the NWGNA board as secretary, president, and past president. Thanks to all the people who donated their time to the cause, we were able to start new traditions like Party in the Park and revive old ones like the neighborhood garage sale. It's more fun than work and the people are great and have become good friends. I encourage anyone who has the time to meet once a month to check out the available board or committee positions.

This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 2

Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.

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Karen Taylor

Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2005

What drew you to North Willow Glen: I like that it had older homes with a lot of character, that it had its own small downtown, and that it is centrally located.

What you love about our neighborhood: I love that our neighborhood is diverse and that it had a friendly "small town" feel.

What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you:  I deliver fliers whenever fliers need to be delivered on Delmas Avenue.  I wanted to be involved in the neighborhood on a regular basis without having the commitment of an office position on the board.

Party in the Park - save the date!

2014 Party in the Park

North Willow Glen's annual summer event, Party in the Park, is scheduled for August 14, 4:30 to 7:30 pm in Hummingbird Park at Fisk and Bird. Look for a flier in the next week with details and come enjoy barbecue, entertainment from Duke Mantee and the Gold Money Band, and ice cream from Treat Ice Cream in San Jose!

This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen...

Many, many people volunteer in a lot of different ways to make North Willow Glen an amazing place to live. To raise awareness and recognize them, we are doing a series of brief bios highlighting who they are and why they take time to help the community.

If you would like to help out in the neighborhood, let us know by sending an email to board@nwgna.org.

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Lorraine Round

Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2008

What drew you to North Willow Glen: We definitely loved the vibe of downtown Willow Glen, and being walking distance was a big draw originally.

What you love about our neighborhood: I love knowing our neighbors, and how everyone looks out for each other.

What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: We help deliver fliers when there are meetings or other miscellaneous things going on in the community (like Christmas Trees!) and help with Christmas decorations around the area. We like to feel connected to our community and do our part to help others feel connected too.

Online reporting of illegal fireworks activity in San José now available

The City of San Jose has a pilot program through Tuesday, July 5 that increases fireworks enforcement efforts in neighborhoods and parks.

Fireworks cause more than 15,000 fires every year, and half of reported fires on July 4 are started by fireworks. Additionally, sparklers alone caused more than one-quarter of emergency room injuries seen in 2014. (see statistics)

All fireworks in San Jose are illegal. To report use of fireworks, use the city's online form.